Weed Alert:
Palmer Amaranth has been identified in the North Annville (pictured above) area and growers should be alert to how to manage this weed before it has a chance to become established on their farms. Palmer amaranth is quite distinctive at this stage with long (10 to 20 inches) cylindrical seed heads generally rising above the soybean crop. If Palmer amaranth seed are harvested along with the grain, the seeds can quickly spread into neighboring fields or farms. We are still investigating this most recent occurrence, but strongly suspect that seeds were spread via contaminated manure and/or hay. Attached are documents from Ohio State University and the University of Illinois providing more details on identification and management of Palmer amaranth. In addition this 11 minute youtube video is an OSU production helping to explain the concern about Palmer amaranth along with some management options. We will provide more information about this problem as it becomes available. In this particular case it is growing in a pasture setting and there are numerous products to eliminate it in that environment. However if you see the seed heads as above it is best to pull and burn those seeds presently to eliminate the seeds populating the weed seed bank.
