War Against Weeds

In the last episode of season 11, Sarah and Alyssa sit down with Dr. James Leary to explore the innovative world of herbicide ballistic technology. James shares how his work in Hawaii led to the development of herbicide-filled projectiles designed to target invasive plants in hard-to-reach terrain. The conversation dives into the science, logistics, and surprising practicality of "shooting weeds,"...

In this episode of War Against Weeds , the hosts sit down with weed science experts Dr. Peter Dotray (Texas Tech University) and Dr. Stanley Culpepper (University of Georgia) to explore the unique challenges of growing cotton across different regions of the U.S. From starting clean at planting to the critical role of timely herbicide applications and overlapping residuals, they break down what it...

This week Joe Ikley and Sarah Ganske are joined by Dr. Tom Mueller (University of Tennessee) to discuss sprayer hose cleanout and herbicide residue risks. The conversation focuses on how hose materials, aging, and system design affect herbicide retention, with research insights comparing dicamba and 2,4-D cleanout challenges. They also share practical recommendations for applicators, including agi...

In this episode of the  War Against Weeds podcast, Alyssa Essman and Sarah Lancaster Ganske are joined by Purdue Extension weed scientist Dr. Tommy Butts for a deep dive into spray nozzles, droplet size, and deposition. The conversation covers how nozzle selection influences coverage, drift, deposition, and weed control, with practical recommendations for ground applications, pulse sprayers, and m...

In this episode of the War Against Weeds podcast, Sarah and Joe welcome Dr. Katie Dentzman of Iowa State University to explore the human and social dimensions of herbicide resistance management. The conversation digs into why "silver bullet" solutions are so appealing, the real-world barriers to adopting integrated weed management, and how community dynamics shape decision-making in agriculture. E...

In this episode Sarah and Joe welcome Hudson Takano of Corteva Agriscience for an update on the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC) and the newly released 2026 HRAC Mode of Action poster. Hudson explains HRAC's role in resistance management, how herbicides are evaluated and classified, and what goes into updating the poster. The conversation highlights newly added herbicides, and why some...

In this episode of the War Against Weeds podcast, Sarah Ganske and Joe Ikley explore the emergence of PPO resistant kochia across the northern Great Plains. Joined by BASF scientists Dr. Ingo Meiners and Dr. Aimone Porri, the group walks through how field failures led to greenhouse confirmation and the discovery of novel PPO target‑site mutations. They discuss why these mutations affect some PPO h...

In this episode of War Against Weeds , hosts Alyssa and Sarah sit down with Dr. Karla Gage (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) and Dr. Pat Tranel (University of Illinois) to discuss emerging glufosinate resistance in waterhemp and what it means for growers moving forward. Transcripts PDF: https://app.box.com/s/0lyejemx8kyjr8s1fcgca6huqw3qaprp WORD: https://app.box.com/s/la2r3yx4208jm2v8khac9...

In this episode of War Against Weeds, Joe Ikley and Alyssa Essman talk with spray technology experts Dr. Tom Wolf and Dr. Jason Deveau about how rapidly spray drones have evolved and why they're challenging to use effectively. They discuss issues like swath variability, droplet behavior, and operator exposure, while also highlighting situations where drones offer clear logistical advantages. The r...

In this episode of War Against Weeds , Sarah and Alyssa sit down with Dr. Reid Smeda of the University of Missouri to dig into the biology, history, and management of invasive teasels. From their origins to their modern spread along roadsides, teasels prove to be more troublesome than their quirky seed heads suggest. Dr. Smeda breaks down why they're so difficult to control and shares long‑term st...

In this episode, Joe and Alyssa talk crabgrass with Purdue's Dr. Aaron Patton and PhD candidate Vera Vuković, covering why smooth crabgrass dominates lawns, how mowing height and fertility can dramatically reduce infestations, and what new research reveals about seed dormancy, germination cues, and emergence timing. They break down practical pre‑ and post‑emergence control strategies—including phe...

Annual ryegrass is rapidly becoming one of the toughest weeds in U.S. row‑crop agriculture. In this episode, Alyssa Essman (Ohio State) and Joe Ikley (NDSU) talk with Tom Barber (University of Arkansas), Charlie Cahoon (NC State), and Larry Steckel (University of Tennessee) about how this weed is spreading, shifting its emergence timing, and developing resistance to multiple herbicide groups. The...

In this episode of War Against Weeds , Sarah and Joe sit down with Dr. Jane Mangold of Montana State University to unpack the ecology, spread, and management of cheatgrass and other invasive grasses. Jane explains why species like cheatgrass and ventenata are thriving in the Western U.S., how fire and climate patterns influence their behavior, and what tools land managers can use to stay ahead of...

In this episode of War Against Weeds, hosts Alyssa Essman and Joe Ikley sit down with Melissa Widhalm, Associate Director and Regional Climatologist at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC). Melissa introduces WEST — the Weed Emergence Scouting Tool — an experimental, temperature‑based system designed to predict first and peak emergence of key weeds like giant ragweed and waterhemp across...

In this episode Alyssa Essman and Sarah Lancaster sit down with Washington State University toxicologist Dr. Allan Felsot for a crash course in Toxicology 101. Dr. Felsot breaks down how the EPA evaluates pesticide safety, explains the difference between hazard and risk, and clarifies common misconceptions about chemical exposure, tolerance, and persistence. The conversation also touches on glypho...

Season 11 opens with Dr. Brad Hanson of UC Davis, who joins Joe and Alyssa to unravel the resurgence of broomrape, a challenging parasitic weed threatening California's tomato processing industry. Brad explains how broomrape's underground lifecycle, tiny long-lived seeds, and strict reliance on host plants make it difficult to detect and manage. The episode covers the difference between broomrape...

On our last episode of season 10, all three hosts have a discussion on the future of weed science with Dr. Larry Steckel (University of Tennessee) and Dr. Aaron Hager (University of Illinois). They reflect on the evolution of weed management, including the increase of specific weed species, and the challenges of herbicide resistance. Both emphasize the need for integrated approaches, including cov...

Joe Ikley and Sarah Lancaster discuss the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) and the Kansas Mesonet with directors Daryl Ritchison and Chip Redmond, respectively. NDAWN, with over 250 stations, provides high-resolution weather data, including soil moisture and temperature measurements. Kansas Mesonet, with 94 stations, focuses on real-time data for agricultural and emergency managem...

Sarah and Alyssa sit down with dryland experts Jeanne Faulk Jones (Kansas State University) and Dr. Drew Lyon (Washington State University). They highlight the challenges of managing weeds in semi-arid regions, including key weeds like Palmer amaranth, Kochia, and perennial grasses. They also discuss various strategies for water conservation and weed management.   Smallgrains.wsu.edu Facebook page...

Dr. Jason Norsworthy from the University of Arkansas sits down with Alyssa and Sarah to discuss the United Soybean Board's weed management project. This project involves screening for resistance to our most used herbicides in our most problematic pigweed species.

This week Alyssa and Joe chat with Dr. Jason Bond (Mississippi State University) all about redvine! This week's episode is also a crossover episode with The Mississippi Crop situation Podcast, so check them out here! https://extension.msstate.edu/shows/mississippi-crop-situation

Alyssa Essman and Sarah Lancaster sit down with Dr. Aaron Hager (University of Illinois) and Ryan Henry (UPL) to discuss Group 5 herbicides. They cover the historical use and mechanisms of these herbicides, as well as degradation, metribuzin rates, and new herbicides to the market.    Paper mentioned in the episode: Optimizing metribuzin rates for herbicide-resistant Amaranthus weed control in soy...

Joe & Sarah sit down with Scott Cully and Dean Grossnickle to discuss herbicide premixtures. Scott, a senior field research biology expert, highlights his role in developing products like Acuron and Storen. Dean, a technical development lead, explains his commercial perspective. They detail the development process, including formulation challenges and the importance of proper adjuvant selection. T...

Sarah & Joe sit down with Dr. Eric Patterson from Michigan State University to chat about the The HERMON (Herbicide Resistance Monitoring Network) project. This project aims to create a network of researchers to develop and share new resistance tests and management strategies. The project includes 10 states and focuses on key herbicides like glyphosate, PPO inhibitors, and dicamba.   Link mentione...

This week Sarah and Alyssa chat with Dr. Todd Gaines from Colorado State University. They discuss the role of cytochrome P450 enzymes in herbicide metabolism and resistance. Dr. Gaines mentions ongoing research to understand the regulation of these enzymes and the potential for using gene editing to combat resistance. They also touched on the impact of stress on P450 activity and the development o...