You can’t afford to let even one difficult-to-control weed such as waterhemp or Palmer amaranth go to seed, according to Scott Kay BASF vice president for Agricultural Solutions, U.S. Kay spoke at BASF’s recent Global Media Event.

“The last weed standing is the strongest, most capable and probably the most genetically resistant weed on the farm,” he said.

BASF launched Operation Weed Eradication to change the mindset that a few weeds in a field are not economically important.

Weeds such as waterhemp and Palmer amaranth produce so many seeds that just a few plants in a field one year can turn into a train wreck the next, he said.

You will spend a lot of money cleaning up a field if resistant weeds take over, he said.

The need to eradicate every last problem weed extends to fence rows, waterways and wetland edges, he said.

Seventy-five percent of farmers are seeing weeds with herbicide resistance, Kay said. While new herbicide innovations may look promising, weeds adapt so fast it is difficult to keep pace with them.

The solution, he said, is to eradicate every single weed.

A checklist for eradicating weeds that BASF developed includes these steps: