Quality matters to eastern Alabama hay grower Mahlon Richburg. If his hay gets hit with even a sprinkle of rain, he refuses to sell it.

The retired ag teacher raises Angus cattle and sells hay to horse customers from his farm in Lee County.

“The horse customer is looking for hay that has a bright color to it or a green color to it. They're looking for hay that doesn't have dust in it. They're looking for hay that doesn't have weeds in it. They're looking for hay that hasn't been rained on,” Richburg says. “If it gets a sprinkle of rain or a shower of rain on it, then we keep it and feed it to the cows.”

Four years ago, a new herbicide caught his eye during a test plot tour. The bright-green grass stood out from the others. When Rezilon® herbicide, the product from the test plots, became available, he used a demonstration sample to control crabgrass on his farm.

The herbicide provides better hay quality by controlling summer and winter annual broadleaf weeds and grasses. Richburg left a strip in the middle of a field untreated when he applied the product last year. The results, he says, are very obvious.

“I took a picture on my phone, and it's just like you drew a line right there,” he says. “I've had some people ask me about Rezilon herbicide, and I show them that picture. It's on my phone. And it's pretty vivid. It's just night and day.”

The herbicide’s innovative active ingredient targets broadleaf and annual grass weeds in established bermudagrass. By eliminating weeds, Rezilon also helps to increase fertilizer and water utilization in hay and forage production. In fact, when applied according to label directions, producers could see a higher-quality forage produced during their first harvest.

“I'm just excited to see an option that I have personally been able to watch over three or four years,” Richburg says. “The most troublesome weed that we have right now is crabgrass. We have been spraying for a number of years with a product that offers some control, but it's primarily early season control and it didn't last throughout the year.”

Rezilon has long-lasting residual activity for extended control of weeds throughout the season. For best results, it should be applied well before weed emergence. Summer application can control weeds and improve quality later this fall and early winter.

Once applied, Rezilon can sit on the soil surface for some time with no degradation from sunlight while waiting on rainfall for activation.

Overall, the herbicide controls more than 60 broadleaf and annual grass weeds, including species that have developed herbicide resistance, such as ryegrass. Using Rezilon as directed also reduces the time and money hay growers would otherwise need to spend on additional herbicide applications.

Get in touch with your Bayer representative for more information.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Not all products are registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state.

Bayer Environmental Science, a Division of Bayer CropScience LP, 5000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 400, Cary NC 27513. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-800-331-2867. www.environmentalscience.bayer.us. Not all products are registered in all states. Bayer, the Bayer cross and Rezilon® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. ©2021 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.