War Against Weeds

On our last episode of season 10, all three hosts have a discussion on the future of weed science with Dr. Larry Steckel (University of Tennessee) and Dr. Aaron Hager (University of Illinois). They reflect on the evolution of weed management, including the increase of specific weed species, and the challenges of herbicide resistance. Both emphasize the need for integrated approaches, including cover crops, precision technology, and cultural practices.

Joe Ikley and Sarah Lancaster discuss the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) and the Kansas Mesonet with directors Daryl Ritchison and Chip Redmond, respectively. NDAWN, with over 250 stations, provides high-resolution weather data, including soil moisture and temperature measurements. Kansas Mesonet, with 94 stations, focuses on real-time data for agricultural and emergency management purposes. Both networks emphasize the importance of accurate weather data for herbicide application, particularly wind speed, inversions, and delta T measurements. The conversation highlights the critical role of Mesonets in agriculture and emergency response.

Sarah and Alyssa sit down with dryland experts Jeanne Faulk Jones (Kansas State University) and Dr. Drew Lyon (Washington State University). They highlight the challenges of managing weeds in semi-arid regions, including key weeds like Palmer amaranth, Kochia, and perennial grasses. They also discuss various strategies for water conservation and weed management.   Smallgrains.wsu.edu Facebook page: K state sunflower district agronomy X: cropswithgenie

This week Alyssa and Joe chat with Dr. Jason Bond (Mississippi State University) all about redvine! This week's episode is also a crossover episode with The Mississippi Crop situation Podcast, so check them out here! https://extension.msstate.edu/shows/mississippi-crop-situation

Alyssa Essman and Sarah Lancaster sit down with Dr. Aaron Hager (University of Illinois) and Ryan Henry (UPL) to discuss Group 5 herbicides. They cover the historical use and mechanisms of these herbicides, as well as degradation, metribuzin rates, and new herbicides to the market.    Paper mentioned in the episode: Optimizing metribuzin rates for herbicide-resistant Amaranthus weed control in soybean link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/weed-technology/article/optimizing-metribuzin-rates-for-herbicideresistant-amaranthus-weed-control-in-soybean/ECF728739388A3DB5BA2290B1105A385

Joe & Sarah sit down with Scott Cully and Dean Grossnickle to discuss herbicide premixtures. Scott, a senior field research biology expert, highlights his role in developing products like Acuron and Storen. Dean, a technical development lead, explains his commercial perspective. They detail the development process, including formulation challenges and the importance of proper adjuvant selection. They emphasize the need for accurate application to avoid issues and the benefits of pre-mixtures for ease of use and consistent results.

Sarah & Joe sit down with Dr. Eric Patterson from Michigan State University to chat about the The HERMON (Herbicide Resistance Monitoring Network) project. This project aims to create a network of researchers to develop and share new resistance tests and management strategies. The project includes 10 states and focuses on key herbicides like glyphosate, PPO inhibitors, and dicamba.   Link mentioned in the episode:  https://www.seedworld.com/us/2025/06/19/a-unified-front-on-weed-resistance/

This week Sarah and Alyssa chat with Dr. Todd Gaines from Colorado State University. They discuss the role of cytochrome P450 enzymes in herbicide metabolism and resistance. Dr. Gaines mentions ongoing research to understand the regulation of these enzymes and the potential for using gene editing to combat resistance. They also touched on the impact of stress on P450 activity and the development of new herbicides.    Here is the article mentioned in the episode: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pld3.70102

This week on the War Against Weeds Podcast, Sarah and Alyssa chat with Dr. Allan Fritz, a professor in wheat breeding at Kansas State University! They discuss potential outcrossing between wheat and its wild relatives, particularly jointed goatgrass. The conversation touches on the potential for transgenic wheat and the regulatory challenges posed by consumer acceptance and market concerns. Link from the episode: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wsweedscience.org/wp-content/uploads/OP5Carol.pdf

This week Sarah and Joe talk about canola production with Drs. Breanne Tidemann and Mike Cowbrough. They discuss the origins of canola, winter vs spring cultivars, and the challenges associated with growing canola.

This week Alyssa and Joe chat with Office of the Indiana State Chemist Jessica McVay and Scottie Pouliot about cover crop contamination in seed lots, and all the work they do behind the scenes.

This week Sarah and Joe chat with Drs. Kelsey Andersen Onofre (Kansas State University) and Andrew Friskop (North Dakota State University) about volunteer cereals and green bridges, specifically covering wheat streak mosaic virus.   You can find both of our guests here on X: @KSUWheatDisease and @NDSUcerealpath

Welcome back to the War Against Weeds Podcast for our season 10 premiere! We have Dave Thiessen on today to talk about combine settings during harvest. Dave emphasizes the importance of combine setup, including optimizing corn heads, deck plates, and rotor speeds to minimize harvest losses. They discuss the impact of weather, crop conditions, and machine maintenance including regular power shutdowns to minimize volunteer crops the following season. 

This week we have Ngaio Richards, Amber Burch, and Josh Wagoner on to talk about how the Early Detection, Rapid Response Program in collaboration with the Working Dogs for Conservation utilizes dogs to find noxious weeds. They talk about their work in controlling Dyer's Woad in Montana, as well as other noxious weeds that the dogs are trained to identify.   Our guests provided some really great resources for anyone who might be interested, as well as the gear they use for protecting their dogs in the field. https://wd4c.org/ https://outfoxfordogs.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqp6TYSdqp7PEZGM-vYndGKwt5W1W-PHpExvhYuHjQaHCqhzNoL https://agr.mt.gov/Noxious-Weed-Task-Force-Program#:~:text=The%20Early%20Detection%2C%20Rapid%20Response,of%20efforts%20across%20the%20state

This week on the War Against Weeds Podcast we have two guests on to talk about L-glufosinate. They talk about the Liberty Ultra label and how the ESA (Endangered Species Act) has influenced this new label. Our guests are Liam Vincent a technical marketing manager for BASF, and Lynn Justesen a technical services lead with UPL.

This week we have Dean Riechers from Univeristy of Illinois joining the podcast to talk about herbicide sites of action.        Title of mentioned publication:  Herbicide resistance is complex: a global review of cross-resistance in weeds within herbicide groups Link our guest wanted to share: https://riecherslab.cropsciences.illinois.edu

We are joined by Rodrigo Werle and Andy Bensend this week to talk about Non-GMO Soybeans!   A few links our guests wanted to share with listeners: https://unitedsoybean.org/about-the-checkoff/ https://wiscweeds.info/ https://coolbean.info/ https://wisoybean.org/   You can find Rodrigo on X @WiscWeeds  

This week we have Dan Beran and Bob Bruss on to talk about dichlorprop-p. They cover the history and potential future of this active ingredient. Listen now! To find more information about Nufarm go here: https://nufarm.com/uscrop/

This week Alyssa and Sarah chat with Caleb Wepprecht and Aaron Hager with University of Illinois about using fertilizers as carriers for herbicide applications.

This week on the War Against Weeds Podcast we have Dr. Andy Robinson on to chat about all things potatoes. He covers weed management, planting, harvesting and where you can find most of our potato production here in the states!