DON’T PLANT CORN OR SOYBEANS UNLESS YOUR RESIDUAL HERBICIDE HAS BEEN APPLIED. Especially in soybeans, once you plant, your best weed control program is off the table. Why give up herbicides that are inexpensive and super effective? Just spray before you plant. You can do this in conventional-till, strip-till, or no-till. I understand some people may have told you to spray after planting, but that’s not the best way to kill weeds. Spray pre-plant. It costs nothing extra to do it this way, and your control will be improved in almost all cases.

WITH ALL THE PROGRAMS ABOVE, BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE LABEL, AS NOT ALL PRODUCTS ARE LABELED IN ALL REGIONS OR ON ALL SEED TRAITS.

USE FULL, LABELED RATES. Since many herbicide prices will be down, you might be able to use a high rate for a price similar to what you paid this year for a cut rate.

DON’T TRY TO GET BY “TOTAL POST”. You need something out there pre-plant if you want your control to be great, not just good.

IF LACK OF RAIN HAS EVER NEGATIVELY IMPACTED YOUR HERBICIDE RESIDUAL PROGRAM, CONSIDER FALL OR EARLY SPRING APPLICATIONS. Most herbicides need 2 to 3 inches of rain in total to work fantastically. Sure, they activate with a half inch, but activation is not total control. The earlier you spray, the more time you have to catch the rain you need. This year on our farm, for example, had we sprayed our pre-plant herbicide on April 15, it would have taken until the end of June before we accumulated 3 inches of rain. Fortunately, we sprayed most of our herbicides in the late fall or in March, and everything worked great.

DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO GET YOUR CROP TO CHOKE OUT THE WEEDS. Make sure drainage and fertility are great. Consider increasing planting populations and going to more narrow rows. Plant your crop earlier. While we love all the herbicide options available today, nothing beats crop canopy in terms of weed control.

TARGET YOUR WORST WEED ISSUE. For most people in my area, that means waterhemp or kochia. Invest most of your herbicide budget focused only on products that are amazing on your top weed problem. Don’t just buy something because it has 3 modes of action. Buy it only if all 3 modes of action are great on your number one weed.