Driving across many parts of the Midwest this past summer, crop field watchers were likely to find an unexpected sight among the tall rows of corn and soybeans — weeds. In many cases, weeds such as ragweed, marestail, and waterhemp were easily two to three times the height of the surrounding crops, especially in soybean fields across states such as Indiana and Ohio.

 

According to Dr. David Hillger, Enlist Field Specialist for DowDuPont, this “explosion” of tall weeds across the nation’s Corn Belt in 2017 isn’t that surprising, considering how wet parts of the Midwest remained throughout the spring planting season.

 

“When it’s wet, some growers may consider skipping burndown,” says Hillger. “A rainy spring can make it difficult to clean up fields before planting. Still, it’s usually best to delay planting and take time for a burndown. Soybeans in particular are somewhat forgiving of planting date.”

 

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