VOLUME 29 ISSUE 03 2016

Business Solutions for the VM Professional

04-06: American Electric Power’s blueprint for rights-of-way brush control 02 VM Views: Weed resistance isn’t just an issue for agriculture 03 Invasive Watch: Scotch thistle 07: Introducing Vastlan™ specialty herbicide

A Publication of Dow AgroSciences Visit us online at VistasNewsletter.com. Weed resistance: Not just an issue for agriculture Homer Deckard, IVM railroad vegetation control specialist, Dow AgroSciences

You’ve no doubt heard about the 2000, maybe it increased to 10 pounds of herbicide issues the agricultural industry to get 70 percent control. Today, that herbicide may has had with glyphosate-resistant be totally ineffective on certain resistant species — no weeds hurting crop production. matter what rate is applied. In that case, the resistance And while new technology such as has now become so specialized that you can’t just add the Enlist™ weed control system is more herbicide to achieve the same levels of control. changing that, many years of glyphosate use (and overuse) allowed certain tough weeds to build resistance, leaving Be more forward-thinking many farmers concerned about the rapid growth of The answer is to incorporate innovative herbicides with tenacious new resistant weeds. different modes of action into traditional tank mixes. For example, only a decade ago, vegetation managers But weed resistance extends beyond just farmers’ fields. were seeing significant resistance issues in treating It’s also becoming prevalent in the Industrial Vegetation marestail (horseweed). Aminopyralid-based herbicides Management industry. In fact, there’s been a dramatic such as Milestone® specialty herbicide entered the increase in the scope and number of species of resistant market, providing an effective new tank-mix option, weeds. If we don’t work as an industry to address the issue, and the problem was easily solved. our utility and pipeline rights-of-way, railroad properties and roadsides could be overtaken by resistant weeds like kochia, It’s important to rotate herbicide programs from year to Russian thistle, Palmer amaranth, pigweed and others. year to help address resistant species. Do these two things and you’ll gain significantly better weed control, you won’t The history behind the problem be contributing to resistance and, over time, you’ll use less To understand how we’ve reached this point, you have herbicide per acre, which is good for the environment and to look back a couple of decades. Prior to the 1990s, the long-term budget. While costs per treated acre may many in the vegetation management and railroad rise initially, rotating your programs will significantly extend industry relied mainly on proprietary herbicide products, the life of the current herbicide toolbox we have available which were — at the time — herbicides like glyphosate, to us as an industry. sulfometuron and diuron. Don’t resort to simply raising application rates of herbicides In the 1990s, generic herbicides flooded the market, that are failing. This only accelerates resistant weed dramatically driving costs down, while industry issues. Twenty years ago, resistant weed species could expectations in terms of weed control remained the same. be counted on one hand; today, there are hundreds, mainly Lower costs led to the use of higher rates of these due to the use of the same herbicides year after year and herbicides in many cases, and coupled with little to no increasing the rate as control declined. rotation to herbicides with different modes of action, we’ve seen a tremendous spike in weed resistance, Consider more forward-thinking solutions as you develop making these old standbys less effective in many your vegetation management plan. It’s time the industry situations. I’ve seen this especially in the railroad industry. banded together to fight the potential for herbicide resistance in weeds on rights-of-way. Consider that in 1990, a vegetation manager may have been able to treat an acre with 5 pounds of herbicide and get near 100 percent control of certain species. Then, in

®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow When treating areas in and around roadside or utility rights-of-way that are or will be grazed, hayed or planted to forage, important label precautions apply regarding harvesting hay from treated sites, using manure from animals grazing on treated areas or rotating the treated area to sensitive crops. See the product label for details. State restrictions on the sale and use of Milestone apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Enlist Duo® herbicide is not yet registered for use on Enlist cotton. Enlist Duo is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. 02 SCOTCH THISTLE (ONOPORDUM ACANTHIUM)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR. WHERE IT’S FOUND. Scotch thistle is a biennial or annual forb that can grow Scotch thistle is often found along roadsides, irrigation up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet in width with branching, ditches and waste areas, in pastures and on rangelands. spiny leaf wings that extend down onto the stem The plant is native to Europe and Asia and was and are covered with dense, fine hairs. Leaves are introduced to the United States in the late 19th century large, closely lobed, hairy and lined with sharp spines. as an ornamental plant. It’s now considered a major Flowers are numerous with spine-tipped bracts and are noxious weed and has spread to most states across violet to reddish-colored. The plant typically produces the United States. It spreads rapidly into dense stands a large, ground-level rosette in the first year and that prohibit foraging by wildlife and livestock and is becomes a tall, spiny plant in its second. difficult to eradicate because of its drought resistance.

Scotch thistle reproduces by seed, and each plant is capable of producing 8,000 to 40,000 seeds, which may remain viable in the soil for 30 years. Plumed seeds can be dispersed by attaching to clothing and animal fur, by being transported in hay and machinery, or by being carried by wind and water.

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Source: USDA PLANTS Database Profile Introduced

HOW TO TREAT IT. Apply 5 to 7 fluid ounces per acre of Milestone® specialty herbicide in spring and early summer Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org to rosette or bolting plants, or in fall to seedlings and rosettes before the ground is frozen.

An additional option is an application of 2.5 to 3.3 ounces per acre of Opensight® specialty herbicide, again, in spring and early summer to rosette or bolting plants, or in fall to seedlings and rosettes before the ground is frozen.

Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org

®Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow When treating areas in and around roadside or utility rights-of-way that are or will be grazed, hayed or planted to forage, important label precautions apply regarding harvesting hay from treated sites, using manure from animals grazing on treated areas or rotating the treated area to sensitive crops. See the product label for details. State restrictions on the sale and use of Milestone and Opensight apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. 03

AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER’S BLUEPRINT FOR RIGHTS-OF-WAY BRUSH CONTROL

Dale Hopkins (left) of American Electric Power discusses treatment options with Clarence Wissinger of Helicopter Minit-men Inc.

In southeastern Ohio, rolling hills are abundant and “We rely on Minit-men to really be a turnkey application blanketed by a variety of hardwood tree species. contractor for us,” Hopkins says. “And that’s what sets them This combination in the landscape keeps the work apart. I know I can give them the lines I want treated and they will take it from there.” interesting when managing the transmission of power to area residents. Managing the process from landowner Dale Hopkins, senior transmission forester with American notification to herbicide application Electric Power (AEP), knows it only takes one of these trees falling over to knock out power to the customers in his territory. But there’s more to it than just spraying herbicides, explains So he works diligently to make certain the transmission rights- Clarence Wissinger, partner with Minit-men. of-way are properly maintained. But like most in his position, vegetation management is only a fraction of the responsibilities “We’re unique in the extra service we provide to utilities like that make up his day-to-day duties. Hopkins’ blueprint for brush American Electric Power,” Wissinger says. “Dale hands us the control starts with a trusted partnership he has formed with his spray list, and we take care of everything from courthouse contract applicator, allowing him to worry less about vegetation paperwork to landowner notification and, of course, herbicide and freeing up more time to focus on other pressing issues. delivery, mixing and application. We also provide detailed treatment maps and follow up our treatment with reconnaissance The terrain here makes aerial applications the only efficient of treated and untreated rights-of-way to identify any additional option to treat rights-of-way. “To get in there with spray trucks areas that might need to be treated or re-treated.” and try to do high-volume foliar applications would be time- consuming and dangerous,” Hopkins says. “And we’d need Additionally, Helicopter Minit-men is part of Noxious to use a lot more product to get the coverage we need.” Vegetation Control Inc. (NOVCO), a herbicide distributor, of which Wissinger is also a partner. It means herbicides Hopkins contracts with Helicopter Minit-men Inc., an aerial are always on hand. NOVCO supplies the herbicides used application contractor, to treat and monitor the transmission in AEP’s program in returnable, refillable containers through lines he manages. Continuum® Prescription Control & Container Management 04

System. It adds an extra layer of accountability when it comes There’s another reason they need to stay on the ground to inventory tracking and eliminates container rinsing and occasionally. “We will treat with utility vehicles, as well, when disposal while improving worker safety when using herbicides we encounter landowners who refuse aerial spraying on their in the field. property,” Wissinger says. “But, fortunately, we find most landowners are pretty amenable to it, which we attribute in part To treat the hardwood species, including poplar, oak, cherry to educating them with our landowner notification program.” and ash, that frequently reside on AEP’s rights-of-way, Minit-men uses a mix of 7 fluid ounces of Milestone® specialty herbicide, 6 pints of Garlon® 3A specialty herbicide, 2 quarts of Tordon® K Selectivity to desirables is still important specialty herbicide and 5 fluid ounces of surfactant per acre. Even high-volume aerial applications can be selective “We only use branded herbicides,” Wissinger says. “I will not to desirable species on a right-of-way. You just need put a generic product in our tanks. We absolutely count on to work with the right herbicides. And that’s vital to Hopkins. the support of our manufacturer sales rep, David Jay, and the “I only like to use selective herbicides on my transmission backing of Dow AgroSciences, in the case an issue might arise. lines,” Hopkins says. “We need to knock out the hardwoods In this line of work, that’s a no-brainer to me.” and broadleaf weeds, but we also want the grasses and other Minit-men helicopters drop a 1/64-inch layer of the spray mix desirable species to thrive so we’re not turning these areas into across AEP’s transmission rights-of-way over three passes monocultures. Doing so creates an attractive habitat for wildlife to treat the wire zone from border to border. Each helicopter and looks better for the adjacent landowners, as well.” is equipped with a 100-gallon tank of spray mix, or enough Beyond using selective herbicides on existing utility lines, to treat 4 acres on one flight. AEP goes the extra mile when building new lines.

“When the pilot lands to refill the tanks, our ground crew “We go so far as to reseed any new rights-of-way we create performs like a pit crew — they have a fuel hose and a herbicide with a mix of diverse desirable species — we’re not just hose ready to couple to the tanks. It typically takes about throwing down some fescue,” Hopkins says. “We try to create 90 seconds to get them back in the air.” a more appealing and diverse habitat for wildlife like deer and pollinator species.” It’s important that Minit-men is as efficient as possible when weather conditions are suitable to spraying, because aerial Another environmental concern is always top of mind for spraying doesn’t come without some downtime because Hopkins, considering the location of many of his rights-of-way. of weather. Wissinger is adamant about only spraying in the right conditions. “There are many farms with grazing animals throughout this area where our rights-of-way are,” Hopkins says. “With cattle prices “If we see leaves moving on trees, we don’t fly,” he says. “We will where they are, landowners are justifiably concerned over the never push the envelope with weather conditions just to keep safety of these animals. So we are sure to use herbicides that crews working — the potential for drift is just too great.” have grazing tolerances so as not to disturb their pastures.”

®Continuum, Garlon, Milestone and Tordon are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Tordon K is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide. When treating areas in and around roadside or utility rights-of-way that are or will be grazed, hayed or planted to forage, important label precautions apply regarding harvesting hay from treated sites, using manure from animals grazing on treated areas or rotating the treated area to sensitive crops. See the product label for details. State restrictions on the sale and use of Milestone apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. 05

Staying ahead of the curve on brush control Now, three years later, examining the test plot results show how well Vastlan performed. And Hopkins and Wissinger saw Hopkins and Wissinger are both open to trying a new product, the benefits Jay talked about over that time period. assuming it meets all their criteria for use. Three years ago, Jay and Dow AgroSciences approached them about putting “The control results with Vastlan have been great, and we plan out test plots of a new high-load triclopyr formulation called to make a full conversion from Garlon 3A,” Wissinger says. “And Vastlan™ specialty herbicide. the fact that it doesn’t have the ‘Danger’ signal word is a big deal for us. It means it’s safer for the guys to handle. But also when “I told them it would potentially replace Garlon 3A in their we are dealing with landowners and we go to show them the preferred brush control tank mix of Milestone, Garlon and herbicide label, there isn’t a giant ‘Danger’ staring back at them.” Tordon, at a reduced rate of 4.5 pints per acre,” Jay says. “But beyond the reduced rate, it would also offer other benefits Wissinger mentioned another more unexpected benefit when — like a reduced signal word and lower volatility.” working with Vastlan™ specialty herbicide. Interestingly enough, NOVCO worked with Dow AgroSciences “In testing, we also noticed a real difference in odor between to put out the first test plots of Garlon® 3A specialty herbicide (Garlon) 3A and Vastlan,” he says. “Vastlan has a much lower when it was introduced back in the 1970s. Now, they agreed odor when you’re working with it or after you apply it. That’s to put out some of the very first test plots of the replacement a real benefit when you’re applying at high volumes because on 54 acres of AEP rights-of-way. it leads to fewer complaints from landowners after an application goes out.” “I rely on David to bring us the latest products and help us stay ahead of the curve with herbicide technology,” Walking the test plots, areas intentionally left untreated are Hopkins says. “We worked with Minit-men to apply the tank overtaken with dense brush, while treated areas reveal the mix with Vastlan and then gather the data to be sure it’s opposite, browned-out trees and brush, with an understory compatible with our vegetation management goals. Getting of grass flourishing. And that makes Hopkins happy. new herbicides on the ground early means we’re ready to implement and start realizing additional benefits when it’s “We couldn’t ask for better results than that,” Hopkins says. “That’s how we want our rights-of-way to look.” commercially available.”

A herbicide treatment goes out on an American Electric Power right-of-way. Dead brush wilts after a treatment of Vastlan™ specialty herbicide.

Minit-men ground crews work quickly to keep helicopters in the air when weather conditions allow.

®™Garlon, Milestone, Tordon and Vastlan are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Tordon K is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide. When treating areas in and around roadside or utility rights-of-way that are or will be grazed, hayed or planted to forage, important label precautions apply regarding harvesting hay from treated sites, using manure from animals grazing on treated areas or rotating the treated area to sensitive crops. See the product label for details. State restrictions on the sale and use of Milestone apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Vastlan is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. DOW AGROSCIENCES INTRODUCES VASTLAN™ SPECIALTY HERBICIDE

Vastlan™ specialty herbicide is the new foundation brush control product from Dow AgroSciences.

The Dow ments when handling it. Vastlan has broadcast applications where it’s a AgroSciences a lower odor when mixing or applying total reclamation situation. It’s also an Industrial it, as well as after application, which effective formulation for side-trimming Vegetation can reduce landowner concerns and applications and in individual plant Management complaints, especially when applying treatments, including cut-surface and (IVM) business at high volumes near residential areas. low-volume foliar applications. ™ introduces Vastlan specialty herbicide, The higher loading of active ingredient For greater spectrum of control, Vastlan a new high-load triclopyr-choline in Vastlan also allows vegetation is tank-mix-compatible with numerous formulation providing the vegetation managers to treat more acres, while herbicides, including Milestone® and management industry with an advanced decreasing the volume of herbicide Opensight® specialty herbicides. foundation product for brush control. handled by 25 percent compared with Besides flexibility in application types, “Vastlan offers multiple advantages similar formulations — ensuring greater Vastlan provides flexibility in areas over other triclopyr herbicides, efficiencies in shipping, handling, where it can be applied. especially generic formulations,” mixing and triple-rinsing of containers. says Casey Onstot, IVM and Range Vastlan™ specialty herbicide is available “It has no limitations on noncrop sites, & Pasture portfolio marketing leader, through Continuum® Prescription and it can be used on aquatic sites and Dow AgroSciences. “The breakthrough Control & Container Management range and pasture sites — including high-load formulation allows for a System, which provides the additional no grazing restrictions for any class of signal word reduction from ‘Danger’ to benefits associated with closed system livestock,” Onstot says. “Furthermore, ‘Warning,’ while also improving safety, handling and custom blending with it has no soil activity or runoff concerns reducing volatility and lowering odor.” other herbicides and adjuvants. to affect adjacent desirable species, along with a high degree of selectivity The advanced carrier system in Vastlan to grasses. It also can be used on allows for a higher load of active Nearly unlimited flexibility Conservation Reserve Program sites ingredient — 4 pounds acid equivalent to be the mainstay of any with quick plant-back intervals to help per gallon versus 3 pounds acid rapidly establish desirable species.” equivalent per gallon for Garlon® 3A brush control program specialty herbicide and other Vastlan can be used on almost any For more information, contact your comparable products. The considerable use site to deliver superior control of local Dow AgroSciences vegetation signal word reduction improves tough woody species, including aquatic management specialist or the company’s applicator safety and decreases proper sites, and in a variety of application many distributor partners. protective equipment (PPE) require- methods. It’s well-suited for foliar

®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow When treating areas in and around roadside or utility rights-of-way that are or will be grazed, hayed or planted to forage, important label precautions apply regarding harvesting hay from treated sites, using manure from animals grazing on treated areas or rotating the treated area to sensitive crops. See the product label for details. State restrictions on the sale and use of Milestone and Opensight apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Vastlan is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. 07 Return Service Requested

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®Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow Always read and follow label directions. V12-000-066 (09/16) BR 010-51087 DAVMVEGM6058 Printed in U.S.A.

Dow AgroSciences Vegetation Management Specialists

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Bob Stewart, Albany, OR Greg Alpers, Roswell, NM Brant Mettler, Sarcoxie, MO Darrell Russell, Roswell, GA 1. 7. 13. 19. 541-924-0881 575-626-7438 940-641-0274 470-545-8983 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Beau Miller, Sacramento, CA Karissa Floerchinger, Fargo, ND Blake Williams, Memphis, TN Daniel Leckie, Cape Coral, FL 2. 8. 14. 20. 916-296-2811 406-788-4044 863-393-5772 843-513-3914 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Roman Dycus, Honolulu, HI Craig Davidson, Lincoln, NE David Jay, Mooresville, IN 3. 9. 15. Railroad: 808-779-7025 701-260-0712 317-946-4086 Homer Deckard, Friendswood, TX [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 281-992-5331 [email protected] Jacob Hodnett, Wadley, AL 4. Trent Brusseau, Caldwell, ID 10. Rhonda Roberts, Princeton, TX 16. 208-318-8877 317-220-0665 334-349-6123 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Debbie Morton, Leawood, KS Oracio Molina, Fort Worth, TX Brandon Dunlap, Carlisle, PA 5. 11. 913-948-1690 682-308-7460 17. 717-448-7101 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Claire Volk, Loveland, CO Jamie Baumgardner, Des Moines, IA Clay Williams, Raleigh, NC 6. 12. 18. 972-439-7666 712-299-2583 678-739-8680 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

For more information, visit us at VegetationMgmt.com.