Fall Weed Management Should Include Spraying

With wheat harvest picking up throughout the Northern Plains, NDSU Sugarbeet Agronomist Tom Peters reminds farmers that weed management is a crucial part of crop rotation. And while farmers may have three options for weed management this fall, the first two, doing nothing and tilling, don’t excite Peters that much. “The third option is to spray, to use a broad-cast spray to control emerged weeds in the wheat stubble. Hopefully deep enough into September where you can do your primary tillage after spraying then leave your fields sit for the rest of the year in preparation for the next year.” It’s that combination of the two, spraying then tillage, that Peters suggests makes up the best form of weed control heading into winter months. Peters also suggests spraying before late-season weeds get to the six-inch mark. “They’re going to green up, they’ll grow pretty fast and sometimes you want that, so they’ll provide a better target for the spray.”