Weather has been unpredictable since the calendar flipped to 2026, and the spring planting season will likely follow the same path, as it has in so many recent springs.
Syngenta Agronomic Service Representative Chad Threewits near Fort Wayne, Indiana suggests farmers plan for the likelihood of plenty of curveballs this spring.
“We always talk about what’s a normal spring, and I don’t know that we’ve had a normal spring because it just varies so much. So, I think having a plan that gives us some flexibility when it comes to crop protection products, meaning with residual, with some of the weed problems we’re having, but also just safety on the crop. We tend to want to plant as early as possible to maximize yields, and having products out there that are safe for the crop, and also when we do get some of this extreme weather, too much rain or not enough rain, to make sure that we’re protecting ourselves and have that herbicide in mind and what that plan is going to look like.”
Threewits wants growers to start clean and stay clean so that yield potential benefits from minimized weed competition.
“So, having a really effective burn down out there to make sure that we don’t have any weeds that are emerged,” he explained. “We have a lot more issues with perennial weeds now, whether it’s thistles or dandelions and then some of those problems that are really hard to take care of later in the season, so having that effective burn down for when we start getting these warm temperatures. I know it was probably the last two or three years I’ve seen water hemp emerging in early to middle April, and that’s a weed that can really compete with the crop and be really hard to control post.”
What is the best weed management plan for these variable springs?
“So, having a herbicide program that can go in and not only offer a great residual, knock down a lot of those weeds that are out there, like Acuron herbicide. It’s got the flexibility to go from 28 days pre-plant all the way up to 12-inch corn, so really having that wider window of application when we don’t know what the weather’s going to do.”
Acuron corn herbicide has four modes of action. He says the multiple modes of action allow the product to spread the risk.
“A lot of the products in there can be activated as we would say, under different weather conditions. So, whether there’s too much rain or not enough rain, we have a balance in there and it contains a unique component that’s not in other products. It’s called bicyclopyrone, and that’s really the piece, the newest active that gives us control of really 70 of the toughest grasses and broadleaves, including the resistant ones that we’re dealing with. And that product can get activated sooner, so if it’s dry that’s a really effective piece that we can utilize to our advantage.”
Learn more at the Syngenta Acuron website here and listen to the full interview with Threewits:
(Syngenta’s Acuron: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Acuron is a Restricted Use Pesticide.)
