7 Steps To Successful Weed Management

By: Virgil Schmitt

USDA estimates the cost of dealing with herbicide resistance once it occurs to be $20 to $60 per acre. Developing long-term weed management plans that reduce the chances of resistance developing will minimize the cost of resistance. Designing an effective weed management plan to combat troublesome weeds and delay the development of herbicide resistance requires careful planning.

An online course offered through Iowa State University Extension, titled Herbicide Resistance and Weed Management, provides farmers and agribusinesses the tools and resources needed to help design an effective long-term weed management plan to delay the development of herbicide resistance.

Key concepts of an effective long-term weed management plan include:

1. Know the enemy. In the military, knowing the enemy provides an advantage in developing a strategy to defeat the enemy. Likewise, proper identification of weeds present in a field is key to developing a strategy for managing the weeds.

2. Select effective products. Once weeds have been properly identified, managing them requires the use of tactics (usually herbicides) that are effective. Efficacy tables are available at 2019 Herbicide Guide for Iowa Corn and Soybean Production, WC 94. Identify the active ingredient in the products that are most effective on the weeds present and then seek out the brand containing that active ingredient that can be purchased at the least cost and is labeled for the crop in the field.