In the above pictures, you should be able to see the size of both the soybeans and the weeds approximately 21 days after planting. The photo on the right is approximately 48 hours after the field was sprayed the first time with our Liberty herbicide program.

This field warranted a second Liberty application! (see the light green strip in the field that was missed on the first application)

This particular field had been conventionally tilled and planted, but no pre-emerge herbicide had been applied. The next picture will show a strip that the sprayer missed with the first application. Yes, those weeds are taller than the soybeans.

So what do we need to take away from this? Even if a field is completely clean (conventional tilled or no till) weeds will get a foot hold very quickly, and if they are not managed in a timely manner, you will be trying to control them all season.

We have some recommendations to help have clean fields all season long:

• Make sure you start with a clean field
• Use a residual herbicide (maybe even two with different modes of action) preplant
• Scout fields and be ready to spray post herbicides before weeds are 4 inches tall
• No matter what post program you are using, use the appropriate water buffering product and adjutants.

SOIL Service, Inc. has the right products for these jobs!

SOIL Boost Plus is the right water buffering product for all burn-down and post applications. SOIL Boost Plus does the following:

• Buffers metal ions in the water
• Reduces water pH below 5.0 and holds for 30 days
• Satisfies AMS requirement – 16 oz. per acre for spray rates up to 15 gallons per acre. If using Liberty, 24 oz. per acre with the 20 gallon per acre spray rate.
• Has Proprietary absorption and translocation agents included.

LANDOIL is the perfect adjuvant to include with all your herbicides when spraying!

• Lower herbicide rates – not the double rates that have been recommended the past few years.
• Encapsulates the herbicide molecules
• Rain fast in twenty minutes
• Inhibits photo-decomposition – important with residuals being sprayed with burn down herbicides
• Drift reduction and better more uniform spray patterns
• Aids in penetration, absorption, and translocation of the herbicides in the target
• plants

This is what the field looked like in late July after two herbicide trips.

With commodity prices at a lower level then in the past couple of years, many will be trying to cut costs to help increase the bottom line in their operations. One place not to make any concessions is your herbicide program. Weeds don’t care what the price is for crops in the fall, all they want to do is grow, cause yield reductions, and problems for you at harvest. Oh yeah, they also want to produce more seed so they will be around in the future. With the programs and products that SOIL Service, Inc. has to help you fight the battle with all weeds, we can help you start with and keep your fields clean.

If you are attending the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, or the Western Farm Show in Kansas City, or any other regional show this year, stop at the SOIL Service, Inc. booth and visit with us about our products.

You can still contact me by phone and text @ 573-680-6951, or my new email address which is jviertel@soilserviceinc.com any time to discuss any of our products or programs.