While the upcoming harvest should be top of mind this time of year, growers shouldn’t lose sight of the 2019 planting season. When browsing seed catalogs and researching corn and soybean options for next planting season, it’s also important to start planning a herbicide program to ensure you’re able to manage your weed landscape and protect yields. Where do you start? First, you need to outline your current weed situation.
Compile a List
Pull together a list of all the weeds that caused problems in your fields not only this year but also in years past. Which fields were affected? What management practices did you implement and were they effective? Did your neighbors experience weed pressure? Spend time mapping out the top weeds that could be a concern in 2019, and share this list with your local Stine sales agronomist so that they can start researching which trait(s) might work best for your operation.
Consider your Options
Exploring every option for weed control is a must. Stine has a large lineup of corn and soybean numbers that feature herbicide tolerance, such as the new Stine® LibertyLink® GT27™ brand soybeans. StineLibertyLink GT27 brand soybeans are a triple-stacked herbicide-tolerant soybean with exceptional yield potential and built-in tolerance to three unique sites of action: glyphosate, Liberty® and a new HPPD/Group 27 herbicide for soybeans (pending EPA approval). For corn, we offer several options of Agrisure® trait corn, including numbers that confer tolerance to both glyphosate and/or Liberty® herbicide.
You also want to consider which herbicide program will work best for your situation. Whether that’s burndown, pre- and post-emergence applications, Stine agronomists are available to help you plan your seed and herbicide program to get the best ROI.
Review Label Restrictions
Read all label restrictions before selecting a herbicide program. What might seem like an attractive option to help tackle your weed pressure, may have certain use restrictions that don’t make sense for your operation. Things to consider are use rates, probability of drift and volatization, rainfall and temperature recommendations. Remember that certain environmental conditions can affect a herbicide’s volatility and overall effectiveness, so consult with your neighbors about what traits they’re planting next year and what herbicide program they intend to use and share your plans with them as well.
Consult your Local Stine Sales Agronomist
Our RSAs and ISRs are available year-round to help you make those tough decisions on your farm. They are experts in what they do, and their main goal is to bring value to their grower customers. If you need assistance locating a Stine agronomist or sales representative in your area, use our Find Stine map on our website. This search will link you to a regional sales agronomist in your region who can get you started on the right path for 2019.