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Weed management for the long game

An organic crop farmer says he takes a systems-based approach for managing weeds.

“We planted a little bit late this year and it was intentional using delayed planting as a weed control strategy.”

Joel Layman farms 2,200 acres of organic row crops in southwest Michigan. He tells Brownfield, “I feel like the treadmill is easy for farmers to get on and constantly on the hamster wheel chasing the next newest gizzy.”

“I think a lot of times that what we do is we support the industry, but long term really we don’t really see the benefit that we thought we would financially,” he shares.

Layman says thinking rotationally about weed control and applying several different methods has helped to better manage competition in the field.

“Specifically, like in a roller crimp situation, you have to think almost a year in advance because you have to get the rye planted in the fall, the correct variety at the correct population at the correct time to be able to set yourself up for success the following spring,” he explains.

Layman says he’s found rye is best suited ahead of a soybean crop, and he’s learned to use other cultivation techniques like weed cycle interruption, cover crops, and aligning with seasonal changes for his over crops.

Brownfield interviewed Layman during the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day hosted at the Michigan State University Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor on Wednesday.