Wind and Rain Keep Field Prep On Hold
Wet weather is not only keeping planting from getting underway, but weed control programs are also behind schedule. A warm winter and a wet spring have allowed fall annuals and other weeds to get a head start in fields. Ryan Piel, with DuPont Pioneer, says many fields have not seen a burndown treatment or preplan herbicide treatment. “Weeds have definitely started to grow and that is part of the repercussions of a warm and wet spring,” he stated. “It is a real mess out there in some places.” While some sandy soils have dried out enough to plant, most fields have not.
Piel says, not only are wet conditions an issue, the wind is limiting the amount of spraying activity, “This wind is definitely going to make it tough to get all these burndown applications done.” The forecast for the next two weeks calls for several active weather systems to move across the state which will bring more high winds and rain.
Piel says this year will be a year for early season field scouting, “With the warm and wet spring, I am going to suggest a good deal of early field scouting. The lack of hard freezes this winter may not have killed off a lot of insects, so we need to scout to make sure we don’t miss anything coming in.”
Listen to the complete report on the crops page of this website.