With harvest in full swing, many farmers may have their sights set on yields, but one weed specialist says that farmers in the combine should also be keeping their eye on weed populations.
According to Sarah Lancaster with K-State, “It’s probably something guys that have been farming fields for an extended period of time, you know, they kind of have an instinct anyway of where the weedy patches are just based on, you know, past use of the field or the way the water drains across the field, things of that nature. But it’s important, I think, to try to take advantage of moments during harvest when we have sort of that bird’s eye view from the combine tab of where the weed populations are.”
Lancaster says that the appeal of fall herbicide applications is growing and while there is no immediate result that comes from it, the long-term investment is worth considering.
“The weeds where these fall applications can really be helpful are those we’ve seen that emerge earlier in the spring or even in the fall. So, thinking about things like couche or horse weeds/mare’s tail/whatever name of the day is for that weed, you know, our fall emerging winter annual grasses, things of that nature. So, even though it’s not a direct, you know, dollar in equals bushels out kind of scenario, it’s still beneficial to think about those fall herbicide applications,” she adds.
