Row crop commodity prices have been very low due to COVID-19 and the lack of demand. Peanut prices were at $418 a ton in the second week of April. To survive low commodity prices and global economic uncertainties, farmers will need to cut expenses and use resources more efficiently.
Dr. Steve Li, Extension Weed Scientist, shares the following cost-saving options for weed control with the goal to provide sufficient weed control with a budget around $30 per acre (after discount programs from manufacture and by using generics). The strategy is to use cheaper residual herbicides and reduce applications over crops of more expensive post-emergence herbicides, such as Select Max or Fusilade II.
- Fields without much weed pressure in general
- Fields with mostly pigweed (Palmer amaranth) and annual grasses
- Fields with mostly sicklepod, morningglory, coffeeweed and broadleaf weeds (but not many pigweeds)
- Fields with Tropical Spiderwort
Read Dr. Li’s recommendations here.