Ryegrass Escapes At Corn Planting Time

 

It is clear we have a fairly widespread problem with ryegrass escaping burndowns this spring. I have received many calls on glyphosate completely missing ryegrass and indeed here at Jackson we have seen the same thing. 

 

Why is it such an issue this spring? I think the warm winter is a major reason as much of the ryegrass was well established in many fields by mid-February. Another reason in my mind is that more of our ryegrass is now, at the very least, showing low-level glyphosate resistance.  Finally, Jason Bond, weed scientist at Mississippi State, thinks there is another reason and that is the very saturated soil conditions stunted the ryegrass enough to make glyphosate less effective. Add all this together and I think we have the cause for ryegrass to be very prevalent in fields from Tennessee to Louisiana. 

 

 

 

 

 

With corn planting already underway, what are the options to try to control ryegrass? At this point there is really only one.  Gramoxone at 48 oz/A plus atrazine at 32 ozs and follow it up 10 days later on any regrowth with another application of Gramoxone.  If the corn is planted and emerged by the time ryegrass regrowth is seen, then try 48 ozs/A of atrazine and a qt of crop oil/acre as a follow up to try to stomp the ryegrass down while it is trying to recover. 

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.