Aaron Hager Email

Only a short time ago, many agricultural professionals were optimistic Illinois would somehow be “spared” the incidents of off-target damage caused by dicamba that continue to plague several states to our south.  The recent preponderance of evidence (observations made traveling the state, stories on social media, an increasing number of pesticide misuse complaints filed with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), etc.), suggests otherwise.  Instances of soybean demonstrating symptoms of exposure to dicamba have greatly increased over the past two weeks and it’s nearly certain the number of affected acres will continue to rise. …

Each year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) receives approximately 120 pesticide misuse complaints, of which 60% are pesticide drift complaints.  Neighborly discussions before pesticides are applied are important so applicators understand if sensitive plants are growing near the application site.  In the unfortunate case that drift has occurred, it’s a good idea to know the basics of the complaint process and what resources are available to you.
Before doing anything, both parties should make an effort to discuss the suspected drift incident and rule out other possible causes of the damage. …

The 2017 Illinois corn crop currently is at various stages of development.  Applications of postemergence corn herbicides continue to be made across areas of Illinois, although the recent precipitation has delayed applications in some areas.  Even though applications may be delayed, adequate soil moisture coupled with warm temperatures will certainly promote rapid growth of emerged weeds.
Properly timing the application of the postemergence herbicide is critical toward achieving the goal of removing weed interference from the corn crop before the weeds adversely impact (i.e.,…

Following the recent and excessive precipitation, some corn replanting likely will occur when soil conditions are conducive.  We hope that replanting occurs only in small areas of a given field, but in some situations entire fields may have to be replanted.  While there are many agronomic considerations associated with replanting, some weed control/herbicide issues also should be considered.
Herbicide-resistance traits in the replanted hybrids should be taken into account.  For example, if you initially planted a glyphosate-resistant corn hybrid and have areas that need to be replanted,…

The weed science program at the University of Illinois invites all weed management practitioners to our annual weed science field tour, which will be held on Wednesday, June 28 at the Crop Sciences Research and Education Center (a.k.a. South Farm), located south of campus on Wright Street extended.  Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. and refreshments (coffee, juice, and doughnuts) will be available.  Preregistration is not required, but please let us know in advance if you will be bringing a large group of participants so we can plan accordingly for meals.…

Decades ago it was very common for the majority of corn and soybean acres in Illinois to be treated with one or more soil-residual herbicides before crop/weed emergence.  During the 1980s, commercialization of broad-spectrum, postemergence herbicides began the shift away from widespread use of soil-residual herbicides; products such as Basagran, Classic, Accent and Pursuit contributed to the early adoption of postemergence weed control programs.  The era of total postemergence weed control reached its zenith following the widespread adoption of glyphosate-resistant crops and the concomitant use of glyphosate.  …

Are you an Illinois farmer?
 
How about an Illinois Ag chemical retailer, seed dealer, crop consultant, machinery/implement dealer, pesticide manufacture or public landowner?
 
Are you planning on attending the Commodity Classic in San Antonio in March?
 
Would you be willing to share your experiences regarding herbicide resistance management?
 
If you answered yes……..
Two weed scientists, Dr. Jeff Gonsolus (University of Minnesota) and Dr. Christy Sprague (Michigan State University), are working on behalf of the Weed Science Society of America to convene a Herbicide Resistance Management (HRM) Listening Session to be held at the Commodity Classic in San Antonio,…

Proper application stewardship of dicamba in dicamba-resistant soybean increases the likelihood of good weed control while concomitantly decreasing the potential for off-target herbicide movement.  The labels of two commercially available dicamba formulations approved for application in dicamba-resistant soybean (Engenia from BASF and XtendiMax from Monsanto) include many application guidelines and restrictions that all applicators must follow.  The Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) recently published a helpful checklist of “do’s and don’ts” for applying dicamba in dicamba-resistant soybean. …