While fall harvest might just be wrapping up, growers should be making a plan to control early-emerging weeds in the spring.
“Even when you’re harvesting in the combine, you can see the remnants of kochia and waterhemp, and you’ve got to know that next year you’re going to have issues in that same spot,” says Gared Shaffer, weeds field specialist at South Dakota State University Extension.
Many producers in the region experienced weed pressure later in the fall, due to moisture accumulation after a dry season. “When we started getting some of those rains across the state, a lot of winter annuals and biennials came to life this fall,” Shaffer says.
While producers are close to running out of time to control those weeds this fall, there is time to make control plans for the spring.
Weeds to watch for
Weeds across the Dakotas that producers should be on the lookout for include:
marestail
waterhemp
kochia
Palmar amaranth, in some areas