It is easy to blame Mother Nature for soybean yield loss given the season we’ve experienced. Too much rain early in the season decreased yield because soybeans don’t like wet feet. Everyone knows soybean yields are made with August and September rains and there was none. Right?

Maybe, but we are also finding some yield loss due to self-inflicted issues, such as late applications of herbicides to control waterhemp.  Steve Urkel would say – “Did I do that?” It is possible YOU did that.

Not all herbicide traits are truly resistant; some are only tolerant to a specific stage. That is why manufacturers place crop stage and height restrictions on the label. They did the testing and know the limits of their products. They have reasons for restrictions, and we need to follow them.

Yield loss due to late applications is easiest to verify in fields where farmers spot-sprayed late. The yield monitor shows lower yield where the applications were applied. This method is not foolproof, but it warrants further investigation. If you sprayed entire fields, it is harder to verify, but this issue is something that needs to be considered. Mother Nature can’t be blanket blamed for everything, even though she is easier to blame than ourselves.

First, and foremost, the label is the law and must be follow legally. Off-label applications are illegal and can result in investigations and fines. Crop production is under heavy scrutiny from the public, with people using video evidence to report applications. Don’t be the one individual who causes more regulations on the entire industry. “I needed to control the late waterhemp” is NOT a good reason to spray off label.

Second, herbicide restrictions are in place to ensure that an acceptable level of herbicide residue is present at harvest. If the herbicides are sprayed late, it is likely that the preharvest interval will not be met and the residue levels will exceed tolerances.

Don’t believe me? Here is what Dr. Aaron Hager, weed scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said when I broached the topic with him:

“There is more risk to reducing soybean yield with late herbicide applications than any perceived benefits to weed control. Any yield loss due to weed interference has occurred by the time of a late herbicide application. I would hate to be the farmer who has to buy the elevator full of soybean because the load I dumped had illegal herbicide residues from a late application that did not satisfy the preharvest interval on the product label.”

Don’t be that farmer.