Whether you’re scouting this time of year in-field, the pickup, or will wait until the combine cab this fall, at least some evaluation of your weed control program is in order. When you think about the prolific nature of some of our pigweed species (they can produce 500,000 seeds per plant and remain viable in the soil for four to five years), it’s easy to be reminded of the importance of a good weed control program.

A lot of factors affect our ability to control weeds. Sometimes we’re fighting resistance and a lack of new chemistries to help us combat it. Even with a lack of chemistries, new tank mixes are available, and require evaluation, too. Add in adjuvants, and trying to figure out what works best with what product plus the variables Mother Nature throws at us, and it can make our best weed control efforts a greater challenge than they already are.

To help you sift through those variables with an eye towards 2024, the annual Meadowlark Extension District Demonstration Plot Tour will move (mostly) inside this year, with a focus on weed control. K-State Research and Extension Weed Management Specialist Dr. Sarah Lancaster will be our guest on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Colonial Acres Event Center in Oskaloosa (courtesy of Taylor Insurance Services) starting at 4:45 p.m. She’ll cover a wide range of weed management topics including new products to consider as well as efficacy data on current chemistries. She’ll also chat adjuvants, and alternative weed control options plus demonstrate differences in spray coverage via the use of a spray table. We’ll go (just about) whatever weed control direction you want to go, with the hope of helping you make decisions to finish this year for a better weed control program next year.

Please RSVP for a sponsored meal at 6 p.m. courtesy of Tarwater Farm and Home and the Jefferson County Conservation District by calling the Meadowlark Extension District Oskaloosa Office at 785-863-2212 or e-mailing dhallaue@ksu.edu by noon on Monday, Aug. 21. Check out a flyer in the events section online at https://www.meadowlark.k-state.edu/crops-soils/index.html.