When we launched No-Till Farmer in 1972, paraquat was the No. 1 burndown herbicide. While it has lost much of its popularity to glyphosate, Mark Loux says it is one of those herbicides (marketed as Gramoxone by Syngenta) that could have been used much more in recent years to help control marestail and to interrupt the continuous glyphosate use cycle. The Ohio State University weed scientist says paraquat is most effective on small annual weeds.

With growing concerns about herbicide resistance, Australia no-tillers are looking at new non-chemical ways to control serious weed problems. While the 2013 no-till acreage in Australia was 43.7 million acres, there’s some thought that the country’s no-till acres have declined in recent years due to herbicide resistance worries.

AFTER 4 DAYS of intensive interest in no-till and cover crops at the mid-January 25th anniversary National No-Tillage Conference, it was encouraging to recognize interest in cover crops continues to grow.