By Carrie Muehling

COOKSVILLE – Some significant rain had area farmers smiling before temperatures dropped again as they hope it will help to recharge the soil before the 2013 growing season begins.

Eastern McLean County was about 10 inches behind normal for moisture levels before last week’s system, according to Doug Matlock, Cooksville plant manager with Brandt Consolidated.

While farmers can’t control when or how much it rains, they can control things like crop protection programs. Matlock said weed resistance is a common topic this year as the agriculture community waits to see if and Palmer amaranth will surface in Central Illinois. Matlock encourages growers to look at multiple modes of action and increase the rates of the herbicides they are applying on a pre-plant basis, as well as after planting. 

“We just need to make sure that we are putting on the right amount of product ahead of the crop from a pre-emerge standpoint or pre-plant, and then making sure that we stay within label rates when we’re spraying post,” said Matlock.

Matlock said at this point many growers have already taken advantage of prepay situations and he will continue to meet with farmers over the next month or so to finalize plans for the upcoming season. He predicted a month or six weeks from now his team will be very busy getting products out to growers.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.