Understanding Pesticides in Wyoming

By the Wyoming Department of Agriculture

Every homeowner in Wyoming has probably walked down an aisle at a home improvement or grocery store trying to find the best product to handle weeds in their yard or pests around their home. 

In most circumstances, their goal is to make their yard look better or control a nuisance that irritates them. 

While these are completely valid uses of pesticides, for industries like agriculture, the uses of these products can make the difference between success and failure of a business. 

Weed and pest control in the agriculture industry is incredibly valuable to an operation. The presence of weeds and pests can negatively impact water availability, grazing, crop yields and more. Because of this, these products are a vital tool in the agriculture toolbox and can help control a wide variety of issues a producer may face.

Most people are familiar with pesticides and their myriad of uses from controlling weeds and bugs to cleaning up fungi and even bacteria.  

What some may not know is how different pesticide products get approved for use in Wyoming. 

So how do pesticides find their way to the shelves of stores and into commerce in our state?

Typically, all pesticides have to go through an approval process with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  

Once approved, the products are placed on the commercial market with a “Section Three” label. This is the label everyone can see, read and follow, regardless of the pesticide being a general-use or restricted-use product.

States are also allowed to review and approve something called a “24c” label. This occurs when a pesticide has been approved for use by the EPA, but the Section Three label doesn’t cover some crops which could benefit from their use and wouldn’t endanger people, animals or the environment.  

For example, there are some 24c products in Wyoming that are insecticides which list several vegetables on the Section Three label except alfalfa being grown for seed. In these cases, the manufacturer makes a request to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) to obtain a 24c label in Wyoming for a product so it can be used on additional crops not found on the Section Three label.

Lastly, there are products labeled under “Section 18.” These happen infrequently and are typically used when an emergency situation arises in the state and the only help is the use of a product which has not been approved by EPA.  

An example of this occurred several years ago when there was a statewide infestation of grasshoppers. 

As they are very destructive to all agriculture operations, the state of Wyoming made a request to EPA to use the product Dimlin under a Section 18 label for control. 

Most recently, WDA received approval for the use of a product called Goltix under Section 18. This product is for the control of Palmer amaranth in sugarbeets.

Pesticides are not only an important tool for agriculture and other industries, they are also valuable to citizens of the state of Wyoming. 

Those who find themselves in a situation where they may need to use pesticides should make sure to follow the label closely to ensure it’s effective and limits any unintended consequences. 

Those applying pesticides outside of the home need to contact WDA to get a pesticide applicators license.

WDA is dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of Wyoming’s agriculture, natural resources and contribution to Wyoming’s quality of life. For more information, visit agriculture.wy.gov.