Not so many years ago, there was a huge shift in soybean acres from conventional programs to the Roundup Ready system. Perhaps the biggest reason why was that several weed species were giving the conventional herbicides all they could handle, and weed control was beginning to suffer. With the advent of ALS-resistant waterhemp and kochia, along with decreasing conventional herbicide performance on lambsquarters, common ragweed, and other weeds, every soybean farmer was losing yield and looking for answers. Roundup offered a rescue product to kill these weeds in-season, but by the time you’re spraying these weeds in-crop, you’re already losing yield. The problems we were facing in conventional soybeans in the 1990’s have not gone away, and they must be dealt with.

The solution is to add a broadleaf herbicide to your pre-emerge or burndown program. Valor is the preferred choice because of its versatility. It can be used pre-emerge with Treflan or Prowl for added broadleaf control. Valor works in all soil types, soil pH levels, and fits in nearly every rotation. State Universities in ND, SD, MN, NE, and IA have shown a 3 to 4 BPA advantage using Valor f/b Roundup as opposed to using a 2-shot Roundup program. There are many things you can do on your farm to improve your soybean yields. We can certainly help you, but the first step you need to take is applying a pre-emerge broadleaf herbicide like Valor.