When growers talk about the benefits of cover crops, the talk normally centers around erosion control, keeping nutrients in the field, improving soil quality and trimming fertilizer purchases. More effective weed control is another benefit, and some no-tillers have found cover crops allow them to omit at least one costly herbicide trip across their fields per year.

Here are some reports about the results and challenges discovered during the first year of in-field testing by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada of the Harrington Weed Seed Destructor.

Combines used to harvest crops can also carry unwanted weed seeds between fields. This video demonstrates a top-to-bottom front-to-back procedure for cleaning a combine to help prevent the spread of weed seeds. Daniel H. Smith and Kevan Jarek, both University of Wisconsin agricultural specialists, talk you through various steps from putting on protective gear to opening all the access panels where weed seeds may be hiding.

The threats to crop cover thanks to weed seed and the predators who eat it.

Weed Science Society of America shares some tips about the longevity of weeds seeds, the reason they persist and what you can do about it.

The top priority weeds growers might find this fall are pigweed species that refuse to die, says Michigan State University Extension.

Now is a great time to evaluate weed control programs to determine what worked and what didn’t this year, says University of Nebraska Extension.

An important component of managing weeds in field crops is preventing the seeds released by weeds each autumn from becoming new plants.