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It Costs to Cut Corners with Cheap Herbicides

October 11, 2019
This agronomic image shows kochia

Kochia

We recognize that the last few seasons have been tough. Commodity prices are struggling and herbicides can be expensive. It’s all about the bottom line, and in times like these it can be tempting to rationalize that by spending less on herbicides. But, as the saying goes, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.” You may wind up doing exactly that if you try to cut costs with generic, ineffective herbicides – and may be spending more money in the long run.

We know it seems counter-intuitive that spending less money is actually costing you more. It’s true though, and the hit comes from 2 sides:

First, the front end: If the herbicide you put down is ineffective, you’ll have to spend more money on another application of a different effective active ingredient. It will likely have been less expensive to put down the single application of the effective herbicide to begin with.

Then, the back end: You may be costing yourself yield. Effective herbicides wipe out weeds fast, allowing the crop to grow with as little competition as possible. In the end, this means more yield, and that means more money. If you use an ineffective herbicide and your fields are littered with weeds at harvest, you’re costing yourself yield and money.

To add insult to injury, any weed escapes that grew large enough to go to seed would add to your weed seed bank. Now you’ve got something else to worry about next season, and that’s just more money spent.

Bareground herbicide trials in corn fields in Columbia, MO.

Columbia, MO, 2018. A top-down, end-of-season photo of a bare-ground trial shows the effectiveness of various herbicides.

To help ensure clean fields and a high-yielding harvest, 1 herbicide we recommend is Acuron® corn herbicide. Our research shows that when Acuron is applied preemergence at the full label rate, it gives you 5 to 15 more bushels an acre by controlling the tough weeds that other herbicides miss*. You may be spending more up front, but you’re getting 5 to 15 bushels more yield with every acre. Acuron also works as part of a full-season program. It can be used as a split-shot application preemergence and post-emergence, or it can be followed by Halex® GT corn herbicide.

When it comes to corn herbicides, think long-term; don’t cut off your nose to spite your face by going with cheap herbicides.

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All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.

©2019 Syngenta. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

*When applied preemergence and at full label rates. Yield advantage range based on 2016 Syngenta and University trials comparing Acuron to Corvus®, Resicore®, SureStart® II and Verdict®. For more information on Acuron versus an individual product, ask your Syngenta representative.

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