ALEXANDRIA, VA – March 9, 2026 – Bayer Crop Science (Bayer) has joined the efforts to modernize AGDISP (Agricultural DISpersion), the pesticide spray drift model developed by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1980s. AGDISP is used by EPA and other global regulators and stakeholders to evaluate a variety of potential spray drift conditions and off-site deposition from liquid pesticide applications to determine application method and application parameters on a pesticide’s label. The modernization will seek to update AGDISP with current computing technologies and enable incorporating current and emerging environmental stewardship technologies and precision‑agriculture practices into the EPA’s pesticide registration regulatory process.
A modernized AGDISP can better account for site‑ and environment-specific conditions, support drift-reduction techniques, and enable scenario-specific evaluations — allowing regulators to estimate potential spray drift more accurately in ecological and human-health risk assessments. It will also enable recognition of the drift‑reduction benefits of new application technologies, which could help to drive towards label requirements optimized for real-field applications. This would, in turn, reward farmers who adopt the advanced tools and site-specific application information necessary for the optimization of pesticide use, environmental and human protection, and food production. The updated model will remain publicly available and open source.
The modernization effort is being carried out by the AGDISP Modernization Project (AMP), whose goal is to update and improve AGDISP. The AMP Stakeholder Committee includes grower groups, university scientists, application technology experts, representatives from multiple federal agencies, and pesticide manufacturers. AMP was established three years ago to rewrite the coding of the AGDISP model using a modern, well-supported computer language. AMP, established by the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA), is investing $600,000 over five years to modernize AGDISP. The funding raised to date— $520,000— includes a $50,000 donation from Bayer, a $30,000 donation from the National Corn Growers Association, a $35,000 donation from the Cotton Foundation, a five-year, $250,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control via the American Mosquito Control Association, $100,000 from the National Agricultural Aviation Association and $55,000 from the National Agricultural Aviation Research and Education Foundation. AMP is essential for all growers and pesticide applicators.
AMP is incredibly grateful to Bayer for its donation. It is NAAA’s hope that other pesticide industry organizations, grower groups, and engaged stakeholders will also join in supporting the project. A modernized AGDISP will help to ensure all pesticide application methods can continue to be used to protect crops grown in the U.S.
For more information on the AGDISP Modernization Project and contributing towards its completion, visit here.
