Harrows are more effective earlier on, when weeds are at the white thread stage.

Comparing mechanical weed control options

Considering adding a mechanical option to your herbicide rotations? Try these

Mechanical weed control is not anything new. Farmers have been using harrows and various tillage tools to control weeds for centuries, and for organic farmers mechanical weed control remains the only option. What is new is the technology that is available to help make mechanical weeding more efficient and effective, like GPS or camera-guided systems […] Read more

Norm Flore, P. Ag, CCA, is a manager of agronomic services for Nutrien Ag Solutions in southern Alberta.

Post-harvest weed control applications

Q & A with Nutrien Ag Solutions

Q. What weeds should I target in post-harvest weed control applications? A. Two general weed groupings can be effectively controlled with a post-harvest herbicide application. Perennials: Controlling perennial weeds such as Canada thistle, dandelions, foxtail barley and quackgrass involves an integrated plan, and a post-harvest herbicide application that includes glyphosate is a pivotal part of […] Read more


From left to right, these photos show plots were the water hardness is 120 ppm, 400 ppm, then 1200 ppm. Glyphosate has been applied at 2/3 of label rate. Water hardness can take the edge off weed control.

Les Henry: Water quality and herbicides

You know your herbicides. But what’s in the other 999 gallons you put in the tank?

As we gear up to fill the sprayer and begin killing weeds maybe we should take another look at what is in the other 999 gallons in the sprayer. It is well known that the water should be clean with no silt or debris present, but this piece deals with the dissolved “goodies” you cannot […] Read more

Chaff decks attached to the back of the combine direct weeds into confined rows, which will either compost in the pile or compete for water and nutrients with other weeds in the spring. 


Australian chaff decks show promise

From Down Under: a chemical-free tool to help manage post-harvest weeds

A new weed management tool that’s taking Australia by storm could be a good fit for Canadian farmers as well. Chaff lining, or the practice of concentrating the weed seed-bearing chaff material in confined rows behind the harvester, has helped Australian farmers to better control weeds. While it’s too early to tell if the system […] Read more


Manage herbicide resistance before you have it

Manage herbicide resistance before you have it

Try a wide variety of 
weed control strategies


On BASF’s 2019 Herbicide Resistance Management Webinar in March, Andrew Reid, BASF technical service specialist, said it’s always easier to manage herbicide resistant weeds before you have them in your field. One way to do this is to keep things clean. “Cleanliness is key,” Reid said. For example, if you don’t clean your combine after […] Read more

Does the early weed controller always get the worm?

Does the early weed controller always get the worm?

Q & A with Nutrien Ag Solutions

Q: Is early weed control always a solid tactic? A. It’s been well established that competition from early-emerging weeds is most detrimental to crop development. Weeds emerging along with the crop compete for moisture, fertility and light before the crop has a chance to get the upper hand by developing its root system and getting […] Read more


Volunteer canola is increasing its presence in recent weed surveys.

Managing Saskatchewan’s toughest weeds

You’ve seen these weeds before, and you’ll probably see them again


No matter which crops Saskatchewan farmers grow, the same weeds appear year after year. While the culprits are consistent, how you manage them is not, especially as herbicide resistance cases mount. For nearly 50 years, Canada thistle, wild oats, wild buckwheat and green foxtail have appeared in the top-five list of problematic weeds in Saskatchewan. […] Read more

Clark Brenzil speaks to farmers at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School in 2017.

Herbicide carryover may be high risk

If it was dry after last year’s application, there may be soil-residual herbicides

Crop selection for the 2019 growing season could prove challenging for growers in some parts of the Prairies, as a lack of rainfall means soil-residual herbicides could impact crop establishment. Moisture after application is critical for herbicide breakdown. In areas where rainfall was patchy at best, growers need to be conservative when selecting crops to […] Read more


Residual herbicide and crop injury

Residual herbicide and crop injury

When the worst happens: what questions to ask and how to soil test for a bioassay

Your cereal, oil seed or legume crop clearly shows that it has been significantly damaged by herbicide application or residual herbicide that was applied to cropland one or more years previously. You are considering possible legal action. What do you do next? First of all, you just don’t take a few photographs, complain about significantly […] Read more

The kochia plant here being pollinated by this bee could well be resistant to glyphosate.

Get back to basics to fight kochia

Using multiple and rotating modes of action can reduce selection pressure

In recent years, kochia has become a real issue across the Prairies. Kochia loves hot, dry weather, and as a prolific seed producer, the tumbleweed-shaped weed can spread quickly. What’s worse, kochia has a growing history of resistance, which can make it a tricky weed to manage. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Charles Geddes […] Read more