Ift-Uncastor Farming. Saturday. Nov. 29. 1979
Specialists speak on herbicides
Several top growcm In tftc
com belt, university weed
specialists, and a
manufacturer'a agronomist
were questioned about
herbicide buying methods
Not surprisingly, they were
in agreement on many
important factors con
cerning herbicide pur
chasing tactics. Compare
your own skills to those
outlined below, and maybe
you can pick up some im
portant tips to sharpen your
herbicide buying skills.
Two weed specialists, Dr.
William B. Duke, Professor
of Agronomy at Cornell
University, and Dr. Fred
Slife, Agronomy Professor at
the University of Illinois
were questioned for their
views on this important
topic. Also contracted was
Dr. Douglas R. Murphy,
agronomist at Stauffer
Chemical Company, for
feedback from the
manufacturers' viewpoint.
Growers questioned were:
Loyd Hall, Kenney, Illinois
com and soybean grower
who won the Ford efficiency
award in 1974 for the top
state com yield of 267.42
bushels per acre, Gerald
Tamow, of Rolling Prairie,
Indiana, who won the same
award for soybean
production, and Leßoy
Thompson, lowa Master
Corn Growing District
Champ.
When Shook! A Grower
Decide Which Berbidices To
Use Next Year On Corn And
Soybeans:
Duke; “During the latter
part of the growing
season of the previous
year. Deciding at that
time will allow the
grower to have a better
idea of what problems
he’s likely to have the
next year.”
Slife: “From midseaaon to
harvest time for the
following year.”
Hall: “Well, I try to ex
periment and find
chemicals that will do the
job, and when I find them
I stick with them. Now I
use Vemam in soybeans,
and Sutan pins on corn. I
moved to~ these
thiocarbamates because
they control some really
tough weeds like nut
sedge. We don’t have to
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worry about crop
damage with Sutan plus
since they added the
safener. I order around
harvekt time."
Tamow; "I keep maps on all
aspects of my farm's
production. My weed
mape are really detailed
so I know where, when
and how bad each species
is troubling me. Then I
buy the right chemicals
at harvest time.”
Thompson: "I wait until
after the harvest, when
the state recom
mendations come out. I
choose on the basis of the
weeds I have and what
the state recommends."
What Should Be The Order
Of Priority For: Price,
Effectiveness, Safety,
Mixing Ease, And Service
Provided By Dealer?
Duke: “While the grower
may rate price very high
on the priority scale,
effectiveness has to be
number one. Safety
should be next, followed
by mixing ease, and I
would put price last.”
Slife: “A grower should first
determine what weeds be
wants to control.
Therefore price shouldn’t
be important, but ef
fectiveness must be.
Then I’d put dealer
services, safety and
mixing ease.”
Hall: “Effectiveness is
number one, because a
cheap chemical won’t
save money if it dosen’t
work. Hie only problem
is getting the chemical
after its ordered. Some
fhwnical availability is
tight.
Tarnow: “Price is im
portant, but you have to
look at herbicides in
terms of weather and
stress conditions, ease of
handling and timing of
application. I’ll spend
more time applying a
if I know it will
work well.”
Murphy: “Effectiveness has
to be number one,
because if a grower has a
problembe hiss to choose
the right herbicide to
control it. If there are two
or more equally matched
chemicals in terms of
performance, then the
economics of the
situation call for him to
then compare in terms of
price."
What After-The-Sale
Service Should Be Offered
By Local Dealer?
Duke: "A grower should
make sure that the dealer
is unbaised and will
define the effectiveness
of the materials for
specific problems. The
dealer should also outline
the place where the
chemicals fit into the
growers cropping pat
tern. He should examine
the grower’s operation in
terms of planting factors,
rotation methods, etc.,
and then consider safety
factors and make
growers aware of
restrictions in the use of
the specific chemicals.”
Slife: “We should expect the
dealer to know what
herbicides are effective
on different soil types and
to suggest a program for
the farmer. He has to be
an expert in this area
because of competition.”
Hall: “I buy from a fertilizer
dealer who knows my
farm pretty well. As a
matter of fact, If he knew
it any better he’d be
farming it himself. One
thing I'd like to see them
offer is detailed soil
testing. Right now they
test for N.K. and P for $8
per sample, but I spent
$37,000 in fertilizer last
year, and I think they
should offer a complete
soil analysis for micro
nutrients along with
that."
Tarnow: “I’d like to see
some follow-up from the
dealer or manufacturer if
the stuff dosen’t work.”
Murphy: “It’s important for
a dealer to know his
products well enough so
he can advise growers.
He should be unbaised
and transfer his more
detailed knowledge to the
grower. For example:
“Stauffer offers a
guarantee performance
program for its Sutan
plus, Sutan plus with
atrazine,. Dyfonate and v
Vernam pesticides.
Simply, a grower need
only keep a V* tree check
strip in each field, and a
Stauffer representative
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x— s— y
How to make more milk
from
same amount of feed
the
The "balanced bite " is one key
The Schwartz Mixer Wagon is the other
Cows vary greatly in their individ
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TMR is the best way yet devised
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Would Yon Like To See
Any Additions, Deletions Or
Other Changes To tables?
Duke: “The only problem I
see with labels is that too
many weeds can be
placed there that arc
questionably controlled.’’
Slife: “They are sometimes
difficult to interpret by
many people."
Hall: “No, they are pretty
straightforward and
comprehensive, and
growers should know
their operations and soil
conditions well enough to
follow the lable direc
tions.” “I’d like to see
more time available
between application and
incorporation for the
Most versatile way to feed TMR
...the Schwartz Mixer Wagon
It accurately proportions, thor
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An Agway salesman will be
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He pan also arrange a demon
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will verify the claim of
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THINK AND THANK! We all have much to be
grateful for to our God. ‘‘Forget not all His
benefits.” Psalm 103:2
S. K. SHOTZBER6ER. INC.
( UJig22CKTg^P2gj^moN
Gene Zwally, President
Marvin Johns, Secy.-Treasurer.
P.O. 80x925, Lancaster. PA 17604
Phone: 393-4641 (day or night)
preplant, soil. in
corporated herbicides.
For the past few years
I've combined ap
plication and in
corporation, but I’ll bo
planting more acreage
this year and will bring in
a custom applicator.
They use a 40 ft. boom
and travel pretty fast.
Chances are I won’t be
able to keep up to them
when I disk, and some of
the chemical will
volatilize before I can
incorporate it. It would
be better if we could have
more time.”
Tamow: “They are pretty
clear, you just have to
educate the farmer to
read and follow them.”
Murphy: “We try to make
them as simple as
[Continued on Pap 21)
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717-397-4761