The Rural Voice, 2000-08, Page 54loads. Don't let your tractor bounce.
• Lock brake pedals together before
high speed travel. and slow down
before turning.
• Use engine braking when going
downhill.
• Stay at least as far away from
ditches and streams as they are deep.
• Keep a front-end loader bucket as
low as possible.
You can avoid tractor rollovers to
the rear by:
• Never hitching a load higher than
the drawbar.
• Use proper weights to increase
tractor stability.
• Start forward motions slowly and
increase speed gradually.
• If possible, avoid backing downhill.
• Drive around ditches not across
them.
• Back your tractor out when mired
in mud. If this won't work, the only
safe way is to tow the stuck machine
out with another tractor that has
rollover protection.
If your tractor has a loader
attached to it, lower the loader to the
ground when not in use. Workers
can walk into a raised loader while
carrying items or while having vision
obstructed.
Training new operators
thoroughly in tractor operation is a
must! Even if your tractor operator
has used tractors before, they may
have been different makes or models
with controls in different locations.
Take the time toreview the safety
rules and hazards associated with
tractor operations.0
Prevent weed
problems before
they start
By Hugh Martin
OMAFRA, Weed Management
Specialist
How many different ways do you
control weeds? Fifty years ago
farmers worked year round to control
weeds because there were no
herbicides to rely on. My
grandmother had an adage; "one year
of seeds makes seven years of
weeds." Even today some farms
seem to consistently have fewer
weeds than others. Here are a few
50 THE RURAL VOICE
Advice
ideas on how to reduce your weeds.
• Know how to identify your weeds
and learn more about how they grow.
• When new plants are found,
identify and control immediately.
• Keep access roads and yards free of
weeds.
• Work with neighbours on weed
control projects in the community.
• Only plant clean seed.
• Control weeds prior to seed set.
• Harvest your weediest fields last.
• Clean farm implements when they
move out of weedy fields.
• Insist that custom equipment or
other vehicles are cleaned before
coming onto your property.
• When bringing new livestock onto
the farm, isolate them in a holding
pen for one week and then spread the
manure in an area where you can
watch for unusual weeds.
• Do not allow weeds to leave your
property.
• Use multiple methods of weed
control to reduce reliance on
chemical weed control.
• Rotate herbicide mode of action
groups.
• Record and monitor your weed
management successes and failures.0
Managing weed
resistance
By Hugh Martin
OMAFRA Weed Management
Specialist
How do you know if you have
herbicide resistant weeds?
Probably the number one way is
to look at your weed escapes. In
corn, we most commonly find
atrazine resistant lamb's -quarters
which is widely spread across
Ontario and in some areas we find
atrazine resistant pigweeds. These
can also be a problem for using
metribuzin herbicides in soybeans.
During the past few years we have
also found pigweeds that are resistant
to Group 2 herbicides such as
Pursuit, Classic, Pinnacle and many
more of the newer ALS type
herbicides. In some of the
neighbouring U.S. states they now
have found Group 2 resistant
ragweed, and fleabane. This
problem has showed up due to
repeated use of the same family of
herbicides.
Some of the primary causes of
resistance are the following:
• frequent use of herbicides with the
same mode of action;
• cropping systems with a heavy
reliance on herbicides for weed
control;
• lack of non -chemical weed control
practices.
If you have resistance you will
probably find unexplained escapes
from a herbicide treatment that
should have given excellent control.
The escapes may be in patches (even
single plants) or if it has been there
for a year or so it may cover the
whole field. You always need to
watch out for it.
When you have resistance, what
do you do about it? If you don't
have resistance, how do you prevent
it? For the most part the answers to
both questions are the same. Here
are some ideas on managing weed
resistance:
• Avoid using the same herbicide or
herbicides from the same grouping in
the same field, in consecutive years.
• Do not use the same mode of action
more than once per season. (Rescue
sprays should be from a different
herbicide group.)
• Use tank mixes where two or more
products give effective control
against the target weed, and the
products are from different mode of
action groupings.
• Use crop rotation, changing
herbicides is not enough. Different
crops allow for a broader spectrum of
herbicid f and tillage options to
control weeds. Some crops are more
aggressive than others to compete
against weeds.
• Manage weed escapes effectively.
Note trends, successes, and failures.
• Use clean seed. Clean equipment
when moving field to field.
• Where possible use tillage, cover
crops, or other practices to reduce
viable weed seeds in the soil.
Always read the label. Some
newer products include the herbicide
grouping on the label. Expect other
products to include this information
in the future. Table 3 on page 69 of
the new 2000 Guide to Weed Control
also has a table to indicate which
herbicides are in which grouping.0