Maintaining healthy pastures is critical for supporting livestock productivity and forage quality. But weeds can threaten those goals by outcompeting desirable species, reducing grazing efficiency, and in some cases, posing toxicity risks to animals.

It was a warm, dry, and windy week across the state last week. Planting is winding down across the state, and the early planted corn fields are reaching the V4-V5 stages and soybeans earlier planted soybeans are around V1. Weeds coming through PRE herbicides, soil crusting, replant decisions, sand-blasting/leaf-tattering, and herbicide/seed treatment injury were some of the common issues or concerns heard by the ISU Extension field agronomists.