I hope everyone reading this has either finished harvesting or is close to finishing, and that you’ve had a safe and successful season.
Now that your memory is fresh on how clean your fields were at harvest, it’s a good time to re-evaluate your weed management practices. You’ve monitored your weed control performance all summer, but when weeds such as marestail, kochia, waterhemp and giant ragweed run through your combine, the seeds spread, and you witness firsthand what you are putting back into your field for the coming years.
Every weed left in your field is something you will deal with next year and beyond, so if you were not happy with weed control this year, it may be time to look into alternative programs for 2017.
This fall, Stine® LibertyLink® soybeans, combined with Liberty® herbicide treatments, have produced great yields with very good weed control. Many producers had success applying a pre-plant or pre-emerge herbicide in spring and then coming back with 28–32 ounces of Liberty with 3–4 pounds of AMS. Spraying with at least 40 PSI and around 20 gallons per acre during the warmer parts of the day also ensure great weed control performance with the Liberty system. LibertyLink products, such as Stine 13LH62, 17LH62, 23LF32 and 26LH02 brand soybeans, have been outstanding performers in my region, and we’ll have more varieties to choose from in 2017.
For growers who struggled with corn herbicide performance this year, many of our Stine corn hybrids have the option to be sprayed with either glyphosate or glufosinate (Liberty). Stine SmartStax® corn and Agrisure Viptera® dash 20 hybrids can be sprayed with either chemistry.
However, the best way to manage weeds is through crop rotation and using different modes of action as often as possible. Make use of pre-herbicides and burndowns in the fall for perennial weeds, or tackle weeds early in the spring with burndown applications. This is especially important in no-till situations. It’s also important to manage the weeds when they are small. Use the proper herbicide rates, and make sure that if weeds are resistant, you look to alternative options such as Stine LibertyLink soybeans. There are many new options coming down the pipeline, but we know that LibertyLink soybeans have proven yields and great weed control against glyphosate-resistant weeds.
Use this time wisely to reflect on your weed control efforts in 2016 to help manage your acres in 2017. And remember, if you have questions about weed control or our 2017 product lineup, please reach out to your local Stine sales representative.