Pre-harvest Herbicide - Parrish and Heimbecker, Limited

Simplify your harvest

Find the right product to simplify your harvest this year

There are a number of factors to consider to make your harvest easier, and to ensure your crop is marketable. P&H can walk you through these decisions and help you select the right strategy for your farm.


The benefits of pre-harvest.

There are two primary reasons to apply a pre-harvest herbicide. The first is for weed control. Hard-to-control perennials such as Canada Thistle and Quackgrass are best controlled during the fall when leaf area is at is maximum. This is the primary reason pre-harvest should be considered in crops such as cereals with crop staging being critical. For wheat, preharvest application can only occur when the crop is at 30% or less moisture content. At this stage, if you press the kernel with your nail it will leave a dent in it.

The second reason to apply pre-harvest herbicide is for crop dry down. Certain pre-harvest products like diquat and saflufenacil will help dry out the plant and accelerate the overall maturity and harvesting process. It can also help mitigate uneven crop growth and control weeds. It’s important to note that glyphosate is not to be used for desiccating purposes. Not only is it ineffective, (takes over two weeks to dry down) but it gets absorbed by an immature crop which leads to residues in the grain.

Where are pre-harvest products allowed?

Glyphosate Saflufenacil Diquat Advantage Glufosinate
Canola Yes Yes Yes Yes
Wheat Yes Yes No No
Barley Yes Malt – Consult with No No
grain company No
Feed – Yes No
Oats Consult with No No No
grain company No
Peas Yes Yes Yes No
Soybeans Yes Yes Yes No
Chickpeas Yes (WeatherMax, Transorb) Yes Yes No
Potatoes No No Yes Yes
Flax Yes Yes Yes No
Lentils Yes Yes (Red lentils only) Yes No
Alfalfa Yes No No Yes
Fababeans Yes No Yes No
Dry bean Yes Yes Yes No
Cereal Seed Crops No No No No


Talk to your Grain Buyer

When considering pre-harvest products like glyphosate, saflufenacil or diquat, it is important to pinpoint what exactly you are trying to accomplish, and in which crops. It is very important to check the declarations of grain buyers to see if they will accept grain treated with certain products. P&H will work with you through these considerations and help you pick a product that will meet your operation’s needs.

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