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Weed pressure ramping up in Iowa

An extension agronomist says weed pressure is picking up steam in Iowa crop fields.

Meaghan Anderson with Iowa State University says weeds have been more prevalent in corn.

“They need to be sprayed in most fields I’ve been in,” she said. “In some cases, I think our herbicides aren’t lasting quite as long as I would have expected them to based on how long they lasted last spring.”

She tells Brownfield waterhemp, especially, needs to be sprayed sooner rather than later.

“There’s a pretty good variety of just-germinated to two-to-three-inch tall waterhemp,” Anderson said. “That’s right in the range that we like to get them sprayed and get some residual on to help control ones that might emerge in the coming weeks.”

But Anderson says most farmers will need to wait until fields dry out and wind speeds decrease.

INTERVIEW: ISU Extension agronomist Meaghan Anderson