“Pulling weeds can be repetitive and redundant, not to mention repetitive and redundant.” I heard that from a farmer many years ago. Of course, modern technology has provided us with many tools to avoid pulling weeds.

You might regard the 2010 Weed Control Guide for Ohio and Indiana as the “Owner’s Manual” for your management of weeds. Written by Ohio State University and Purdue Weed Specialists, the 192-page publication provides research-based, unbiased weed control recommendations for darn near any unwanted plants on your farm.

The weed control principles section is worth reading just to remind you of the basics; the importance of timing, proper identification of weeds, cultural and mechanical control, spray drift, weed resistance, sprayer calibration and so on.

A number of pages specifically detail no-tillage, pre-emergence, post-emergence and combination herbicide programs. As one area dealer describes it, “The Weed Guide is my Bible,” no doubt over crediting the publication’s value … but you understand how much he appreciates the information provided.

For corn, detailed advice is provided for conventional corn (Non-GMO) as well as Clearfield, Liberty Link and Glyphosate-Resistant hybrids.

Similar recommendations are outlined for Non-GMO, Roundup Ready and Liberty-Link soybeans. Weed control strategies for wheat and oats, including those underseeded with legumes are given, with a special page illustrating wheat growth stages relative to the timing of herbicide application.

A harvest aid area addresses products utilized for that undesired scenario in corn, soybeans and wheat.

Please recognize if you need that section, you should probably spend more time studying the other areas in the bulletin.
If you raise forages, check out the section that covers legumes, grasses and pastures. Removal of undesirable plants will not only increase yield, but also make the forages more palatable. Several related pages review weed issues for CRP acres.

Finally, a dozen pages review the control of problem weeds like giant ragweed, thistles, dandelions and pokeweed. These weeds seem to create headaches that require persistence for effective control.

As mentioned previously, the Weed Control Guide is based on unbiased research in countless plots by Purdue and Ohio State Extension and research folks. Evaluating herbicide ratings charts before you order weed control products greatly improves your chances of effective weed management in 2010.

Want a copy? Ohio Extension offices will sell you a copy for $10 plus tax. Indiana farmers can order the publication by calling 1-614-292-1607.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Roger Bender may write to him in care of this publication.