The Quest for 1st Place Is Not Always Best
We all have a hunger to be the victors. In NDSU football this year, it was the Bison 5-peat. In the Olympics, it is going for the gold.
In 2010, I clearly remember listening intently as Stephen Powles, often named as the world’s leading weed resistance expert, described the global situation of weed resistance. He painted a picture of what Australian farmers were facing – and claimed the title for that country of “World’s Worst Weed Resistance.” And he cautioned that the United States was running a close second.
And guess what? We’ve overtaken the Australians, and the U.S. now holds the crown. A title we do not want to keep.
With no new modes of action in the pipeline to fight resistance, U.S. farmers will need to work smarter – employing a combination of mechanical, rotational, and technology-based practices if we are going to have a fighting chance of making progress against weed resistance.
That is why we’ve decided to sponsor the upcoming Weed Resistance Regional Symposium on Friday, February 5th.
As farmers, it is critical that we understand how resistance actually develops. And then learn how we can build a plan for our individual farms that will allow us to manage weeds in the coming years.
It is an open invitation. Please come this Friday.
