Nick Seibert

The number of herbicide resistant weeds continues to grow every year. As of May 2023, the U.S. has 131 unique herbicide resistant weeds and Canada has 55. (1) To proactively delay resistant weed development, farmers should prioritize creating and implementing a weed resistance management strategy across every acre they plan to plant. Here are seven considerations to incorporate into such a strategy.  1. Use Herbicide Group Numbers Strategically Each herbicide group number corresponds to a site of action of an active ingredient. When multiple herbicide groups are applied to control a targeted weed, the weed is less likely to escape a spraying, as it must tolerate many different functional disruptions. (2) An example of this would be a weed in your area that is known to resist both glyphosate (Group 9) and ALS inhibitor (Group 2) active ingredients. To effectively address the weed pressure, you could apply herbicides from other groups such as GCS Metola Plus 8EC (Group 15) and Willowood Sulfen 4SC (Group 14). For more details on herbicide groups, see this chart from the United Soybean Board.  2. Know Adjuvant Requirements Proper adjuvants can increase the efficacy of your burndown and preemergence herbicides. Consult your label to see which adjuvants are required, recommended or a potential option for use.  Whether you need a surfactant like IN-Zorb ADV , a crop oil like FBN Crop Oil Concentrate , or a drift inhibitor like Miller Mist-Control® , take the time to familiarize yourself with the products that can help you get the most out of your herbicide shot while limiting unintended impacts.  3. Include Tillage as a Weed Management Tool By controlling emerged weeds and burying non-germinated seed, tillage can help reduce seed banks as part of an integrated weed management program with herbicide applications. (3) 4. Enhance the Crop Canopy Changing planting and fertilizer strategies through experimentation with narrower rows and banding fertilizer could hasten the growth of a crop canopy, shading out competitive weeds. 5. Clean Your Equipment  Avoid spreading weed seeds by cleaning equipment before leaving each field. Plus, the work that you do to control troublesome weeds in the fence rows adjacent to your fields will also reduce the spread of weeds. 6. Rotate Crops In addition to improving soil health and increasing crop yields, crop rotation can also help break weed cycles. Rotating crops, including row crops, small grains, and cover crops, on a regular basis can prevent certain weeds from becoming dominant. 7. Rotate Herbicides While there are many herbicides labeled to control the same weed species, using the same herbicide year after year may initiate resistance and decrease your ability to control the weeds. Herbicide diversity plays an important role in fighting weed resistance. Shop For Herbicides  FBN Direct® offers a diverse product portfolio to provide a wide range of herbicide options for growers like you to develop an integrated weed management strategy. Top Preemergence Herbicides at FBN® Herbicide Group Crop FBN Product Group 9 *Preemergence Corn/Soybeans AgSaver™ Glyphosate 53.8% Group 10 *Preemergence Corn/Soybeans Willowood Glufosinate 280SL Group 15 Corn & Soybeans GCS Metola Plus 8EC Group 5 Corn ONLY Atrazine 4L Value Pick Group 15, Group 27, Group 5 Corn ONLY Meto 1.7+Meso 0.22+Atrzn 1.66 Group 14 Soybeans ONLY Willowood Sulfen 4SC Group 14, Group 2 Soybeans ONLY Willowood Sulfen Cloran *Group 9 Postemergence on Glyphosate-traited crops ONLY *Group 10 Postemergence Glufosinate-traited crops ONLY Sources: https://www.weedscience.org/Pages/GeoChart.aspx https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/effectiveness-using-multiple-sites-action-manage-resistance https://hracglobal.com/prevention-management/best-management-practices Copyright © 2014 - 2023 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, “Farmers Business Network”, “FBN” and “FBN Direct” are servicemarks, trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. FBN Direct products and services and other products distributed by FBN Direct are offered by FBN Inputs, LLC and are available only in states where FBN Inputs, LLC is licensed and where those products are registered for sale or use, if applicable. If applicable, please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Nothing contained on this page, including the prices listed should be construed as an offer for sale, or a sale of products. All products and prices are subject to change at any time and without notice. Terms and conditions apply. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its label. The distribution, sale and use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix and that the usage of a product is otherwise consistent with federal, state and local laws. We reserve the right to restrict sales on a geographic basis in our sole discretion. You must have a valid applicator license to use restricted use pesticides. Please consult your state department of agriculture for complete rules and regulations on the use of restricted use pesticides, as some products require specific record-keeping requirements. The material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for specific agronomic, business, legal, investment or professional advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified agronomist, financial planner, or investment manager. Neither Farmer's Business Network, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

Now that spring is in full bloom and planting season is underway, early germinating weeds will be arriving soon. Starting clean is critical when your goal is maximizing production. Weed management programs need to be viewed as a season-long project with clear goals in mind. With the proper management program in place, you’ll be able to identify the best burndown herbicides for corn and soybeans.  Weed Management Goals Your weed management goals may include early springtime cultivation, rolling certain cover crops and/or a herbicide application to achieve a clean seed bed. If cultivation is not possible (no-till system, highly erodible soil, arid regions), then a burndown and pre-emergence herbicide application may be a great alternative. Keep in mind that burndown and pre-emergence herbicide applications are only one step in the war on weeds. Starting with a clean field, early competition can be minimized allowing for the crop to get off to a good start. Spring burndown, post-emerge applications, fall burndown and in-season tillage also need to be considered in your overall weed management program. Actively growing weeds that are not stressed from drought, excessive moisture or cold temperatures are typically the easiest weeds to manage. Stress conditions can cause the weed to shut down making it very difficult to manage, and this tends to be true for all application timings throughout the growing season. Pros and Cons of the Burndown Herbicides You Choose When considering burndown chemicals and pre-emergence products, you must understand the pros and cons of the herbicide, such as preplant interval, crop rotation and rain fast. Understanding the application rates of the burndown herbicide along with any adjuvants that will be added will give you the best chance at managing early weed pressure—adjuvants can increase the efficiency of herbicides, but unfortunately not all adjuvants are created equally, and quality matters. You must ensure that the adjuvant that you are adding to the herbicide mix is compatible by doing a small sample jar compatibility test . Always read and follow label directions for all herbicides and adjuvant mixtures. [RELATED: Tips for Your Herbicide Mixing Order] Keep Modes of Action Top of Mind Mode of Action (MOA) must be considered as well when selecting your burndown and pre-emergence herbicide program. Limit the use of the same MOA season after season. The more MOA used the better chances you will have at limiting the development of weed resistance. It is everyone's responsibility to limit the development of resistant weeds. When selecting MOA, your ultimate goal should be developing a weed management program that accounts for: Early removal of weeds Longer lasting residual controls Documented regionalized weed resistance and weed types Know Your Burndown Herbicide Products and Their Restrictions There are numerous products on the market that can be used as burndown and pre-emergence products. Some products may apply a planting delay limit, which may range from multiple days to multiple weeks. Other herbicides have restrictions on crop rotation. This can be an important consideration if you have to change crop rotation in the same year. For example, if excessive rain forces you to change from planting corn to soybeans, an unknown restriction from a corn herbicide may not allow soybeans to be planted. The following is a small sample of products that may be applied as a burndown and/or pre-emergent herbicide in your corn and soybean weed management program. 2,4-D LV6 Value Pick * - MOA 4 Dicamba DMA 4 Value Pick * - MOA 4 Willowood Glufosinate 280SL -  MOA 10 Agsaver TM Glyphosate 53.8% -  MOA 9 Willowood Paraquat 3SL * - MOA 22 Scout your fields early so you know the growth stage and types of weeds, and you don’t apply the wrong products or miss the prime application window. And remember, always read and follow label directions for all herbicides and adjuvant mixtures. Shop Crop Protection Products You can double down on savings and convenience when you shop for ag chemicals on FBN Direct ® .  Simply buy the crop protection products you need online and get them shipped directly to your farm. It’s just one of many different ways we’re making farming better for farmers . Sources: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/files/page/files/wc94.pdf http://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/9000016794277/2016-guide-for-weed-disease-and-insect-management-in-nebraska/ *RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE Due to acute toxicity. For retail sale to and use by certified applicators only – NOT to be used by uncertified persons working under the supervision of a certified applicator. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state/provincial law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its label. The distribution, sale and use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix. AgSaver is a trademark of AgSaver, LLC. All product recommendations and other information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for consulting the product label or for specific agronomic, business,or professional advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified advisor. Neither Farmer's Business Network Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. © 2014 - 2023 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, “Farmers Business Network”, “FBN”, "Farmers First", and “FBN Direct” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc.

As you start to think about using fungicide and insecticide applications this year to combat disease and pests, you’ll want to consider the best ways to get the most out of your application. The last thing you want is yield loss.  Let’s look at the 7 things to know before applying insecticides and fungicides:  1. Know your heat Insect development can be tied to growing degree days (GDD). Growing degree days are a measurement of heat accumulation over time.(1) This is helpful in years where days are hotter than previous years and result in an acceleration of insect pressure and more opportunities for pests to affect yield potential by causing damage to roots and foliage. The GDD for 1st generation adult bean leaf beetles are 1,212 degree days.(2) Knowing the degree days can help develop increased awareness and scouting practices as your farm gets closer to these critical GDD. Did you know that you can see growing degree units by uploading your planting data and unlocking this feature on your FBN® account?  2. Scouting for Confidence Increase your confidence in making timely fungicide and insecticide applications with a quality crop scouting program. Typical crop scouting of walking fields every 7 days will help to see patterns of increased pest or disease pressure. Knowing the economic threshold of specific pests can build confidence in when the time is right to make an insecticide application. 3. Curative or Preventive? Fungicides can be segmented into two camps. Curative or Preventive. Preventive activity happens when the fungicide is present in the leaf tissue but before initial infection occurs. Applications with a Group 11 Fungicide such as Azoxystrobin 2.08 can help create a protective barrier before plant diseases are present.  A curative fungicide stops the early growth of the fungal pathogen after infection, the first step of the disease cycle, has occurred. Most curative fungicides are also preventive if applied prior to infection. Despite their name, curative fungicides will NOT cure a plant of the disease. They are not effective against advanced disease cycles. A Group 3 fungicide such as Propicon 3.6EC   is considered to be a curative fungicide. Azoxystrobin 2.08 and Propicon 3.6EC can be tank mixed together to provide a one tank mix solution that's both preventive and curative. 4. Inspect what you expect Do you know how much yield potential you saved from yield robbing pests and diseases this year? Uploading your harvest yield data to your FBN account will help you inspect and overlay many features to better understand crop performance. 5. The right time is the best time The performance and benefits of a fungicide application such as Azoxystrobin 2.08 and Propicon 3.6EC are optimized at ideal times in crop cycle. Soybeans for example would be in the R3 stage to get the most benefit. (3)  Consider adding Lambda-Cy 1EC   to your fungicide application. Insect feeding creates an entry point for fungal diseases to spread, so if you’ve got bugs, hammer them at the same time by adding an insecticide to your tank mix and keep them from spreading into other fields. 6. Optimize your Tank Mix Make the most of your fungicide and insecticide applications by using adjuvants and crop nutrition products. Adjuvants help increase performance of the product through multiple functions. Insecticides need to be applied on contact while the key component of fungicides is to be absorbed into the plant. Farmers First™ adjuvants can help aid in coverage and absorption. Find the right adjuvant pairing to your crop protection products with the Farmers First Adjuvant Guide.   Many growers leverage the fungicide application with the use of Nourish Vitals™ which aids in plant uptake.  Learn more about the complete lineup by downloading the Farmers First Crop Nutrition Product Guide . 7. Leverage your plan Growers have many choices today where to purchase their inputs. Knowing ahead of time the products you need gives you flexibility to ensure you are making the best purchasing decision for your operation. FBN has many tools to leverage the network of over 43,000 growers, including transparent list prices. Did you make a purchase from your local retailer? Upload the invoice to FBN to unlock pricing transparency and see what the current market price is for the products you are searching. Shop for Crop Protection Products Find the products you need at FBN Direct®. We have a diverse crop nutrition product portfolio to provide product options for growers like you to support plant health. Sources: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/growing-degree-days-insect-pests https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/bean-leaf-beetle https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2011/07/effect-spraying-fungicides-r1-or-r3-soybean Copyright © 2014 - 2023 Farmers Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, “Farmers Business Network”, “FBN” and “FBN Direct” are servicemarks, trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. FBN Direct products and services and other products distributed by FBN Direct are offered by FBN Inputs, LLC and are available only in states where FBN Inputs, LLC is licensed and where those products are registered for sale or use, if applicable. If applicable, please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Nothing contained on this page, including the prices listed should be construed as an offer for sale, or a sale of products. All products and prices are subject to change at any time and without notice. Terms and conditions apply. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its label. The distribution, sale and use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix and that the usage of a product is otherwise consistent with federal, state and local laws. We reserve the right to restrict sales on a geographic basis in our sole discretion. You must have a valid applicator license to use restricted use pesticides. Please consult your state department of agriculture for complete rules and regulations on the use of restricted use pesticides, as some products require specific record-keeping requirements. All product recommendations and other information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for consulting the product label or for specific agronomic, business,or professional advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified advisor. Neither Farmer's Business Network Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.