Extension Agent To Cover Weed Concerns

When I worked for the Extension service in Ohio, the responsibilities of my job, very much like they are here, were focused primarily on education related to agriculture and horticulture production.

Back there, more than 90 percent (I’m guessing) of the agriculture cropping system consisted of a corn and soybean roation with occasionally some winter wheat thrown into the mix.

When I got here and saw how much more diversified our cropping systems are, I was hoping that we would avoid some of the problems experienced by producers to our East.

Last summer, one of those problems that I was hoping to avoid reared its ugly head, glyphosate resistant horseweed (marestail).

I spoke about this topic at Ag Days in March and the folks at the ARS and the EARC both thought it was an important enough issue that it should be mentioned again.

So, at both the ARS Froid field day on June 23 and the Rasmussen Field Day on June 24 and then again at the EARC field day on June 30, I will be presenting information about this weed and some tips in regards to identification, control options, and prevention measures if it isn’t present in your fields.

I have not as of yet been able to assess exactly how much of an issue horseweed is in Richland County let alone horseweed that is resistant to herbicides.

My hope at each of these events is to learn as much as (or maybe even more than) I educate. I will have samples of the weed available for identification but if you are already familiar with the pest, I would like to visit with you to see how much of a problem it is and what management practices have been successful and what has not.

My suspicion is that we have multiple resistance but that has yet to be confirmed. I hope to take some more samples yet this summer and send them to be tested for resistance to other herbicides so that we will know for sure whether or not we have horseweed that is resistant to more herbicides than just glyphosate.

Hopefully you already have at least one of these field days on your calendar. And why wouldn’t you want to go to all three. In addition to the knowledge that will be imparted, there is food at all of them and the much coveted private pesticide applicator credits.