New EPA herbicide rules for Illinois farmers in 2025

By Andi Anderson

In January 2025, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), in partnership with local organizations like the University of Illinois Extension and county Farm Bureaus, will host five regional Herbicide Strategy workshops. These sessions aim to update farmers on recent changes in pesticide policies, explain the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Herbicide Strategy, and provide actionable steps for adjusting farm operations to comply with new regulations.

The workshops will be held at various locations across Illinois:

• Dekalb County Farm Bureau Office on Jan. 20
• Illinois Soybean Association Office on Jan. 21
• UIUC Crop Science Research Education Center on Jan. 22
• Madison County Farm Bureau Office on Jan. 27
• Will County Farm Bureau Office on Jan. 28

Each session will run from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and is open to anyone in the agricultural community. A free lunch will follow the workshops. Interested participants can register through the ISA website or contact Gracie Sheets via email for more details.

The workshops are particularly timely, as in August 2024, the EPA finalized a new herbicide strategy that will impact pesticide labeling across the country. As part of this strategy, new requirements are being introduced to help reduce pesticide runoff and drift. This stems from a lawsuit filed in 2011 by the Center for Biological Diversity, which led to the EPA’s commitment to revise pesticide policies to better protect endangered species.

Farmers in Illinois will need to adopt measures to mitigate herbicide runoff, such as using cover crops, no-till farming, and creating buffer zones. Additional steps may include increasing droplet size, reducing boom height, and planting windbreaks to reduce drift. To incentivize these practices, the EPA has introduced "mitigation point requirements" that farmers can meet through existing field conditions or by implementing new strategies.

ISA’s Herbicide Strategy Workshops will provide farmers with essential updates, tools, and guidance to navigate these regulatory changes effectively.

Photo Credit: illinois-soybean-association