Across the board, we’re seeing early season weed emergence running 2–4 weeks ahead of schedule, driven largely by an unseasonably warm March. That kind of head start changes the game, especially when your herbicide program was built around a more typical timeline.

If you’re running strip-till or no-till, your pre-emerge program alone likely isn’t enough. With weeds already up and growing, a burndown pass needs to be part of the equation. Skipping it could mean your pre loses effectiveness before it ever has a chance to do its job.

And if you worked ground earlier this spring, don’t assume you’re in the clear. Fields that were cultivated a few weeks ago may already have a fresh flush of weeds emerging. In those situations, your pre-emerge application may not hold as expected, simply because it’s being asked to control weeds that are already established.

The takeaway is simple:
Don’t run last year’s playbook on this year’s conditions.

Take a few minutes to walk fields, reassess pressure, and make sure your program matches what’s actually happening.