Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

Tips for scouting in the pre-emerge period

Tips for scouting in the pre-emerge period

Farmers can manage weeds now to protect yields later in the year

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

As farmers prepare for planting season, they may want to take some measures to control weeds during this pre-emergence period.

First, growers should review their fields’ histories, Clark Aitken, production manager at Parkland Farms, told Farms.com on Friday.

“Check where you’ve seen weeds in the past,” he said. “Be aware of the weeds that you’ve dealt with previously.”

Before making any spray decisions, farmers should understand the conditions across the field.

“Walk on diagonals and make sure you cover the whole field,” Aitken said.

While scouting their fields, producers may want to keep an eye open for a few specific weeds which are best managed before crop emergence.

“We need to make sure that we look for all of our (herbicide-)resistant weeds, like fleabane and waterhemp,” he said.

Farmers and scouts should be on the look out for other harmful weeds, including spreading atriplex, pigweed, common ragweed and lambsquarters.

Growers may also want to apply a residual for grasses, such as crabgrass, proso millet and bluegrass.

“When you look at your soybean crop at the end of the year, the grasses can have a big impact on yields,” Aitken said.

To maximize the effectiveness of their weed control methods, farmers can also rotate their crops and chemistries, he added.

For more information on weeds, pests and crop diseases, check out the Farms.com Field Guide.
 

 

chas53/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo


Trending Video

4-H Ontario LMS Launch!

Video: 4-H Ontario LMS Launch!

Welcome to our launch of our all-new Learning Management System (LMS) for 4-H Ontario volunteers and youth! In this overview, you will learn how to navigate the Volunteer LMS system and enhance your 4-H training experience. Watch now to learn more and take advantage of this valuable resource.