Take charge of your weeds this spring

Although spring planting season is a few months away, it’s still a great time to plan for pre-seed herbicide applications.

Agronomists and farmers have a great understanding of the weed spectrum in their fields. That knowledge coupled with a seeding plan will help influence pre-seed herbicide applications so your fields can start clean and stay clean throughout the year.

“Spring is your first crack at the entire weed spectrum. Hopefully you’ll have reasonable moisture conditions so that the first flush of weeds is up, giving you a good target for your pre seed application. We’ll often recommend an additional mode of effective action to top up the glyphosate application in the spring. This is one of the things we recommend to help keep ahead of any resistant weed population,” says Dallas Funke, agronomist with Hawk's Agro in Rouleau, Sask.

Some strong options for pre seed products include AIM EC, Authority 480, Authority Supreme and Focus from FMC. AIM EC is great for control over kochia or stinkweed prior to seeding canola, while Authority and Focus brands help to kill kochia prior to planting crops such as lentils, peas and chickpeas.

Spring application is one way to get ahead of the weeds that emerge before the crop. But there are other options coming. FMC has submitted their Authority brands for fall application timing to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and that could open up another great option for growers in the future.

If spring is your first crack at the weed population on your fields, Funke suggests really digging into what problems you’ve seen on your fields before you choose a product.

“The main thing farmers need to remember, is to look at what challenges you have in the field. Consider the weed spectrum and the intended crop. Talking with your agronomist or trusted advisor to help you pick the product that’s going to help you achieve whatever goals you have set out for that field,” says Funke.

“I’ve seen instances where growers think they need multiple modes of action and chose something willy-nilly off the shelf. You need to consider the weed spectrum and any potential or confirmed resistance and use that information to guide your decision making.”

And for the upcoming year since glyphosate prices are high, it’s going to take a little more planning for this year, says Funke.

“With the current price of glyphosate, farmers need to be more conscious and look at these add in products because adding an extra half a litre of glyphosate is going to cost you seven or eight bucks. So, you're better off in a lot of ways, money wise and agronomically, to look at these added products,” he says.

It’s also important to remember that some of those add ins are contact products, so you’ll often see better results with higher water volumes.

Featuring: Dallas Funke, agronomist - Hawks Agro










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