War Against Weeds

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!

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's drones!! Join us this week as Alyssa and Joe discuss all things drones with Dr. Steve Li. If you or anyone you know is interested in drones for agricultural use, consider attending the 2025 Spray Drone End User Conference.   For more info on the conference: https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farming/2025-spray-drone-end-user-conference/

This week we have Dr. JD Green on the podcast to cover everything Johnsongrass. He covers the history of Johnsongrass and how to manage it. Available now!

This week we have Dr. Michael Walsh with Charles Sturt University on the podcast to talk about the “weed chipper”. The weed chipper is a mechanical weeding implement that could be an answer to herbicide resistant weeds. Listen now to find out how the weed chipper works!   To see the weed chipper in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1nI6Gh9khI

This week Sarah and Joe chat with Dr. Bill Johnson from Purdue University about henbit. They cover why controlling henbit is important and how to manage it in corn and soybean production. Listen now!

This week our host Sarah and co-host Joe chat with Dr. Erin Burns (Michigan State University) and Dr. Dan Quinn (Purdue University) about short corn. What makes it different from standard corn? What does weed control look like? Listen to find out!   Erin’s Links: https://www.canr.msu.edu/weeds/   Dan’s Links: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/agry/faculty-pages/the-kernel/ X: @PurdueCorn https://www.hoosieragtoday.com/podcast/purdue-crop-chat/

Welcome back to the War Against Weeds Podcast! This week we are joined by guests Kevin Bradley (University of Missouri) and Dwight Lingenfelter (Penn State University) to discuss weed management in pasture systems. They cover the different weeds found in pastures, non-chemical methods, and the importance of fertility.   Kevin’s Links: https://weedscience.missouri.edu/ https://www.facebook.com/weedscience.missouri X: @ShowMeWeeds   Dwight’s Links: General Weed ID references: Weeds of the Northeast (2nd ed. 2023) - great reference >500 weed species with images and descriptions Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide (or similar others) Toxic plant databases and info: University of Wisconsin Poisonous Plants of Concern to Wisconsin’s Livestock Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System Colorado Guide to Poisonous Plants Cornell Plants Poisonous to Livestock database University of Illinois School of Vet Medicine Poisonous Plants database USDA Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory (Logan, Utah) and ARS Bulletin 415 Plants Poisonous to Livestock in the Western USA