Northwest Iowa — Herbicide-resistant weeds are becoming a problem for farmers. But there are ways to manage them.
We talked to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crop Field Specialist Joel DeJong. He says the two herbicide-resistant weeds that farmers are having the most trouble with are Water Hemp and Palmer Amaranth. He says while Palmer Amaranth is still rare, farmers need to remain vigilant.
He says the same advice goes for Water Hemp.
DeJong says he says that not all Water Hemp and Palmer Amaranth are resistant to all products. Some aren’t resistant to any herbicide. Some are only resistant to glyphosate (Roundup). Some are resistant to the “bleaching” herbicides and some are resistant to the “burner” herbicides. He says that’s why they encourage farmers to rotate what families of products they use to control these weeds so they don’t accidentally encourage herbicide resistance.
DeJong says if you need help identifying a weed, or for more information, feel free to call your local extension office, and he or someone else will try to help.
Photo by Meaghan Anderson, ISU Extension Field Agronomist
