It’s no secret that glyphosate-resistant weeds are becoming more problematic across the country. In my region, which covers southern Nebraska, southwestern Iowa and northeastern Colorado, I’ve witnessed the struggles with resistant waterhemp, marestail and palmer amaranth creeping up from the South. Weeds become more difficult to kill off each year, and that’s why a number of growers are turning to the LibertyLink® system to help tackle glyphosate-resistant weeds.
In 2015, 27 percent of Stine® growers in my region planted Stine LibertyLink soybeans. In 2016, that number grew to 47 percent and is set to exceed that percentage in 2017. The LibertyLink system, with Liberty® herbicide and the LibertyLink trait, is the only nonselective soybean weed control alternative to glyphosate-tolerant systems currently on the market.
For growers who remain hesitant to switch to Stine LibertyLink soybeans in 2017, I understand that committing to a whole new mode of action may seem tedious, but consider this:
- There is no documented weed resistance to Liberty worldwide. In fact, Liberty herbicide controls more than 120 broadleaf weeds and grasses, including ALS- and glyphosate-resistant weeds.
- Even in instances where glyphosate is still effective, Liberty herbicide and the LibertyLink trait provide an excellent way for growers to rotate nonselective herbicides to help control weed resistance and maintain the effectiveness of herbicide-tolerant technologies.
- Many growers in my region have been successful with the system and have done well tackling weeds with only one pass of pre- and one round of post with Liberty, making the system more cost effective for growers who were concerned about the potential for additional costly post-emergence applications.
- With Stine LibertyLink soybeans, growers not only have outstanding crop safety through built-in tolerance to Liberty herbicide, but they also benefit from high-yielding genetics.