New herbicide from Syngenta gets EPA registration

Apr 29, 2015

Supply of Acuron could be limited for 2015

Are you a farmer battling giant ragweed, Palmer amaranth, waterhemp or any other weed? If so, you’re in luck.

Syngenta’s corn herbicide, Acuron, received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency and could be available to farmers soon.

Reports from Syngenta say the herbicide can control more than 70 broadleaf weeds including kochia, morningglory and marestail.

Syngenta research also shows glyphosate weed resistance and broadleaf weed infestations in corn have grown as much as 50% in the last four years.

“Current herbicides are losing effectiveness, and it’s not unusual for us to see growers spending as much as $60 per acre or more on herbicides for corn,” says Gordon Vail, Ph.D., technical product lead for Syngenta. “The best strategy in this scenario is to use a high-performing pre-emerge herbicide like Acuron that will stop weeds before they start, and we’re excited we can now offer it to growers.”

Palmer amaranth continues to be a problem for corn growers.

According to Purdue Extension research from 2013, Palmer amaranth can produce up to 100,000 seeds per plant can cause the crop to lose 90% of its yield.

What makes Aucron able to combat so many weeds is the novel chemistry bicyclopyrone, which works with the other three active ingredients in the premix.

“Early-season weed management is a critical component in helping growers stay ahead of weeds,” says John Foresman, product lead for Syngenta. “Today’s growers are seeking herbicides with multiple modes of action and active ingredients to control the most yield-threatening culprits. At the same time, they’re also looking for residual weed control that will be effective over the length of the season. Acuron brings a new level of control to the mix, and it’s that combination of power, dependability and flexibility that sets Acuron apart.”

Some state registrations for Acuron are still pending and therefore supplies could be limited.

Join the conversation and tell us if Acuron is something you’ll consider using on your corn crops.

Giant ragweed

Video: Treating Sheep For Lice!

We are treating our sheep for lice today at Ewetopia Farms. The ewes and rams have been rubbing and scratching, plus their wool is looking patchy and ragged. Itchy sheep are usually sheep with lice. So, we ran the Suffolk and Dorset breeding groups through the chutes and treated them all. This treatment will have to be done again in two weeks to make sure any eggs that hatched are destroyed too. There was a lot of moving of sheep from pen to pen around the sheep barn but by all the hopping and skipping the sheep were doing, I think they enjoyed the day immensely! We hope you do too!