Community weed control

Think Different Using a zero-tolerance approach to weed control, farmers can team up to battle resistant weeds along highways, turnrows and common areas that harbor weed reservoirs. For example, rainwater spreads pigweeds, making it a communal problem. This approach has made a difference for Clay County, Arkansas, where farmers are fighting herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth. It’s not uncommon here for a farmer to spend over $100,000 on herbicides – plus more on weed-chopping crews – and still have pigweeds, says Andy Vangilder, county Extension agent. “Whenever a farmer is riding down the turnrow and sees a weed, he goes and gets it,” says Mike Morgan, a Rector, Ark., cotton farmer and weed fighter.