Weeds are always a major issue for farmers and the development of herbicide resistance is becoming a bigger challenge.

This week Nufarm Agriculture invited producers to a field tour near Saskatoon focusing on their product line and use.

During their field tour they featured their line of herbicides for pre-emergent control in cereals, canola, soybeans and pulses, and in-crop weed control in cereals.

Nufarm’s Technical Services Manager Graham Collier says using multiple modes of action across multiple application timings can help to manage the selection pressure placed on weed populations by each individual mode of action, and can reduce the proliferation of resistance mechanisms through a weed population.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Scientist Dr. Hugh Beckie (beck-ee) updated attendees on the state of herbicide resistant weeds in Western Canada. saying the issue is growing in both complexity and severity.

He notes in 2003 we were seeing 10 percent of fields being impacted, compared to 57 percent last year.

Beckie says herbicide resistance hits farmers right in the pocket book.

He referenced a recent survey of 300 sites in Saskatchewan that found farmers reporting extra costs of $15-20 per acre to address herbicide resistance.