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Inside Ag - May 2015

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Page 1: Inside Ag - May 2015
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M I N O T D A I L Y N E W S

By JILL SCHRAMMStaff Writer

[email protected] producers have made good progress

in seeding small grains, according to areaExtension Service agents. The amount of cropin the ground varied from 100 percent of thewheat in some areas to less than half of thesoybeans in most areas as of mid-May.

“There are a lot of producers that are 75 to90 percent complete,” said Burke CountyExtension Agent Dan Folske. “There’s a fewthat have done a lot of field work but theydon’t have much planted. Those are mostly alittle bit smaller, who wanted to wait untilsome of the frost danger was past.”

The frost that came around May 17 hadsome producers worried.

“The wheat and barley will be OK as longas they haven’t made it to the jointing stage,which I don’t think a lot if it has,” said PierceCounty Extension Agent Yolanda Schmidt,Rugby. Grains with growing points thatremain below the soil can bounce back evenif the above-soil plant is nipped by frost.Crops with growing points above groundcould be a concern, though.

Bottineau County Agent Jared Nelson,Bottineau, said there may be canola and soy-beans needing to be replanted if they hademerged before the frost came.

Producers really need to allow some timebefore deciding whether to replant, agentssay.

Ward County Extention Agent PaigeBrummond, Minot, said farmers should giveit at least a week to see if plants rebound.

“We project that most crops will be allright,” she added. Ward County didn’t expe-rience the hard freeze that some of the rest ofthe state received so little damage is expected,she said.

The region also received rain that general-ly fell in the 1 inch to 2.5-inch range.Depending on moisture conditions, the rainwas either welcomed or cursed.

“We are still pretty wet up here, especiallynorth of Highway 5, and we certainly didn’tneed any more moisture north of the high-way,” said Renville County Agent LoAyneVoigt, Mohall.

Folske said some producers in BurkeCounty also were sitting in wet spots last falland didn’t need rain.

“At least not this much. Most guys wouldhave welcomed the three-quarter inch but

not the two and half inches,” he said.The western part of Bottineau County and

the gooseneck area of Ward County, whichreceived more than 3 inches in places, alsowere among areas blessed with showersbeyond what was appreciated.

Schmidt said the rain was welcome inPierce County, more so than the cold. Theminimum germination for soybeans is 50degrees and up to 60 degrees is preferable.The temperature Sunday in the Rugby areawas 47 degrees for bare soil, which potential-ly could affect future yield, she said. Snowcover may have insulated and kept soil tem-peratures higher in some cases.

Also, only 25 to 50 percent of soybeanshave been planted in Pierce County, Schmidtsaid. She estimated nearly all the wheat andbarley were in by mid-May, and canola seed-ing was at about 75 percent.

In Renville County, producers are 50 to 60complete, with the southern half of the coun-

ty further along than the northern end, Voigtsaid.

Nelson estimated wheat and barley at least80 percent complete, corn 50 percent, canola30 percent and soybeans 30 to 40 percent inBottineau County.

He noted the planting progress comparesfavorably to last year, when producers werejust getting started in mid-May due to weath-er conditions. Last year nearly 30 to 35 per-cent of land couldn’t be planted. A couple ofyears earlier, it was as much as 50 percentunplanted.

Some areas in McHenry County this yearhave been too wet to plant yet, said ExtensionAgent Raquel Dugan-Dibble, Towner. Recentrainfall only hurt farmers’ efforts.

“We needed a little bit of rain, but not twoinches,” she said.

Still, she estimated 90 to 95 percent ofsmall grains are in, along with 40 percent ofsoybeans and 75 percent of corn and canola.

Most of the small grains and peas andlentils are seeded in McLean County. Thereisn’t much winter wheat this year, whichMcLean County Extension Agent IreneGraves in Washburn said may be a goodthing.

“This last freeze would not have gonewell,” she said.

Brummond said most of the early crops,particularly peas and canola, as well as thesmall grains are in the ground in WardCounty, while the soybeans and sunflowershave been slower going as farmers wait forthe soil to warm up. Given the early start tothe planting season this year, Brummond saidfarmers avoided the sense of rush and stressabout getting the crop in. Even producers justnow getting out there to plant their soybeansor sunflowers have no reason to hurry.

“We have plenty of time,” Brummondsaid. “Honestly, we have plenty of time to getthe small grains in, too.”

Farmers make seeding progress

Eloise Ogden/MDNA farmer seeds a field in the Minot area April 18. Most producers had made good progress with field work as ofmid-May.

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MAY 27, 2015 PAGE 3Inside Ag

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By TENDAR TSERINGStaff Writer

[email protected] an interview earlier this spring, North Central

Research Extension Center Research Agronomist EricEriksmoen revealed some of the prevalent bad weedsthat could hit the farmers in the state this year.

“Most of the weeds such as kochia and commonlambsquarter are typically common, they come everyyear. But some of the new weeds for 2015 could beDowny Brome, Japanese Brome,” said EricEriksmoen.

“And Palmer Amaranth is an extremely difficultweed to control and it is a weed that has not beenfound in North Dakota yet. But it has already beenfound in South Dakota and Minnesota,” Eriksmoensaid. “ It will probably come to North Dakota at somepoint in time and we have no good method of con-trolling that weed with herbicide.”

When asked what is the best way to control suchweeds, Eriksmoen said rotating crops every two yearsis a good way to control unwanted insects and weeds.

“Rotating crops and rotating herbicides is a good

thing and good practice. That’s a natural manage-ment practice that not only helps to control weedsbut insects, diseases and other pests that come anddestroy your crop,” Eriksmoen said.

“Otherwise, weeds get resistant,” he added. In an earlier interview, Thomas Stefaniak, an

assistant pulse crop breeder at the research centersaid non-certified seed is sometimes a source of virusand disease for crops in the field across the state.

“Pulse is not brand new to the region, but produc-tion has gone up in recent years. The more crop, themore disease. It is just like people, the more people,the more disease,” Stefaniak said.

He said some seeds are already infected with virusand farmers unknowingly use them for cultivation.And according to the crop breeder, that is where thevirus in the field starts spreading from one crop toanother.

While urging all the farmers to use certified seeds,Stefaniak said it’s all about using farming skills.

“Successful farming is all about resource alloca-tion and doing as much as you can with the moneyand time and the space that you have,” Stefaniaksaid.

NCREC agronomist notes bad weeds of 2015

Tendar Tsering/MDNAgronomist Eric Eriksmoen shows one of the bad weedsthat has already hit his research field at the research center.

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By TENDAR TSERINGStaff Writer

[email protected] agriculture research work is as

expensive as regular farming,researchers and agronomists at NorthDakota State University’s North CentralResearch Extension Center modify theequipment such as planters and com-bines at the center to fit their needs.

“The state government does supplyfunding for the research center and theydo supply a small amount of funding forequipment, but it’s small. It’s not verybig. It’s not enough but it helps,” saidEric Eriksmoen, research agronomist atthe research center.

“Small-scale equipments are asexpensive as the big ones, they costaround $200,000 to $300,000,”Eriksmoen said. “So, research is veryexpensive, just like regular farming.”

A lot of the implements such asplanters, and the combines at the centerare modified and fabricated in order tomeet the needs of the center. And thecenter wishes to buy new ones with bet-ter capabilities but money is a big obsta-cle. So, buying used equipment or modi-fying the planters and combines or rent-ing them from somewhere are some ofthe methods that the center has beenusing the last several years.

“A lot of our implements are modifiedor we have built, and fabricated themhere,” said Shana Pederson, AreaExtension Specialist.

“We hope to update our equipments,especially row crops planters, so we canmore effectively distribute the seeds,”Pederson said. “We want to have ourplanters more precise like the producershave. For example, producers can have aseed every four inches. We don’t havethat.”

“We are hoping to have that maybe inthe future. We have a couple of com-bines but some of them are fairly old.One of them is as old as 20 years,” sheadded.

Three years ago, the center bought aused combine for $100,000 and modifiedit to make it work in a way that the cen-ter wanted to, and a new small scaleplanter is being modified to make itcapable of using different rows for seed-ing. As of now, most of them have onlytwo row seeding capacity.

¨ This is a photo of a small,older style planter at the NorthDakota State Universityʼs NorthCentral Research ExtensionCenter.

¬ This is a relatively new andlarger planter that belongs tothe North Dakota StateUniversityʼs North CentralResearch Extension Center.

Photos by Tendar Tsering/MDN

Research Center modifies equipment to fit its needs

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By JOSEPH T. PELTEditor

The Pierce County TribuneBARTON — The Gronvold

Farm and Ranch began its treas-ured history in North Dakota in theyear 1894.

Bruce Gronvold runs the farmand ranch operation that wasfounded by his grandfather, TorgerT Gronvold, also known as “Tom.”

Gronvold Farm and Ranch isnestled right on the north edge ofBarton.

Torger Gronvold had 13 chil-dren. Victor, who is Bruce’s dad,was the son who eventually tookover the farm and ranch. Victorwas married to Theresa andtogether they had five children.Bruce Gronvold was the baby ofthe family and eventually in 1995moved to Barton to take over thefamily farm and ranch. BruceGronvold played football for theNorth Dakota State UniversityBison from 1981 to 1983. NDSU iswhere Bruce met his wife, Lori,who along with their seven chil-dren, Brandilyn, Cody, Morgan,Maverick, Victor, Whitney andLogan, each play an important partin the operations of the farm andranch, making it truly a familyaffair.

Asked how they felt aboutfarming and Bruce and Lori saidthey “feel farming is more than theland and crops. It’s our family’sheritage and future. We feel thefarm is the best place to raise chil-dren! Like Grandpa Victor wouldsay: Hard work never hurt any-body.”

Calving: Importantpart of operation

Since calving is an important

The best memories are made on the farm!Calving alsoimportant partof operation

Logan Gronvold isready to plant spudswith a one-row potatoplanter, originallyGrandpa Victorʼs, inthis photo by LoriGronvold. The spudsare cut up and thrownin that bin and whilesomeone pulls him, hewill use the stick topoke the potatoesalong down the chuteinto the ground.Submitted photo

See CALVING — Page 9

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part of their operation they shared whattheir favorite part of calving is.

“We love that we handle every newborncalf for vaccination and ear tagging.”

They continued, “But it has its chal-

lenges. One of the most challenging parts isto watch out for the mother. Some are easy-going and others are not. Respect is thebiggest thing between our animals and us.And if there are any questions, we just callon our oldest daughter, Brandilyn, who is aveterinarian in West Des Moines, Iowa!”

Asked how weather affects their opera-tions and they commented:

“Obviously, the weather plays a big partout here in our wide, open spaces. This yearwas a beautiful spring where the calvingwas less worrisome than other springs. Itwas nice we didn’t have a lot of snow to dealwith, however, it worried us a bit because,like all ranchers, we need all the moisturewe can get for the land and the pastures. Butwith lots of hope, prayers and hard work,

The good Lord above and Mother Naturealways, always find a way to take care ofus.”

The Gronvold family with love, hardwork, education, inspiration and faith havebuilt a life for themselves and their childrenby doing what they love – farming andranching. Is there any better way to livethan that?

CalvingContinued from Page 6

Submitted photoVictor Gronvold, left, a junior in high school, and 10-year-old Logan Gronvold, in fourth grade, cut twine off the bales in this photo by Lori Gronvold.The prongs on that Vermeer will then lift those bales up and dump them into the grinder, grinding up the bales so that the ground up hay will can bepiled up for feed. This saves on hay vs. feeding the cattle straight bales.

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By KIM FUNDINGSLANDStaff Writer

[email protected]

The Minot region needed the moisturecontained in rain and snowfall May 16-17.While some localized areas may havereceived too much rain at one time, the over-all impact to the region was positive.

According to statistics kept at the NorthCentral Research and Extension Center andthe official National Weather Service record-ing station at the Minot Airport, the rainyweekend in May reversed what was becom-ing near drought conditions in some areasnear Minot. The Research and ExtensionCenter reported 1.96 inches of moisture dur-ing the May 16-17 weekend while the MinotAirport measured 1.67 inches.

Prior to that deluge the official rainfalltotal for the year was running much belownormal. Following the rainy and snowyweekend the precipitation for the year waswithin .17 inches of normal.

The Climate Prediction Center’s long-range outlook favors “normal” precipitationfor the Minot region through July whilemuch of the United States is rated as havinga good chance of experiencing greater than

normal rainfall.

It is likely that May rainfall will be a boostto growing crops, especially when consider-ing the possibility that the May-July temper-ature projections provided by the CPC sayNorth Dakota can expect normal tempera-tures during the period. The Old Farmer’sAlmanac predicts slightly above normaltemperatures in June and July and averageprecipitation.

May rain was needed

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MAY 27, 2015 PAGE 13Inside Ag

M I N O T D A I L Y N E W S

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Modern Systems to meet your building needs• General Contractor • Commerical • Agricultural • Concrete

By ANDREA JOHNSONStaff Writer

[email protected] will be no Orpington Bantam or

Silkie chickens with strange and magnifi-cent plumage at the North Dakota StateFair.

Dean Aakre, 4-H Youth Specialist inFargo, said that poultry has been bannedfrom the State Fair this year due to a cou-ple of outbreaks of bird flu in the state.

But all of the other animals raised by 4-H and FFA members will be on display tobe enjoyed by fairgoers. That includes dif-ferent breeds of rabbits, sheep, cattle andswine. The 4-H and FFA put on a com-bined horse show during the fair.

Aakre said there will also be 8,000-plusstatic 4-H exhibits on display throughoutthe State Fair in the State Fair Center,including clothing, foods, woodworking,technology, outdoor skills, drawing and

painting, photography and crafts projects. Over the years, the State Fair has also

added new events in addition to its tradi-tional displays and judging.

A few years ago, the 4-H started a filmfestival, which will continue at this year’sState Fair.

Another event that has been highly suc-cessful is a communication arts contest.Young 4-H members can compete in differ-ent categories such as public speaking,interpretive readings, dramatic presenta-tions or broadcasting.

“That went over very well,” said Aakre.In coming years, Aakre said 4-H hopes

to add even more events at the fair. He hadhoped to include a robotics challenge thisyear, but that event won’t be held due tothe retirement of a 4-H official. Aakre saidhe’d still like to see a robotics challengehappen at the fair some other year.

Aakre said 4-H is beneficial for mem-bers, ages 8 to 18, who have the opportu-

nity to explore their interests and demon-strate some of the skills that they’velearned. Kids also benefit from developingnew relationships and working with othermembers of the club.

Aakre said the State Fair is enjoyable for4-H members.

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said.“North Dakota FFA is excited to be a

part of the 50th Anniversary of the Fair,”said FFA Adviser Aaron Anderson. “Wehave been with the fair since the beginningand look forward to showcasing over24,000 exhibits at the fair this coming year.

“We will have all the traditionalexhibits at the fair again with livestock,crops, educational, horticulture andmechanics exhibits. Everyone alwayslooks forward to seeing the restored trac-tors our members work many hours on aswell as the jungle of horticulture plantsthat line the halls. We look forward tousing the newly renovated FFA Hall and

will add for the first time this year aLandscape Design and ConstructionCompetition for our FFA Chapters. Thisevent will give a chapter a 10-foot-by-10-foot space to showcase their design of anoutdoor space. The theme this year is“Throwback to the 1960s” and will helpshowcase the 50th Anniversary.

“In addition to the over 24,000 exhibitswe will kickoff the fair with our StateTractor Driving Competition. This eventbrings in students from around the state totest their skills at operating a tractor threwand obstacle course, troubleshooting atractor and testing their knowledge of safe-ty and operation of farm equipment. Minotis a great place to do this because of thecooperation of Gooseneck Implement andAcme Tool Crib. We anticipate approxi-mately 70 schools and thousands of stu-dents from every corner of the state to par-ticipate in the FFA Division at the ND StateFair.”

Bird flu outbreaks mean no poultry at State Fair

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M I N O T D A I L Y N E W S

Minot Daily News, “Inside Ag”, P.O. Box 1150, Minot, ND 58702

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When it comes to starting a garden hereare six keys that will help you on your jour-ney in gardening.

1. Find a location in your yard that is assunny as possible. Try to remember what itwill look like at thepeak of summer, if youhave trees or growingon your land not anoption check with yourtownship to see if theyhave a community garden. Once you havemarked off the area in your yard keep inmind there is no right size garden, it is allbased on what your needs are – how muchyou feel you can manage and how much youwant to grow. Before you dig any soil youneed to call the diggers hotline within 72hours before you dig. They will check andmark for any underground wires and cables.If you decide that you do not want to dig upyour yard and would rather build a raisedbed, you still want to call so you know wherea safe place to build your garden beds is locat-ed.

2. The 90/10 rule, which means spend 90percent of your time on soil preparation and10 percent of your time on planting. Soil isthe key to a successful garden. Poor soilequals poor plants. Rich dark soil is key. Ifyou do not have this you can bring in goodcompost to build your soil or fill your raisedbed. Test your soil for pH levels. PH is howacid or alkaline the soil is on a scale from 0 to14, with 7 being neutral and what most ofyour vegetables want to grow in. You can geta cheap soil tester from your garden center;

this will give you a general idea of what kindof soil you have. For a more detailed under-standing of your soil you can send a soil testto your local university for a small fee. Thistest will tell you what you need to add or notto add.

3. Planting what you eat is a good rule.You will not feel you are investing your timewisely if you do not enjoy eating what yougrow. If you think you want to grow hot pep-pers, for example, go to the store and getsome hot peppers to make sure you really dolike hot peppers.

4. If you do not have much space to grow,whether in the ground or raised bed, look atcrops that like to climb. You can make a trel-lis for little to nothing. Vegetables like cucum-bers, pole beans, small pumpkins, some win-ter squash and more can all grow vertical.

5. Look for deals on garden tools. Such asat your local garden center, thrift stores, alsoyard sales are a good place to find them. Weall know someone who used to garden whomay still have tools. We have even foundgood garden tools on junk day along the road.You do get what you paid for but to get start-ed cheap, this is the way to go.

6. Understand what type of seeds you aregrowing. Whether that be heirloom seeds thathave been passed down for generations, certi-fied organic that have be grown withoutchemical, or hybrid – two plants that havebeen cross pollinated to get the best traits atharvest.

Joey and Holly Baird have the websitethewisconsinvegetablegardener.com.

JOEY &HOLLYBAIRD

6 keys to starting a garden

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As spring planting season isupon us and the hustle and bustlebegins, I want to take some time toreflect back onthe traditionsof our farmingcommunity.We all havetraditions that we follow. There area lot of traditions that are passedfrom one generation to the next thatwe never really think about. A lot ofmy family’s tradition have beenhanded down through agriculture.

Family values are very importantwhen you are working in agricul-ture. With 87 percent of the farms inthe country being family owned andoperated, it is easy to see the impor-tance of family values. My parentstaught me the importance of family.They taught me that even thoughwe don’t always see eye to eye oragree with everything, we have andalways will be a family. I know thatwithout a shadow of doubt, I cancount on my family.

This holds true for working inagriculture as well. There has been alot of conversations that larger oper-ations (even if they are owned andoperated by a family) no longer holdthese values. That sentimentresounds because if the operationhas employees it isn’t a family farmanymore. In my mind, this couldn’tbe further from the truth. Theemployees become an extension andpart of the family. Remember: Allfamilies come in different shapesand sizes.

Hard work and dedication are thesecond tradition that my parentspassed along to me. Everyone thathas ever worked on a farm knowsthat to succeed you have to be will-ing and dedicated to hard work. Ihave spent more than one nightawake and waiting for a calf or lambor piglet to be born, to turn aroundat sunrise and start the next day’schores.

Farming is hard work, especiallyfor those that do not have employ-ees to help them. Animals need tobe cared for seven days a week, 52weeks a year. Having employeesallows farmers to have some familytime away from the farm. The thing

to remember is that just because afarm has employees doesn’t meanthat the owners are absent from thefarm.

Respect is the third tradition thatmy parents instilled in my youth. Iwas taught from a very young age, torespect and take care of the land andanimals that provide the food thatwe all enjoy. No matter where youget your food from, it came from afarmer.

My family and I own a beef andsheep operation that provides beefand lamb to other families. Everyyear in the spring, we spent count-less hours lambing and calving. Wekeep a watchful eye on all the lambsand calves to make sure that theyare healthy and growing. We showrespect all the way through theirlife.

All farmers rely on the land toprovide food for either they ownanimals to eat or for sell to familiesaround the country and world.Without respect and taking care ofthe natural resources, farmers wouldnot be able to provide the safe andwholesome foods that we all enjoy.

The last tradition that my parentstaught me was to have fun andenjoy life. I am blessed that I canhonestly say I love what I do. Itnever feels like work when I am outwith the cows or lambs; eventhough it is hard work, it my pas-sion. My family and I are one of thesmall minority (approximately 1percent of the population) that pro-vide the food, clothing and shelterfor others. It is an honest work andone that I truly enjoy.

My hope is that I am passingthese traditions on to my own kidsin whatever career path they choose.As these traditions are not only relat-ed to agriculture but to all. It isamazing when you stop and take thetime to talk to others, you willalways find common ground.

Amber Hewett is a mother,farmer, blogger and advocate of allagriculture. You can follow Amber atjustafarmkid.wordpress.com andagricultureawayoflife.wordpress.com.

Farming is more than a job, it is a way of life

AMBERHEWETT

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M I N O T D A I L Y N E W S

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BISMARCK – New researchshows a growing demand for high-ly skilled workers in agriculture,but not enough young people arechoosing that field of study.

According to the U.S.Department of Agriculture, thereare nearly 60,000 high skill jobopenings in the nation’s food, agri-culture, renewable naturalresources and environment sectorsannually, but only 35,000 newgraduates with a related bachelor’sdegree or higher.

Agriculture these days is muchmore complex, said DavidBuchanan, dean of the College ofAgriculture, Food Systems andNatural Resources at North DakotaState University, Fargo.

“For example, our crop andwheat science major has seen aconsiderable increase over the last

several years, but we are still strug-gling to meet the demand for thecrop consultants and agronomistscoming out of that program,” hesaid.

Buchanan says voluntary sur-veys find that well over 80 percentof NDSU graduates in agriculture,food systems and natural resourcesland jobs in their field of studywithin six months.

And he notes that these arecareers with good pay, even juststarting out.

“It’s not all-encompassing of allof our graduates, but for almost allof our majors, the average salariesstraight out of a bachelor of scienceprogram are somewhere in the$40,000 to $50,000 range, with cer-tainly some individual examplesup in the 50s or in the 60s,” hesaid.

Field of opportunity: Graduateshortage for high-skill ag jobs

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We are seeing an increased interest andacreage of soybean in the Northwest/NorthCentral region of North Dakota. Most pro-ducers willbe selectinga Round-UpReady soy-bean varietyand usingmultipleapplicationsof RU duringthe growingseason. MoreRU (MOA 9)resistantweeds are identified every year. In order tokeep RU technology for various burn-downcapabilities, we need to educate ourselveson the importance of PRE emergence chem-icals that are a different MOA than RU andhave a lasting soil residual. In this area wegrow a variety of crops, therefore, it isimportant to look at the crop rotationrestrictions associated with a particularchemical. Below you will find soil-appliedchemicals that are for use PRE, prior to soy-bean.

Zidua (pyroxasulfone)(MOA 15)

Available from BASF, Zidua is a selec-tive rate-dependent PRE used to controlannual grasses, sedges, and broadleafweeds. Dry weather following applicationwill reduce effectiveness. Zidua may pro-vide 4 to 8 weeks of residual weed control,but may require multiple rain events foractivation. The rate of application isdependent on the application timing. Ziduamay be used PP, PRE, PPI or EPOST or inthe fall. Application rates will vary depend-ing on type of application, timing of appli-cation and soil type. These rates are 1.0 to3.5 oz/A. Zidua is most effective againstbarnyardgrass, green and yellow foxtail,redroot pigweed, and waterhemp.Depending on rate, an application of Ziduawill cost approximately $21/A. Most cropsin this area can be grown following a high-er application rate of Zidua. Exceptions,depending on rate of application, would be11-18 months for small grains (other thanwheat), 15 months for sugarbeet and 18months for safflower and canola.Supplies of Zidua (for corn or soybean)

in N.D. may be limited. This decision is aresult of product being routed to soybeangeographies encountering a severe

glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth situa-tion, where few to no alternative weed con-trol options exist.

Fierce (pyroxasulfone +flumioxazin) (MOA 14 & 15)Fierce, is a PPI/PRE herbicide available

from Valent. It is essentially a mixture ofZidua and Valor. Application rates willvary depending on soil type and OM.Fierce may be applied at 3-3.75 oz/A in thespring or fall to provide residual weed con-trol. Weeds most likely controlled by resid-ual activity include downy brome, greenand yellow foxtail, wild buckwheat, com-mon mallow, wild mustard, redroot pig-weed, Russian thistle and biennial worm-wood. Fierce may also be tank-mixed tocontrol already merged weeds. Growersshould not apply Fierce in soybean fieldspreviously sprayed with flufenacet, meto-lachlor or dimethenamid or soybean injurywill occur. A maximum yearly applicationof 3.75 oz/A will cost approximately $25/A.At recommended soybean application rates,crops available for planting the next grow-ing season are corn, soybean, wheat andpotato. All other crops commonly grown inND will require an interval of 18 months.

Anthem (pyroxasulfone +fluthiacet) (MOA 14 & 15)Anthem is a product available from

FMC. This product is essentially Zidua +Cadet. Additional information will be pro-vided if this product is registered for use in

soybean. Currently, it is only registered forcorn.

Verdict (saflufenacil &dimethenamid) (MOA 14 & 15)Verdict is available from BASF and

controls broadleaf weeds and winterannuals. It is rated as excellent control ofgreen and yellow foxtail, wild buckwheat,horseweed, wild mustard, redroot pig-weed, Russian thistle and biennial worm-wood. Application rate is from 5 to 7.5 floz. A higher rate of application requires a14 day plant back interval. Plant backinterval is dependent on soil texture andOM. Cost of Verdict can range from $18 to$29/A. There is no crop rotation restric-tions associated with Verdict for ND.

Sharpen (saflufenacil)(MOA 14)

Sharpen is available from BASF. Priceof Sharpen depends on application rateand can range from $6 to $17/A. Sharpenrotation restrictions depend on the appli-cation rate. Based on the higher 3 fl oz/Arate, most ND crops can be planted thefollowing cropping year. Based on fallapplied Sharpen, a six month restrictionis in place for alfalfa, canola, dry bean,flax, potato, safflower and sunflower.Sharpen at the 2-3 fl oz/A rate is mosteffective against broadleaf weeds includ-ing kochia, lambsquarters, wild mustard,redroot pigweed, Russian thistle and bien-nial wormwood.

Metribuzin (MOA 5)Metribuzin may injure some soybean

varieties. Price of metribuzin ranges from$4.50 to $9/A. Depending on soil pHmetribuzin can be applied at 0.33lb DF forsoils > pH 7.5 and 0.33 to 0.5lb DF for asoil pH of <7.5. Metribuzin works best onsmall-seeded broadleaf weeds includingmarshelder, redroot pigweed, prickly let-tuce, Russian thistle and biennial worm-wood. Rotation restrictions include a 12-month restriction to canola, dry bean,flax, oat, potato, safflower and sunflower.

Valor (flumioxazin) (MOA 14)Valor is another PRE herbicide that is

most effective against small-seededbroadleaf weeds. The ai/A ranges from 2to 3 oz WDG/A. Valor is available fromValent for a price of $9.75 to 19.50/A.Weeds most sensitive to Valor includelambsquarters, common mallow, night-shade and redroot pigweed. Depending ontillage and rate, the rotation restrictions ofValor can vary. The longest rotationrestrictions are for soils receiving the max-imum rate with no tillage. These cropsinclude canola, corn, oat and sugarbeet.PRE chemicals will require precipita-

tion for activation.Additional information can be located

in the N.D. Weed Control Guide. Pleaseread and follow all chemical labels.Sources: 2015 N.D. Weed Control Guideand Shana Pederson, area extension spe-cialist/Cropping Systems.

MMAAYY 2277,, 22001155 PPAAGGEE 1199Inside Ag

M I N O T D A I L Y N E W S

Soil-applied pre-emergence herbicides for soybean

YOLANDASCHMIDT

Pierce CountyExtension Agent

Weeds andsoybean plantsare shown inthis submittedphoto.