- So one of the common practices that producers
usually discuss or have questions about
with a lot of county educators
is broadly of herbicides and their effectiveness.
So, and that's major.
The one thing we always tell producers
is a pound of weeds could have been a pound of grass.
So herbicides are very economical
in boosting forage production, good quality forage,
and yet reducing additional expenses
and hay and supplementation later on.
One of the things we seen here in the last few years
is impregnated or coated fertilizer.
And it being impregnated or coated with a herbicide.
And I've got Brian back with me to discuss
some of these herbicide options
that are in fertilizer treatments.
Maybe you can tell us
what some of the products that are being used
and how much has to be applied.
Because I know there's a threshold
to be effective with that.
So Brian I'll turn it over to you.
- Okay, well probably the most common product
that were seeing use of right now
would be the use of GrazonNext HL, marketed by Corteva.
Its a mixture of 2,4-D and aminopyralid.
And the thing to remember
is when were putting out herbicide impregnated
or herbicide coated fertilizer.
We're not getting a whole lot of activity
from those foliar type herbicides such as 2,4-D.
Most of it is from residual activity from the soil
and root up take from that broadleaf weed.
So again we got to have some rainfall to activate that.
usually a quarter inch will move both the nutrients
from the fertilizer and the herbicide into the root zone.
Then we can start to see some control on that weed there.
Another herbicide that's labeled for use,
impregnated on dry fertilizer is Chaparral.
And another one that's a newer product that's out
from Corteva right now is DuraCor.
So again, those are three of the herbicides
that you can pick to have coated onto fertilizer
and put out.
That rates of GrazonNext HL that were seeing
is somewhere from one and a half to 2.1 pints.
Typically a two pint per acre rate is chosen.
That gives us a broad spectrum control
of both annual and wheat perennial weeds.
And that needs to be applied in 200 pounds
of dried fertilizer product per acre.
And you probably you got some questions on that.
"Why do I need to do 200 pounds?"
And the reason is if you think about
an application of those small little fertilizer prills.
200 pounds puts the prills close enough together
that as we dissolve them it makes a blanket
of that herbicide or that active ingredient.
That prevents weeds from possibly coming up
through that blanket application.
If we was to step down to 100 pounds,
or even 75 pounds of product.
The prills are far enough away from each other
that we could actually get some weeds
make it up through that barrier, so to speak.
And so again, that's why they recommended 200 pounds
of product minimum
that could be urea, diammonium phosphate, pot ash,
or a combination of those three.
Just as long as your getting enough product out there
to create that barrier.
- So a 200 pound minimum of fertilizer application
is required to get adequate control.
What levels of control are we gonna see
and does it control all species?
- Good questions, good questions.
For most of our really common pasture weeds that we find
are ragweed species, which are annuals
except for western ragweeds, a wheat perennial.
For bitter sneezeweed and broomweed, for cocklebur
and wool leaf croton,
and lot of those easy to control annual weeds.
It does a wonderful job when we put it on say early May.
When we would normally be out
wanting to be out spraying a foliar product.
So again were talking anywhere from two to eight inch weeds,
its gonna do a great job on those species.
Now again even looking at Corteva product literature.
As it gets mature, as those weeds
get into that reproductive growth stage.
Your probably gonna lose control on a lot of those species
and they do recommend maybe looking at a foliar spray.
We see the same thing on our OSU research trials.
And definitely if a producer
has perennial type pasture weeds.
Carolina horsenettles, silverleaf nightshade,
maybe ironweed, something like that.
We would want to look at a foliar application
because we know were gonna get better root kill
and most of those weeds are more effectively controlled
when we wait until reproductive growth.
And again that's just too late to get enough root uptake
from those plant to give us good root kill.
So that's where we'd recommend
going back to a foliar product.
- So the 200 pound application of fertilizer mix
with the treated or impregnated treated fertilizer.
That's gonna give you good enough coverage
to get adequate control, but its not gonna be 100%.
Now, the length
you say ideally
were gonna apply this fertilizer about the first of May.
Could be a little earlier depending on the way climate is
and if weeds have germinated.
We're still shooting for the ideal time to apply it.
At about a four inch height of wheat.
- Yes, I would still shoot to be at a young vegetative,
actively growing state on those weeds
and that typically corresponds with a good time
to get fertilizer nutrients down too.
When our warm season grasses is starting to actively grow.
And as you can see behind us here
this is a field where we have applied that very treatment
here at Perkins Research Station.
You'll see a few broadleaf weeds here and there,
but again we did really good job
of picking up the majority of those.
And again you mentioned at the beginning of this
we have always said you kill a pound of weed,
you tend to get a pound of grass in replacement.
With this strategy
because your also putting nutrients down at the same time.
We tend to get about a three fold increase
in our grass production compared
to not using fertilizer at all.
- But foliar applications of liquid
is still gonna be a necessity with some species.
- It is.
- Okay so this fertilizer application
with treated or impregnated fertilizer.
The residual effect, how long is that residual gonna last
for us if we apply it say May 1 application date?
- Okay, well that's a, that's a good question.
It's a little harder to put our finger on the exact answer,
but very depending on climate.
What we tend to see is if were in a very high rainfall year
like 2020 has been.
The residual activity of that herbicide is shorter
than if we tended to be a little drier.
So that herbicides broken down by warm weather, moisture,
and microbes in the soil.
And again we should expect somewhere at least 45 days
of activity from that product.
A lot of times we can get upwards of 90 days activity
on that product on our normal, kind of central part
of Oklahoma weather patterns that we get early summer.
- But the main factor that's maybe decreasing
that is gonna be our rainfall that we receive
- Rainfall would be the big one.
- after application.
- Yup.
- Alright.
- And one other thing I'd like to say , ya know.
I think the reason that its so enticing
to a lot of producers to use this strategy.
Is maybe they don't have that herbicide sprayer
that they can go out there and spray with.
And this really gives them an opportunity
to have that one pass solution
across their field.
When we look at the economics of it
its not that its necessarily saving
you a tremendous amount of money in the long run.
What it does save you though as a producer is time.
And it saves you that extra pass compared
to running a fertilizer buggy
and that spray rig across the same field.
So it is a good tool to have in the tool box.
- If their having to hire somebody
to make both applications.
It is a savings to some. And convenience does cost.
It is convenience, many producers have all farm jobs
so that convenience does have a value to it.
Not a cure all, but another tool to put in the tool box.
- Great tool, especially for the weeds
that most producers fight.
Just common pasture weeds of Oklahoma.
- Alright.
Thank you Brian, I appreciate that
about the impregnated or treated, or coated fertilizer
with the herbicide.
Thank you very much.
- [Nathan] Okay thank you Brian.
Appreciate that input that you had on the treatment.
We do have a question that talks about chemical drift.
So I'm guessing with this dry herbicide
unless your applicator gets pretty wide on the fences
your minimal drift concerns with any of these products.
- [Brian] Yeah particle drift of course is gonna be result
of where you throw those prills to as you said Nathan.
With the GrazonNext HL product
there is some potential of some volatilization.
Because there is a 2,4-D component in that.
It is 2,4-D amine, its not a ester formulation
which helps some.
But you know, if you got neighbors right on the fence
with tomatoes or grapes or something
that your really concerned about.
That's where I might look at
a couple of these other products
that we also mentioned there.
The Chaparral, which is a basically metsulfuron-methyl
aminopyralid, would have zero volatilization.
So that would be an option for you.
As well as that new product that DuraCor product.
It has no phenoxy based herbicide in it either.
So that would probably be a smarter move
to use one of those instead of the GrazonNext HL.
Good question.
- [Nathan] Alright Brian. I appreciate it.
I know, like we said its just another option.
That producers may have, it may fit certain situations.
But others it may not work so well.
So we just wanted to prove
the fact that how effective it was.
So we appreciate what your doing with that.
So that's the end of our footage
Don't leave me yet because I have a little bit.
I want to remind everybody about all the hand outs.
There gonna be sent to you through email here shortly
at the conclusion of this there will be evaluation.
And that we ask that you fill that out.
That helps us answer questions and address concerns
that best fit Hoosiers across the state.
That's what were trying to do.
We will have this, this has been recorded.
And it will be posted we will share that with you at a later
time where this recording is gonna be posted.
And for all of y'all that have registered and enrolled
and stayed with us.
I had a sponsor come to me
that's still our chair of Commerce Ad Committee
and they gave me some money
So all of those of you that have attended
and fill out the evaluation and send it back to us.
Everybody get a free soil test.
So there's your free gift for the day.
Want to thank everybody.
Want to thank all the support team
that I mentioned at the beginning.
Are speaker Dr.Rocateli, Brian Pugh.
Greatly appreciate that
I want to leave you with a quote from Vince Lombardi.
"Most people fail not because lack of desire,
because of lack of commitment."
And through the research that we've seen
in some of these demonstrations.
If you commit to it, it is proven that it will
save you some money.
So I hope you remember that quote from Vince Lombardi.
Want to thank you again for being apart of us.
Brian, we do have another question that just popped up.
"Any research on controlled burns
and burmudagrass, hay medium?"
"Management"
Trying to read.
- [Brian] I don't know if we have hard data here from OSU
but actually there is a really good fact sheet
that I've used before.
I believe its for Alabama Cooperative Extension
has done quiet a bit of extensive work
with prescribed fire use and bermuda
mainly to remove thatch early in the season.
And whatever county your in
I guess we can try to get you some information on that.
Nathan I'm not sure if we can figure out where he's at,
but we can probably make that part of our attachment too.
If your willing to do that.
- [Nathan] Okay, we'll do our best to do that.
- [Brian] I'll make myself a note here.
- [Nathan] Alright, Alright
So Dr.Rocateli, we got a question for you.
"Have you planted any alfalfa pods in no-till."
- [Dr.Rocateli] No I didn't try any no-till for alfalfa.
Always I really make a very good seedbed for that.
So honestly,
I don't know exactly how to tackle
that question now.
I have seen a producer that called me he had tried it.
No-till in the past with alfalfa,
but it was not it was not successful on the task.
That doesn't mean its not possible.
That means that,
to be honest we still need to investigate that
and see how it goes.
Brian had a run through any producer
working with no-till on alfalfa?
- [Brian] No fairly limited.
I've had a couple producers that have done that.
But again they had complete burn down at time of flaming.
So I mean its not necessarily sod seeded.
- [Nathan] Sounds like a new project to have.
- [Randy] I know K-state did some work on that
quite a few years ago.
And so there may be some stuff there.
There was no tilling it into wheat stubble.
So I don't know if they've down anything recently.
You can check with your counterpart up there that you work
that I know you work closely with.
- [Nathan] Okay, Dr.Rocateli
"What are your thoughts related to the sustainability
of reduced lignin alfalfa?"
- [Dr.Rocateli] Yes I've heard of rumors
about sustainability of, that they could lodge.
But so far in the two locations that I had.
I didn't experience any problems with the sustainability.
Like so far they are behaving
pretty much as a conventional lot all that.
I don't see any problems so far.