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Purdue weed scientist: 2026 has been a “nightmare” for weed control

A Purdue University Extension specialist says weed control has been difficult for farmers this year.  

“It’s been a nightmare for trying to control weeds,” he says.

Tommy Butts says variable environmental conditions have been impacting herbicide effectiveness.

“We’ve been cool all year, so our crop has been slow to grow,” he says. “At some points in areas across the state, we couldn’t get those residuals out. If we can’t canopy, we just have more flushes of weeds.”

He tells Brownfield water hemp resistance continues to be a concern, but growers are also dealing with giant ragweed and burr cucumber.

“We’ve had a lot of wet holes where stuff got held back, and because we’re starting to enter into some of these critical growth stages and cutoff timings, we’re just not going to have a whole lot of options,” he says. “We’re probably going to have a decent amount of weed escapes this year that we’re going to have to try and battle.”

Butts says growers should continue scouting fields throughout the season to develop a more effective weed control strategy for 2027.

AUDIO: Tommy Butts, Purdue Extension