Clopyralid Update

On Oct. 7, 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved new wording on the clopyralid technical labels. This is not the package label, which is what end-users refer to when applying products. Changes to technical labels occur before moving on to package labels, explained Dr. John Street, Ohio State University Extension, turf weed specialist.

Dow AgroSciences and formulators have until September 2003 to change the wording on end-use package labels to reflect "not for use on residential turf."  Dow will be submitting its end-use package labels to the U.S. EPA by mid-March. The agency is expected to approve them sometime in June.

Once labels are approved, any end use product manufactured from that date must have new language on it. This includes formulator products such as
Momentum, Millennium Ultra, Chaser Ultra, etc.

The EPA has not imposed a "stop-sale" date for any product that contains the
current residential-use label. End-user products manufactured in the fall of
2002 and winter/spring 2003 will have the residential use label on it, since
the EPA has not received and had time to review the revised end-use labels.

After the "not for use on residential turf" labeling is approved and new
product initiated, it will not be illegal to sell or use product inventory
that contains the old label "for use on residential turf."

Source: Buckeye Sports Turf SportsNotes, Ohio State University