To say that 2011 has been a rough year is an understatement, but the combines are rolling and the soybean harvest is underway. The first harvest figures for the season were reported by USDA this week and it is running behind schedule with just 5% complete so far. Nearly every state is behind both last year and the five year average, and the bulk of the crop is rated fair to good.

As we get closer to putting this year in the rear view mirror, it’s already time to look ahead and get a fresh start for 2012. BASF Herbicide Technical Market Manager Dr. Dan Westberg says the key is getting ahead of weed control with an effective fall burndown program. “Dense populations of winter annuals like marestail can interfere with or delay planting,” Dan says, suggesting that growers can combine fall burndown with fertilizer application. “If you have an effective fall burndown, you’re not losing the fertilizer you apply in the fall to those winter annual weeds and allows greater flexibility come spring.”

One option for fall burndown is Kixor® herbicide technology in a product like Sharpen. “Its unique chemistry provides broad spectrum, broad leaf weed control of more than 70 weeds, including winter annuals and weeds resistant to glyphosate ALS inhibitors and triazines,” said Dan.

To optimize the burndown performance of Kixor, Dan suggests the best practices known by the simple acronym A-C-T-T: Adjuvant, Coverage, Tank Mix, Timing.

Listen to or download Dan explain it all here: Dan Westberg on fall burndown

Find out more from BASF at KixorHerbicide.com.