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Early-season scouting: Why it is important and the benefits it offers
College scouts begin evaluating young athletes as early as ninth grade. Competition is fierce, and scouts make thorough plans to solidify each season’s team roster in hopes of building successful programs and winning seasons. They understand the five P’s: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. And they align their efforts to accomplish that goal.
For wheat farmers, early-season scouting also plays an important role, as they work to build successful herbicide programs to control the season’s first weeds and protect developing yield potential.
Many parts of the Midwest and Great Plains experienced relatively mild winter weather this year, so wheat farmers should make plans to scout fields early. The season’s first weed flush looms, and early-season weed control could pay dividends in the form of increased quality potential and yield potential.
“For wheat farmers in those regions where winter underdelivered and snow isn’t covering dormant wheat, any warmer spring temperatures could cause some early season grasses to emerge. I advise farmers and agronomists to evaluate the success of preplant burndowns and residual herbicide applications while being on the lookout for early season grasses and mustards, which tend to emerge first.”
—Marcus Weatherhead, strategic account manager with Corteva Agriscience
Learning from early-season scouting
Planning an herbicide program and scouting should begin well before the season’s first weeds emerge.
“Thorough scouting to evaluate last season’s burndown helps set the timing for ordering product and early season herbicide applications,” Weatherhead said. “There will most likely be spot misses in some fields. Identifying those areas and/or areas where heavier weed pressure traditionally occurs can prevent making rescue applications later.”
Other reasons for early scouting include to:
- Take note of plant population and stand uniformity.
- Adjust management efforts.
- Estimate tiller density.
- Assess plant vigor.
- Verify the need to adjust nitrogen timing and rates.
- Time applications before weeds get large and more difficult to control.
- Catch tough, resistant weeds like kochia, barnyardgrass and green or yellow foxtail when they are small and more easily controlled.
“Early season scouting helps make more-informed management decisions as the crop moves toward maturity,” Weatherhead said. “Always remember to check the label and compare it with the appropriate growth stage of your wheat.”
Take advantage of new herbicides and multiple modes of action
Since receiving registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 and becoming available to the market in 2025, Tolvera® herbicide has earned the approval and trust of an expanding number of wheat farmers.
“Tolvera herbicide offers growers a new, effective tool to manage hard-to-control weeds and expands their crop rotation choices the following season,” Weatherhead said. “It contains tolpyralate, an HPPD inhibitor (Group 27), an active ingredient new to the cereals market. It has less known resistance than some of the other herbicide groups.”
As an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation, Tolvera herbicide is tank-mix-friendly and compatible with many grass and broadleaf herbicides.
“Tolvera herbicide can be applied to spring and winter wheat, durum and barley starting at the one-leaf stage all the way up to the jointing phase,” Weatherhead said. “This provides growers a wide application window to achieve optimum control of actively growing weeds less than 4 inches tall.”
To learn more about Tolvera herbicide or the complete portfolio of Corteva Agriscience crop protection solutions, visit corteva.com/solutions or talk with your local Corteva Agriscience sales representative.
Tolvera® is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.
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