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Managing weeds following small grain harvest

Farmers harvesting small grains should be on the lookout for late-season weeds.

Jared Goplen, extension crops educator with the University of Minnesota, says newly harvested fields will start greening up if they haven’t already.

“A lot of those fields, if you take a little bit closer look, water hemp and some of the other pigweed species are starting to come through that wheat stubble.  And certainly to prevent seed production this summer, those weed populations need to be addressed.”

He tells Brownfield if farmers aren’t planning to grow a cover crop or graze livestock on the post-harvest stubble, herbicides are an effective management tool.

“Going out there and spraying some Roundup or glyphosate along with some 2-4D is going to take care of a lot of your weeds.  In some areas there are some weeds that have some resistance issues, so if you take those into consideration as well when you’re out there scouting those fields to kind of decide what herbicide products to use.”

Goplen says non-chemical options include tillage and mowing, but recommends continued scouting to ensure weeds are not able to reproduce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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