Weeds & Disease Playbook

Weed Articles

Learn about the biology of weeds and their habits, the conditions that cause weeds to surface, how to identify them, and ways to snuff them out before they cause damage.

How To Maximize Benefits of Spring Burndown Applications

Failure to control winter annual yields can lead to yield loss as high as 50%.

Understanding the Impacts of the Final Herbicide Strategy on the Farm

EPA’s new herbicide framework ushers in a new era of herbicide management.

Take Action to Counterattack Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Follow these steps to manage weed resistance.

Sprayer Maintenence Steps for Winter

Avoid spring headaches by prepping your sprayer for success.

How Can Nozzle Choice and Maintenance Optimize Herbicide Applications?

This small piece of a weed management plan can offer impactful returns.

Fall Herbicide for Winter Weed Control

Fall herbicide applications help manage winter annual weeds.

Endangered Herbicides?

Understand how EPA’s proposed herbicide strategy will impact use moving forward.

Manage Ragweeds to Improve Yields

Emergence changes and herbicide resistance have made ragweeds harder to overcome.

Stop the Spread of Harmful Pigweeds

Left uncontrolled, pigweeds like Palmer amaranth and waterhemp can have disastrous effects on yield.

Nonchemical Approach Can Reduce Presence of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Arkansas research shows the heat of narrow-windrow burning destroys seeds.

Mitigate Weed Pressure with Preemergent Herbicides

Starting the year with a clean field is the first line of defense against resistant weeds.

Deliver Plant Protection Where it Matters Most

MagrowTec spray technology reduces waste in water and chemicals.

8 Ways to Snuff Weed Seeds

Weed control may never be easy again, but that doesn’t stop the search for alternative weed control methods. Here are eight ways farmers can keep weed seeds at bay in their fields.

Drone Technology Offers New Approach to Combat Weeds

New management techniques offer modernized ways to combat weeds. Rapid improvements in drone technology have allowed farmers to attack hardy herbicide-resistant weeds from the sky.

Proper Adjuvant Use Boosts Herbicide Effectiveness

Tight supplies, inflation, and tough weeds nearly guarantee higher 2023 herbicide costs. One way to boost herbicide performance is through properly mixed adjuvants.

Combat Wily Weeds With an Integrated Approach

According to the Weed Science Society of America, uncontrolled weeds could cause tens of billions of dollars in crop losses every year.

Forge Ahead With Fall Weed Control

Managing marestail and other winter annuals in autumn will reap dividends next spring.

Use These Strategies to Complement Herbicides for Harvest Weed Seed Control

When one more herbicide-resistant weed becomes too much to bear, chill. Herbicide-resistant weeds have been tormenting farmers for decades.

Disease Articles

Identify and Manage Common Diseases in Corn and Soybeans. 

Corn’s Most Wanted: 4 Diseases That Could Rob Your Yield

Take action to keep diseases at bay.

Soybean’s Most Wanted: 4 Diseases That Could Steal Your Yield

Take action to keep these diseases at bay.

Does Corn Stunt Pose a Risk to the Midwest?

Expansion in 2024 has raised concern.

Frogeye Leaf Spot Threatens Soybean Yields

Be prepared to manage disease this summer.

Four Tips for Managing Crop Disease

How to minimize risk in the face of falling commodity prices.

Tips for Managing Bacterial Diseases in Corn

With bacterial diseases in corn, management options to control the pathogen during the season are limited. But accurate diagnosis can kickstart longer-term management changes and prevent misapplications of fungicide.

How to Save Yields With Early Season Management

Seedling diseases can devastate yields with little warning.

New Soil Test Helps Farmers See Yield Threats

Pattern Ag's new DNA soil test reveals hidden threats to yield.

SCN Adaptation and New Management Strategies

Fight soybean nematode by rotating resistant varieties.

Tar Spot Is on the Rise

Have a fungicide plan in place to protect against this opportunistic disease.

Identifying and Managing Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybeans

Sudden death syndrome kills yields with little warning.

Podcasts

SF Podcast 185: How to Prepare for Frogeye Leaf Spot

In this episode, Lorrie Boyer talks with Carl Bradley, an Extension specialist in plant pathology at the University of Kentucky, about frogeye leaf spot in soybeans – how it spreads, how to identify it, and how to manage it.

SF Podcast 180: How to Scout and Manage These Concerning Crop Diseases

In this episode, Successful Farming editor Chelsea Dinterman visits with Camille Lambert, technical service manager with FMC, about which crop diseases could be of concern for growers this growing season, how best to scout for them, and considerations to make before applying fungicides.

SF Podcast 171: How to Manage Common Bacterial Diseases in Corn

In this episode, Lorrie Boyer talks with Tamara Jackson-Ziems, a plant pathologist and professor at the University of Nebraska, about common bacterial diseases in corn (such as Goss's bacterial wilt and blight, bacterial leaf streak and Stewart's wilt), the impact they have on crop yield, and how to identify and manage them.

SF Podcast 165: Early Season Management Can Save Yields From Disease

In this episode, Successful Farming editor Courtney Dinterman visits with Nick Tinsley, a seed treatment technical field representative for BASF, about smart management decisions that can ward off early-season diseases and maximize farmers’ profit.

SF Podcast 161: What the EPA Herbicide Strategy Means at the Farm Level

In this episode, Successful Farming editor Adrienne Held visits with Jake Li, the EPA deputy assistant administrator for pesticide programs, and Dr. Stanley Culpepper, weed science Extension specialist from the University of Georgia, about the Endangered Species Act, the EPA’s Herbicide Strategy and what they will mean for pesticide registrations and use at the farm level moving forward.

SF Podcast 155: How to Prevent Yield Loss From Ragweeds

Ragweeds continue to be a concern for farmers. Christy Sprague, Lead Extension Specialist and Professor at Michigan State University, sat down with Successful Farming editor, Chelsea Dinterman, to discuss how farmers can develop a plan to prevent ragweeds from leading to yield loss.

SF Podcast 150: Let's Talk About Pigweeds and Pigweed Issues

On this episode, Lorrie Boyer talks with Aaron Hager, who is a University of Illinois weed scientist. Aaron talks about everything pigweed and their historic issues facing farmers.

SF Podcast 147: The Best Strategies for Weed Mitigation

Lorrie Boyer talks about a variety of weed mitigation strategies with Dr. Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor and Elms Farming Chair of Weed Science, at the University of Arkansas.

SF Podcast 141: Start the Season Strong with Pre-Emergent Herbicides

A clean field is a farmers first line of defense against herbicide-resistant weed populations. Kip Jacobs, a technical service manager for UPL, sat down with Successful Farming editor, Chelsea Dinterman, to discuss how pre-emergent herbicides can fit into a weed management plan.

SF Podcast 137: Managing Weed Escapes at Harvest

Some weeds manage to make it through the season and elude grower's weed control tactics. Lorrie Boyer talks with Dr. Christy Sprague, a weed extension specialist at Michigan State University, to discuss tactics growers can use to manage weed escapes at harvest.

SF Podcast 133: Maximize Yields with Predictive Agronomy

Many crop diseases are silent killers, reducing yields while leaving little evidence to the naked eye. Pattern Ag’s Mike Tweedy, sat down with SF editor Chelsea Dinterman to discuss how analyzing soil biology can help farmers protect their profits.

SF Podcast 129: Combatting SCN Resistance in Soybeans

Heavy reliance on one form of SCN resistance is causing problems in soybean fields. Successful Farming Assistant Agronomy Editor, Chelsea Dinterman, spoke with North Dakota farmer, Chandra Langseth, to understand the pressures of SCN.

SF Podcast 127: Spot the Dangers of Tar Spot

Tar spot can be a serious problem for farmers as it can spread very quickly. To help learn more about the dangers of tar spot, Successful Farming editor, Chelsea Dinterman, discussed the topic with agronomist, Whitney Monin.

SF Podcast 122: Be On the Lookout for Sudden Death Syndrome

Sudden death syndrome can decimate soybean yields seemingly in the blink of an eye. SDS can also be hard to identify, often being mistaken for other diseases in the field. AgriGold agronomist Nick Frederking sat down with Successful Farming editor Chelsea Dinterman to discuss how to identify and manage SDS risk.

SF Podcast 119: Using Electrification for Weed Management

s herbicide resistance continues to impact farmers, ag machinery companies are thinking outside the box. Successful Farming editor, Chelsea Dinterman, sits down with University of Missouri’s Kevin Bradley to discuss new approaches to weed management, from electrification to weed seed destruction.

SF Podcast 117: Using Drone Technology to Counter Weeds

Drone technology is ever-evolving to help farmers combat weeds on their operations. Successful Farming editor, Chelsea Dinterman, discusses the approach with Jared Roskamp, a BASF technical service representative, and Ben Johnson, a territory sales manager for Rantizo Drones.

SF Podcast 114: An Alternative Weed Strategy

Successful Farming Editors, Laurie Bedord and Chelsea Dinterman discuss how farmers may not have the time to wait to address weed issues. Instead, farmers need to become their own R&D department to address troublesome weeds on their operation.

SF Podcast 113: Tips For After Harvest Weed Mitigation

Post-harvest weed mitigation is a crucial practice for any farm operation. Editor, Lorrie Boyer, talks with Dr. Aaron Hager, who is an Associate Professor of Weed Science with the University of Illinois Extension. Dr. Hager gives his advice on weed management following harvest.

SF Podcast 109: The Importance of Fall Weed Control

Successful Farming Editors, Laurie Bedord and Chelsea Dinterman, discuss the importance of a fall herbicide application. As the weather cools down, weeds will always find a way to germinate. Learn what you can do in the fall to reduce the impact of weeds on your operation.

SF Podcast 107: Harvest Weed Seed Control With the Seed Terminator

The premise of harvest weed control systems is to stop weeds before they start. These systems started in Australia, but hold promise in the United States. Kevin Bradley, Weed Management Specialist from the University of Missouri, discusses the Seed Terminator, and the goals for it.