Part of my job as the Director/Farm Advisor at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center involves overseeing weed management programs for a variety of crops and non-cropland at the Center.  Over the last month, I’ve observed the outcome of these programs as many of the crops are nearing harvest.  This spring I would have given myself an “A” grade for weed control.  We treated crop fields with a combination of control methods and made an aggressive push to control weeds along roads, ditches, and field borders.  Unfortunately, as time goes on I think I need to downgrade my performance to a “B” because some fields and roadsides now have quite a few weeds.

In reviewing field records, one factor was a common denominator at...

An article was posted a couple days ago on the Scientific American blog in which the author deconstructed what she saw as common myths about organic agriculture.  I thought I'd repost Christie Wilcox's article here  "Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture"  

In her article, she tries to play myth buster on:
Myth #1: Organic Farms Don't Use Pesticides
Myth #2: Organic Foods are Healthier
Myth #3: Organic...

This week we are finalizing plans for the 55th Annual UC Davis Weed Day on July 14th.  It's not too late to register if you are interested in a sampling of the current weed science research at UCD!  More info and registration information on Weed Day can be found here:  http://wric.ucdavis.edu/events/weed_day_2011.htm

We've been busy this getting the agenda finished, spraying a few last herbicide treatments, and working out the many logistic details (thanks Gale P. for her focus on logistics!).  I was thinking about what (and when) I'd post on the blog this week and, voila, the California Weed Science Society...

I spoke last week at the Central San Joaquin Valley Summer Almond Meeting (in Merced, CA) as part of a program that encompassed the almond industry, insect pests, disease managemment and weed control among other topics.  The organizer, UCCE Farm Advisor David Doll, asked me to talk about herbicide selection, maximizing efficacy, and minimizing drift. 

It was a good meeting and I thought I'd share my slides for others to read and consider.

(Click on the slide to open in a full screen view.  Click on the arrow on the right side of the frame or use the arrow keys to scroll through the slides)