Why Do Farmers Apply Fungicide?

By Clinton Monchuk

In a perfect world there’d be no pests to deal with in our crops, but that’s not always the reality.  As our crops progress throughout the growing season we monitor them for weeds, diseases and overall plant health.  Diseases like fusarium head blight, leaf rust, sclerotinia, or ascochyta leaf blight will all result in lower production and issues for the current or future crops.

Farmers have the ability to apply fungicides to control these diseases, if necessary through either ground sprayers or aerial application.  When conditions are wet, ground application results in deep ruts causing problems during the harvest season.