Herbicide Plan for the 2025 Season

Nov 20, 2024

By Monica Jean and Madelyn Celovsky

Already thinking about your herbicide program for 2025? We are too. This article will highlight key resources including problem weeds from 2024, herbicide programs for 2025, restricted used pesticide (RUP) credit opportunities for your license, how to obtain a new license and how to comply with Bulletins Live! Two.

What are the weed management issues for 2025?

Christy Sprague, Michigan State University Extension weeds specialist, joined the In the Weeds podcast to cover weed management lessons learned from 2024 and what to watch out for in 2025. You can listen to and find the latest episodes on Spotify or iTunes.

Takeaways:

Sprague notes that the 2024 growing season was a great year for waterhemp.
- Check out this Michigan State University (MSU) Weeds Science fact sheet for keys to managing waterhemp and palmer amaranth in corn, soybean and alfalfa.
Commodity prices are low but cutting back on your herbicide program can cause losses in profits.
A new version of the Weed Control Guide for Field Crops will be out starting December 2024. The updated version has information about newly licensed premixes for corn.
- Included in the 2025 guide are tips for cover crop termination and choosing an herbicide program that won’t damage your cover crop.
Delaying herbicide application next spring can cause significant yield loss. Scout your fields and have a plan for weed escapes. If you suspect resistance, get your plants tested.
- Herbicide resistant weeds in Michigan – MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostics

How do I comply with Bulletins Live! Two?

Bulletins Live! Two is a web-based resource, including a tool and tutorial, helping you comply with the Endangered Species Act when you are spraying pesticides. These online bulletins are currently a requirement for certain pesticide labels and will become a requirement for all pesticide labels in the future. The bulletin for each pesticide must be obtained no more than six months prior to the intended application. For more information, listen to the podcast recording from In the Weeds, visit MSU Extension's Bulletins Live! Two webpage and check out these MSU Extension articles:

Is your applicator license expired?

You can look up your categories and current credits on the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) pesticide applicator credit report.

The 2025 Pesticide Applicator Core Review and MDARD Core Testing program offers review and testing for private and commercial core, fumigation standard and ariel standard on site. Testing for additional categories will take place at the Metro Institute, with 21 locations throughout Michigan.

To purchase review materials for core and categories, visit the National Pesticide Safety Education Center.

For additional information, see “Michigan Pesticide Applicator Core Review Sessions, RUP credits and testing for winter 2024 through spring 2025” from the MSU Pesticide Safety and Education Program.

Need some credits this winter?

In person:

Saginaw Bay Agronomy Update – Bay City, MI
RUP Credits Procrastinators Meetings – Alpena, MI and Frankenmuth, MI
Seed Treatment Educational Sessions – St. Johns, MI
Thumb Ag Day 2024 – Huron County
Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update for Agribusiness 2024 – MSU campus
2025 Crop and Pest Management Update Meeting – 6 locations. Get credits and a 2025 Weed Control Guide for Field Crops.

Online:

Pesticide Applicator Training - 12 credits
- Private core and commercial core. Price for the course is $75 with pricing considerations for veterans, low-income and group rates.
Field Crops IPM Course - 4 core credits, free
Integrated Pest Management Academy - 6 credits
- $10, credit categories are 1B, Commercial Core or Private Core

Source : msu.edu

Video: Four Great Reasons to Love Canola

Canola oil is healthy, versatile, takes the heat and is Canadian! Canola oil is grown for you by 43,000 farmers in Canada.

** Why should I buy and use Canola Oil? **

Canola oil is your local choice for oil. Grown right here in Canada! Canola oil is the best blend of fats for good health. Canola oil is low in saturated fat and contains zero trans fat and cholesterol. Canola oil is a source of omega-6 which is important for the brain and essential for the growth and development of infants. Canola oil is also high in omega-3 fat which helps to protect against heart attacks and strokes. Canola oil is high in monounsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

** When and where can I use canola oil? **

Basically, you can use canola oil to replace any type of oil in any recipe and here’s why… For the Health of it! With the lowest amount of saturated fat of any leading oil in your supermarket, it also contains a good amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acid it is an excellent choice for a healthy kitchen.

For the Heat of it! Boasting a high smoke point of 242C (468F) it is an excellent choice when doing high heat frying or deep frying. For the Taste of it!

Generally speaking, canola oil has a very mild or neutral flavour making it an excellent carrier for other ingredients in your dish. It allows for seasonings to shine and for key ingredients to be showcased. However, if you are looking for an oil to pack a punch you should try out a cold-pressed canola oil. Cold-pressed canola oil packs flavour and is excellent for bread dips, salad dressings or a quick drizzle to finish a dish for a great presentation.

*Yes, even to replace a solid fat!

Did you know you can make some of your favourite recipes even healthier by replacing solid fats with canola oil? Not only do you make the type of fat in the recipe healthier you also decrease the caloric content of the recipe because you will decrease the amount of fat needed. Basically, anytime a recipe calls for a solid fat to be melted you can replace it with canola oil.