Despite that lack of activation, University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kevin Bradley said it didn’t lead to too much extra weed pressure.

“I don’t think we saw any more pressure, but in a dry environment you certainly could run into many more situations where we are not getting adequate control,” Bradley said. “That certainly is a message I heard from those drier areas. There were a lot of escapes and things that just didn’t get controlled.”

When weeds start evading control, worries of potential resistance come into play as well. Waterhemp has been notorious for developing resistance in recent years, but data for 2022 won’t be known until later, Bradley said. He expects that resistance may play a small role in any extra escapes this year, but he would put more weight on drought causing a larger impact.

Bradley said he has been getting more calls this year about the grass fall panicum.

“It’s probably more of an issue in corn than soybeans,” he said.

It’s tough to talk about soybean weed control without hearing about dicamba. The herbicide is typically very effective, but has been known for causing damage to neighboring crops if not sprayed properly. Bradley said he believes fewer people in Missouri seem to be going through the process of filing complaints to the Department of Agriculture, but there are certainly issues popping up.

“I have seen some of it myself, so it’s happening,” Bradley said. “More of the state, especially north of Interstate 70, is adopting more and more Enlist because they don’t want to have these issues and don’t want to run into potential problems with their neighbors.”

The upcoming growing season is expected to bring a new challenge in weed control for farmers — cost. Inputs are expected to be at record levels, and expectations for 2023 farm profitability are lower. That may lead some to focus on cutting costs, and Jha suggested taking a close look before cutting herbicides.

He said pre-emergence herbicides may be among the most-effective yield savers in the toolbox, so looking elsewhere for cuts may be a better option.

“Sometimes there’s a temptation to cut down on pre-emergence, and I don’t know why farmers tend to want to jump to that as their first option because that would probably be my last thing to do,” Bradley said. “The early season weed competition is the most detrimental to yield loss. If you have a few escapes early on in the year, it’s not as competitive and not as much of an issue.”

He said to help with herbicide costs, clean out rows and ensure the weed seedbank is limited going into the season.