Reflecting Back
While the 2016 season is still fresh in your mind, it’s important to reflect back on what went well thus far and what needs to be improved upon for next year. Some things to think about are:
•Did your pre-application of herbicide do an exceptional job of weed control?
•Did your crops come up uniformly and grow at the same rate throughout the season?
•Did your plants show any signs of nutrient deficiencies throughout the growing season? Should you have spread out your nitrogen applications? Could you have benefited from a foliar application of micro-nutrients?
•Did your post-application also do an exceptional job killing weeds? Did you have weed escapes? What kind of weeds were your main problem this year?
•Did you notice any long standing issues throughout the season?
Once you have a good idea how you feel the season went, sit down with your seed rep and/or your chemical rep and talk about these issues and how they can be resolved for next year. It is much easier to remember what went well and what needs to be changed now, instead of in December when you are trying to make pre-pay decisions. Also, ask your chemical rep what they thought went well or if they might have noticed some issues that you might have been unaware of. For example, maybe creek crossings weren’t sufficient for an applicator to cross safely. We encourage you to also share information with your sales reps about what you thought went well or what could be improved upon on their end. The only way we can keep enhancing our services is if someone tells us if there is a problem.
One of the major issues we came across this year was weed resistance; waterhemp being especially hard to control. To combat this, the first step is recognizing there is an issue. The second is to talk with your agronomist about what needs to happen to get rid of this problem. In this conversation you will most likely hear that you need to be applying herbicides or a mix of herbicides that kill with multiple modes of action. This does not mean just picking a couple of products you heard were really good and mixing them together. For example, mixing herbicides that are both labeled group 2 (the ALS Inhibitors), does not produce additional benefits because you are still only killing the plant through one method. However, combining a group 2 herbicide with a group 14 herbicide is a much more effective program. Lastly and arguably most importantly, a plan is only as good as its follow through. If you and your agronomist decide on a chemical program for a field, you should follow it to the best of your ability; do not cut rates and do not leave out herbicides or adjuvants.
As a side note, if glyphosate is your ONLY source of weed control, you should seriously consider adding other products to your arsenal. You may look out upon your field this year and say to yourself, “Why would I switch when glyphosate took care of 80% of the weeds?” Answer is, that still leaves 20% to reproduce. Those new seeds will grow into weeds and the problem is only going to progressively get worse year after year. As a result, the weeds will take their toll on your crop yields. Just like the old adage says, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” fixing a major weed problem, in the end, is going to be costlier than to just prevent it in the first place.
Ready to reflect on this year and map out your fall game plan? Chat with a Stutsman Agronomist!