S o much of success in agriculture is related to timing. The right thing just needs to be done at the right time. Things work better, and you stay out of trouble. Some technologies make timing easier than others. You can put new GrazonNext™ herbicide in the “easier” category. It also tops the “superior pasture weed control” category. It’s even better than the longtime market standard, Grazon® P+D herbicide. Get better weed control and fewer restrictions. Agency. This exclusive program is reserved for products that demonstrate lower risk to the environment and to humans than the market standards. GrazonNext™ herbicide combines aminopyralid with high-quality 2,4-D for cost-effective weed control. GrazonNext is not a federally Restricted Use Pesticide, but it is subject to state restrictions on 2,4-D. In Texas, that means it still requires a license to buy or apply. Other options More effective In cases where you may want an GrazonNext is more effective on alternative to products containing most broadleaf weeds, particularly 2,4-D, you still have other options tough perennials such as nightshades, for excellent weed control. horsenettle and Texas bullnettle. Ranchers can get the Safe to desirable grasses, GrazonNext environmental advantages of provides soil residual activity to GrazonNext with even fewer control new weeds that germinate restrictions by using Milestone® for weeks after spraying, including herbicide. Milestone contains broomweed, cocklebur and ragweed. aminopyralid without the 2,4-D. While grass yields usually are Milestone is not a federally Restricted favored by early spraying, GrazonNext Use Pesticide or a state-limited use at the recommended rate of 2 pints to per acre is effective on many weeds ™ New GrazonNext herbicide has fewer restrictions on grazing and haying than product. No license is required 2 buy or apply Milestone. even as they mature. So, if you’re a older, commonly used pasture herbicides. If your pasture is infested with little late in spraying, you can still get woody species as well as broadleaf weeds, good control. You can control early “But we recommend that, with broadleaf consider Surmount® herbicide. It’s active on maturing thistles and later-germinating weeds, you wait at least two weeks to mow more woody species than either Milestone perennials at the same time. after spraying,” Langston says. “Give the or GrazonNext. Surmount, however, is a herbicide time to do its job.” Fewer restrictions federally Restricted Use Pesticide, requiring Remember that to get the best control of a license. woody plants — like blackberry briars — Compared with the older, commonly you should delay mowing at least a year after used pasture herbicides, GrazonNext has One caution spraying, Langston says. Earlier mowing of less environmental risk and fewer grazing woody plants will decrease control. With all three herbicides — GrazonNext, and haying restrictions. Look at the table Milestone® herbicide and Surmount — on this page. Innovative chemistry grasses in sprayed pastures may contain the GrazonNext™ herbicide has zero days withdrawal for lactating dairy animals. You GrazonNext qualifies for fewer restrictions herbicide’s active ingredient for a time. Consult the herbicide labels for information can spray it with lactating dairy cattle in the because of its unique active ingredient, pasture — something you can’t do with the aminopyralid — revolutionary chemistry that about transferring livestock from treated areas onto broadleaf crop areas. Also, don’t traditional herbicides.1 was reviewed and accepted for registration use grass or hay from treated areas or “Consider that an indicator of the low- under the Reduced Risk Pesticide Initiative manure from animals on treated forage for risk nature of GrazonNext,” says Dr. Vernon of the U.S Environmental Protection composting or mulch. See Langston, a Texas-based Grazing and Haying Restrictions for Pasture Herbicides the label for more details. field research scientist for (Required days interval after spraying before haying or grazing is allowed) Dow AgroSciences. Restrictions do apply to the transfer GrazonNext also has Lactating DairyOther Cattle Grazing Before of grazing animals to sites intended to zero days withdrawal before Product Grazing Grazing SlaughterHaying grow sensitive crops. Refer to the label for a complete list of transfer slaughter. GrazonNext™ herbicide 0 0 0 7 restrictions. GrazonNext has a shorter Grazon® P+D herbicide 7 0 3 30 Some states require an individual be licensed if involved in the restriction on haying after 2,4-D 7 0 3 30 recommendation, handling or spraying — just seven Weedmaster herbicide 7 0 30 37 application of any pesticide. Consult your local Extension days — that can help hay Cimarron Max herbicide 7 0 30 37 office for information regarding producers stay on a 28-day Surmount® herbicide 14 0 3 7 license requirements. cutting schedule. Milestone® herbicide 0 0 0 0 1 2 Over...pg.6 ®™ Grazon, GrazonNext, Milestone, Reclaim, Remedy and Surmount are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Grazon P+D and Surmount are federally Restricted Use Pesticides. State restrictions on the sale and use of GrazonNext and Remedy Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. John Wilder sprays big clumps of blackberry with an effective herbicide, lots of water and a big tractor. Surmount also controls broadleaf weeds and provides soil residual activity to control weeds that germinate for weeks after spraying. “In 2006, I sprayed berry vines and persimmons and weeds I’ve never seen,” Wilder says. “It did a good job. Some of the persimmons came back, but there’s no telling how much root system is down there. They’d been mowed and mowed.” In Dow AgroSciences demonstrations, a labeled 1 percent solution of Surmount has controlled persimmon when sprayed by hand. Broadcast applications have been less effective on persimmon. Experts speculate that, for control, persimmon needs to be saturated with the herbicide solution. Use the right amount of herbicide, surfactant and water. Wilder uses Surmount at the labeled broadcast rate of 3 pints per acre. He also uses Sun-Pasture — not a good thing. Foliar herbicides enter surfactant at the rate of 1 quart per 100 the plant through the leaves, so you need gallons of spray mix. Surfactant helps the plenty of them to absorb the herbicide. solution spread out and stay on the leaves. So, maximize foliage, Wilder says, as His spray solution — herbicide, long as you can still get over the brush and surfactant and water — is usually 18.5 cover it with spray solution. In July 2007, gallons per acre. But he’ll increase the he sprayed blackberry clumps 5 to 10 feet water to help coverage. “I do run as much tall. “Thank God I had a four-wheel drive as 20 gallons per acre,” he says. tractor,” he says, “or I never would have Thorough coverage of the leaves is gotten through it.” always a key to controlling brush with Use the right brush killer. Product foliar herbicides, experts say. It’s difficult choice will vary by species, but for his targets, to penetrate big clumps of brush without Wilder likes Surmount® herbicide. He’s used adequate water. it the last two years on the recommendation Wilder knows what he applies because of Darren Rozell of Red River Specialities in he calibrates his boomless sprayer. “I don’t Tyler. Wilder’s broadcast applications have spray anything without calibrating — it’s controlled blackberry and locust and at least too expensive,” he says. “And this is no suppressed persimmon. guessing game.” L o cal f o r pas t u re m anagers Kill armyworms for a full fortnight. Fortnight = 14 days and nights. That’s how long Intrepid 2F insecticide controls ® armyworms, including fall armyworms, southern armyworms, beet armyworms and true armyworms — pests that can chew up a pasture overnight. Given the high value of intensively managed forage, it makes sense to protect it. Now, just in time for the 2008 season, Intrepid 2F is labeled for use in pastures and forage grasses grown for hay. “Armyworms are ferocious eaters, and they can come at you over a period of time,” says Ralph Lassiter, Dow AgroSciences product technology specialist. “So, having 14-plus days of residual control, as Intrepid 2F does, can save you repeat treatments compared with other insecticides.” Intrepid 2F also puts a halt on armyworm appetites quickly. Intrepid 2F has a novel mode of action that mimics the action of the molting hormone of armyworms. Upon ingestion of the insecticide, armyworms undergo an incomplete and lethal premature molt. This process stops their feeding. He has 3 rules for better brush control. John Wilder’s landlords depend on him advice for more than just lease payments. He defends their pastures from encroaching brush that would turn their tame grassland into the East Texas woods. He’s gotten pretty good at it, too. From the headquarters ranch he owns at Tyler, Texas, Wilder operates mostly on 3,000 leased acres scattered around the area. Those acres support a cow/calf herd and a significant hay business. In pastures, he continually fights blackberry, persimmon, locust and other woody species. “If we don’t do something, they’ll take over a place,” Wilder says. “Cows won’t go in these bushes. They stay away from that stuff. And there’s no grass under these big clumps of berry vines anyway.” To control that brush, Wilder — who does his Need another option for blackberry? own spraying — follows three cardinal rules of application that he shares Surmount® herbicide has become a popular option to control blackberry and other encroaching brush. But it’s not with his landowners and, the only option. now, you. PastureGard® herbicide also controls blackberry, either in a broadcast or hand-applied spray solution. So does Spray brush, don’t Remedy® Ultra herbicide. mow it. “If it’s been You can base your herbicide choice on availability, license requirements and control of associated species. mowed, skip a year or two Surmount is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide that requires a license to buy and apply. And it’s not available before you spray,” Wilder everywhere. PastureGard and Remedy Ultra are not Restricted Use Pesticides, so usually a license is not required says. “Then after that, you to use those products. They also are more widely available. can kill it.” While Surmount provides soil residual activity to control broadleaf weeds and brush seedlings that germinate If cut, the woody for a period of weeks after spraying, PastureGard and Remedy Ultra do not. Because they have no soil activity, species Wilder fights tend PastureGard and Remedy Ultra also won’t interfere with clover germination in the fall. To further customize your to resprout with more spraying, you can tank-mix any of the products with a broadleaf weed control herbicide. stems and tougher roots. To tailor a brush control program to your situation, contact your Dow AgroSciences sales representative. The ratio of leaf surface to root mass goes down B lackberry is a tough competitor in many southern pastures, but it can be controlled. A determining factor, though, is when you spray. Don’t spray blackberry in the same year you’ve mowed, shredded or bush hogged it. You want the most foliage you can have and still get over it with a sprayer. With ample foliage, there are two good times of year to spray. The first is in the spring after leaves turn from light green to dark green. But the best time is after fruit drop, for as long as the leaves are healthy. Don’t spray during flowering, when the plants are putting on berries or the plants are drought-stressed. Drought stress often While feeding typically ceases within hours, complete mortality may take several days. “We call them walking dead worms,” Lassiter says. “You may still see them crawling, but they’re not doing any damage.” While highly effective against armyworms, Intrepid® 2F insecticide has no grazing restrictions for livestock and does not disrupt populations of most beneficial insects, including bees. Treatments with Intrepid 2F should begin at the first signs of feeding damage or when threshold levels of feeding damage occur. The labeled application rate is 4 to 8 fluid ounces per acre. The higher rate should be used for heavy infestations or advanced growth stages of targeted pests. Intrepid 2F is available in 1-gallon containers. To learn more about Intrepid 2F, contact your Dow AgroSciences sales representative. complicates that second period. You have three good herbicide options: Surmount® herbicide; PastureGard® herbicide; or Remedy® Ultra herbicide tankmixed with GrazonNext™ herbicide. At recommended rates, all three have worked well. Don’t skimp on water in broadcast applications — 20, 30 or even 40 gallons of total volume is not too much. All the foliage should be wet with spray solution. Don’t mow dead-looking blackberry too soon after spraying. Allow the herbicide time to reach the roots. Wait a year. Spray blackberry at the right time. 7 Trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Surmount is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide. State restrictions on the sale and use of GrazonNext, Intrepid 2F and Remedy Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. ®™