Farmers’ freedom to operate is being threatened by the increase and spread of pesticide resistance. The consequences include short and long-term economic challenges, decreasing land values, the uncertain regulatory pathway to access crop protection tools, crop losses and other challenges.
Take Action is a farmer-focused education platform designed to help farmers manage herbicide, fungicide and insect resistance. The goal is to encourage farmers to adopt management practices that lessen the impacts of resistant pests and preserve current and future crop protection technology.
Take Action started with industry-wide collaborative discussions about the growing threat of herbicide resistant weeds. Parties included representatives from major ag chemical companies, land-grant university weed scientists and soy, corn, cotton, sorghum and wheat commodity groups. The group agreed to focus education on four pillars of information, including:
Though much of the initial work has been driven by the soy checkoff and university weed scientists, the intent is, and always has been, for many partners to use the Take Action education platform.
In 2016, Take Action expanded to help farmers address other types of resistance, including fungicide and insect resistance.
A focused, industry-wide effort using common language can increase the frequency and reception of the message. We have great strides to make in changing farmers’ behavior, and working together can make a stronger impact.
Resource development for Take Action on Weeds is funded through a United Soybean Board grant awarded to Purdue University. Content is provided by program advisor, Bill Johnson, Ph.D., Purdue University; Kevin Bradley, Ph.D., University of Missouri; Mandy Bish, Ph.D., University of Missouri; Mark Loux, Ph.D., Ohio State University; Christy Sprague, Ph.D., Michigan State University; Aaron Hager, Ph.D., University of Illinois; Bob Hartzler, Ph.D., Iowa State University; Prashant Jha, Ph.D., Iowa State University; Rodrigo Werle, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Sarah Lancaster, Ph.D., Kansas State University; Larry Steckel, Ph.D., University of Tennessee; J.D. Green, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Travis Legleiter, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; and Joe Ikley, Ph.D., North Dakota State University.
Resource development for Take Action on Diseases is led by Carl Bradley, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Kiersten Wise, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Daren Mueller, Ph.D., Iowa State University; and Damon Smith, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Resource development for Take Action on Insects is led by Jeremy Greene, Ph.D., Clemson University; Robert Koch, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Fred Musser, Ph.D., Mississippi State University; and Nick Seiter, Ph.D., University of Illinois.
Take Action is supported by BASF, Bayer, Corteva, Pioneer, FMC, Syngenta and Valent, along with cotton, corn, sorghum, soy and wheat commodity organizations, the United States Herbicide Resistance Action Committee, United States Fungicide Resistance Action Committee, United States Insecticide Resistance Action Committee and the Weed Science Society of America. The United Soybean Board neither recommends nor discourages the implementation of any advice contained herein and is not liable for the use or misuse of the information provided.
©2021 United Soybean Board.
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