Rainfall Delays Weed Control

The recent rainfall has delayed seeding progress around the province.

Farmers are looking for some warm, sunny weather so they can get back in the fields. Prior to the rainfall, producers had been busy with pre-seed burnoff of winter annuals.

Clark Brenzil, the Provincial Weed Control Specialist, says it’s important to get that early weed control, "All those weeds that are growing up until the point you would burn off just prior to seeding are using up a lot of those resources that the crop will use later on.”

Brenzil says the narrow-leaved hawk's-beard is generally seen in the black soil zone, but is moving out into some of the drier areas of the province, “ It's very critical to get on that weed right away because it's very difficult to control after it starts to bolt and move into the farming faze of growth. So, getting that weed while it's in the rosett is fairly straight forward with fairly low rates of glyphasate.”

Some of the key weed issues for farmers include flixweed, stinkweed, shepherd's purse and in some areas narrow-leaved hawk's-beard.