• Crop Protection
  • Aug 17, 2018

Nurture Success. Not Weeds.

A close up of a soybean plant
Now’s the time to make your soybean trait and herbicide system choices for 2019. Getting a head start on these weed-control decisions will help improve your chances of getting the products you want. Here are some factors to keep in mind when considering your 2019 weed-control strategy.
 
1. Review this year’s weed control outcomes.
Did you get acceptable weed control with the trait package you chose for 2018? Did that trait package protect your soybeans from off-target herbicide movement? These are important considerations for next year’s choices.
 
2. Evaluate herbicide performance.
While it’s important to evaluate how your herbicide performed this year in soybean fields, you also need to determine how well that herbicide system worked in the fields you are planning to rotate to soybeans next year. For example, if you have corn in those fields now, was weed control successful and what weeds were a problem? Knowing what you’ll have to contend with will help enable earlier control.
 
3. Determine the economics of a field.
Your trusted advisor can help you determine if a field has adequate potential for soybeans next year compared to how aggressive you’ll need to be with a herbicide program to manage current weed pressure. They can help you align yield potential with managing for the best ROI on next year’s soybean crop by choosing the most appropriate trait package.
 
4. Start clean in spring.
A fall burndown is especially important in areas where winter annuals such as marestail are an issue. Depending on your geography, a late winter or early spring burndown with a residual herbicide for areas that are prone to summer annuals like kochia will also be important. Remember, choosing the right trait isn’t always going to be the answer. Successful weed management also requires changing up chemistries and using overlapping residuals.
 
5. Practice good stewardship. 
Driving down central Kansas roads this summer, I’ve noticed that most farmers have transitioned to using not only LibertyLink® trait technology but also Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® trait technology. I believe this has helped enable more effective weed control. That said, we have to be good stewards of these traits and make sure we do everything we can to avoid herbicide resistance.
 
Your WinField United advisor can also share Answer Plot® information and data regarding different trait packages and herbicide programs based on our in-field testing to help you make the best decision for your farm. Be sure to talk with him or her soon.
 
© 2018 WinField United. Answer Plot® and WinField® are trademarks of WinField United.
LibertyLink® is a trademark of BASF Corporation.
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® is a trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC.