Post-Harvest Field Prep Can Reduce Weed Problems At Planting

Oct 29, 2015

By Jim Steadman

The 2015 harvest is nearly complete. And as growers look across their bare fields, they should be thinking about what’s needed to get ready for 2016 plantings.

Larry Steckel says it’s never too early to get a jump on knocking soil seed banks down for next season.

“Now can be a critical time, especially in fields where cotton, corn and soybeans have been out for a while,” says Steckel, University of Tennessee Extension weed specialist. “Harvest may have chewed the fields up, but we can still see some pigweed come back up and produce seed prior to a first frost. Anything growers can do to keep the soil seed bank down is a big plus for next year.”

Growers do have multiple options for fall management of problem weeds.

Tillage is an excellent option, especially on flat ground.

Mowing stubble to a low level can also help. “Weeds may come back a bit and produce some seed, but mowing does knock some of the seed bank down,” states Steckel.

Herbicide applications in a fall burndown should also be considered. Steckel suggests Gramoxone with a residual herbicide for fields that will not be planted to wheat.

“We have some folks that do all three,” points out Steckel. “We know we’re losing herbicide effectiveness. So the lower the weed seed numbers, the less likely we are to find more biotypes resistant to the herbicides that are left.”

Steckel and his graduate students have also been gauging the value of fall cover crops for weed suppression. He suggests that growers consider adding a cover to their plans.

“A blend of wheat and cereal rye with crimson clover or vetch has worked best for us,” he says. “That has given us the most residue.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.