For weed control in soybeans, especially for grasses, you need a back-up plan to your back-up plan this season, says Jared Greuel, founder of Greuel Farm Services, based in east-central Illinois
“There are too many foundational products that just aren’t available for whatever reason,” he says. “People are going to have to expand their comfort zone to figure out what they can use. Whether we like it or not, or want to do it or not, it’s just the situation we face.”
The force majeure that was announced on branded glyphosate last week is a case in point. Greuel says the product was already being priced out of the market for grass control in soybeans, with many growers telling him they wouldn’t pay for it.
Farmer decisions to not buy branded glyphosate for grass control in soybeans then shifted pressure over to herbicides containing the active ingredient clethodim.
“Here we are today, and now clethodim is getting very difficult to get ahold of,” Greuel says.
Other Chemistries And Cultivation
As he discussed grass and broadleaf weed control with AgriTalk’s Chip Flory on Wednesday, he listed the options he could think of—some of which, like branded glyphosate, may not be available this season:
“We could put down a Group 15 product or use a good residual program to prevent the grass from coming up. We could use glyphosate, Assure or Fusilade, or we could call in a weed zapper or bring in a row-crop cultivator,” Greuel says. “Or, there’s what one of my college professors called Satan’s exercise for weed control – walking beans. Whether or not we want to walk beans is another question, but it is an option.”
One caution, Greuel says, is if you do have some glyphosate, determine the best way to use it for optimum results. That may mean not using it as a burndown.
“Growers need to ask themselves if that’s the best use for that product,” he says. “Because once you use it, it’s gone and you have no way of knowing this summer if you’re going to be able to replace it or not. Liberty is very difficult to get ahold of, too, so consider if there is any other product you can use.”
No Time To Delay
Greuel says farmers need to advocate for themselves and ask their retailer what the best weed-control option is available for their specific weed-control needs.
“It may be an unfavorable option, but you have to ask,” he says.
If you’re not in the habit of reading product labels, this is the year to change course, Greuel adds. For one reason, you want to make sure whatever you apply in the field is going to control your problem weeds. Secondly, you want to make sure you use the product in accordance with the label recommendations.
“It’s the law, and it’s the best way to get optimum control results,” Greuel says.
He adds that anything you can do from a management standpoint -- to scout or do tissue tests in-season -- can help you address what weeds are actually in the field and minimize your weed-control investment.
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You can listen to Greuel’s complete comments here:
