» Weeds in the News

Tractor giant John Deere just spent $305 million to acquire a startup that makes robots capable of identifying unwanted plants, and shooting them with deadly, high-precision squirts of herbicide. more »

One area of technology advancement that’s moving faster these days is machine learning. This is the ability for a machine to gather information and make new decisions. One ag-focused startup leading the way in that area is Blue River Technology more »

Source credit: www.mitchellrepublic.com HOLDREGE, Neb. — The three dozen agriculturalists peered through the bus windows to get their first good look at what they’d come from North Dakota to see: A field infested with Palmer amaranth, the weeds — replete … more »

Last week I began discussing moving herbicides en-masse in stable air or temperature inversions (What causes large-acreage dicamba damage?). Because the herbicide concentrations in stable air are extremely low, you only see the effects with certain herbicides on extremely sensitive plants.
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“I can’t keep dicamba in the field” has been a frequent comment I have heard from many frustrated folks who have followed the rules and tried their best not to drift on their neighbors. Quite a few good and conscientious farmers more »

“We’re struggling. We’ve got a couple of [organic] fields that have some real thistle problems. I want to get some tarps and solarize it — cover it up and see if we can get that to cook itself in some of the thicker areas,” more »

Dicamba drift complaints are spreading across the Mid-South this season, prompting action to potentially ban it. Regulatory officials in the Southeast more »

Natural sunscreens help morning glory seeds survive doses of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that would burn most humans to a crisp, according to a new study. The hardy seeds of the common flowering plant more »

Last summer, farmers in the Midwest got an  unwelcome surprise  after planting native seed on Conservation Reserve Program acres. Palmer amaranth, the aggressive and hard-to-kill weed, had established in droves. As a possible solution, some states declared Palmer a noxious weed, which … more »

Farmers could add Liberty and dicamba to list of resistant herbicides if they’re not careful in coming months. more »