Eugene Law

Active Anti-Racist, Weed/Agroecologist, System Scientist, Science Educator
Asst. Prof. of Weed Ecology at The Ohio State University

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

To kick things off I thought I'd list the type of stuff you'll see here:
Updates from my research in agroecological systems
Articles on agriculture, social justice, and science education
Random stuff I like: Plants, sports, hiking, science fiction/fantasy novels, games, my cats

[GROW.IWM @GetRidOfWeeds]

A weed without seeds at harvest is a lost cause for harvest weed seed control!

That’s why a 14-state GROW research team spent 2 years observing weed seed shatter & retention on common grassy & broadleaf weeds at soybean harvest.

See the results here: https://t.co/FgjswSoFi5

[Precision Sustainable Ag @PSA_Network]

We’re harnessing the power of camera technology, data collection, a supercomputer, and AI to help farmers make real-time, data-driven decisions about when and where to harvest, spray for weeds or insects, fertilize, and more. https://t.co/oFkczpBz2a

[Ohio State Weed Science @ohiostateweeds]

Final weeds team practice, a see and spray demo, and bus fun. Oh my!

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

I got lazier about taking pictures as the day went on, but Day 1 wrapped up with dinner at the Round Top Public House, looking out over the Palouse into Idaho. It was a much better view than this picture provides, but this hopefully gives you a good idea. More on Day 2 soon!

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

After lunch Dr. Burke took us on a scenic tour of the Scablands and Palouse while on our way to Pullman to see some on-farm harvest weed seed control innovations. Had a bit of vehicle trouble, but that just meant we had more time to take pictures and look at weeds.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

At the on-farm site we saw the insides of a Seed Terminator impact mill and heard from the operators how adopting this technology for long-term weed seedbank management has led to a number of other changes to their crop production and harvesting systems.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Also at the Wilke Farm we saw trials using food compost for nutrient recycling, examining the viability of cover crops in such a dry system, and automated monitoring of weed seedling emergence with the goal of developing emergence models to inform management decisions.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

@VTAgWeeds also took the opportunity to share some insights from his lab's work with the JD see-and-spray system, and how it differs from the WeedIt.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Then we got out in the field to see a demonstration of the WeedIt green-on-brown smart sprayer system that is widely used for chem fallow management between wheat crops. Apparently this system pays for itself with herbicide savings in just a few years for average size farms here.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Here's a recap of the full first day of the @GetRidOfWeeds summer meeting. We started with an overview of dryland wheat production systems from our host, Dr. Ian Burke, at the fieldhouse of WSU's Wilke Research Farm.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

@GetRidOfWeeds convoy has rolled up to the WSU Wilke Research Farm in Davenport, WA. Our gracious host, Dr. Ian Burke, is covering a suite of dryland wheat weed management research including the WeedIt sprayer system for weed management in fallow fields.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Snuck in a hike from the Spokane airport to my hotel on the way to the @GetRidOfWeeds summer meeting. Was told I was crazy but look at the scenery 👀 Everything for the rest of this trip will be weed science, I swear!

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Reppin' weed science and @OSU_HortCropSci with Brutus at #Cultivate24.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Seems like I've graduated from having panic dreams about missing a class assignment/exam to having panic dreams about missing a grant deadline. RIP me.

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

We appreciate everyone that stuck it out with us as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl gave Ohio a bit of much needed rain! We're already getting out our lucky charms to make sure we have better weather and will be seeing the rest of you all next year!

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

And then we wrapped it all up over a delicious lunch while @OurWeeds introduced himself as our new Specialty Crop Weed Science State Specialist over Zoom. Really looking forward to having him join the team in just over a month!

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

The field tour ended with updates on the dozens of herbicide trials run by @OhioStWeedSci and @DobbelsTony, where I also got some nice weed pics for slides for my class this fall

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Here's a recap of our Weed Science Field Day today, organized impeccably by @OhioStWeedSci (🧵):

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Kept it moving with updates on a multi-state research collaboration testing metribuzin rates to maximize pre-emergence weed control and minimize crop injury in early-planted soybean from @EllaPoling

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Then updates on interseeding wheat between soybean rows as an early-season IPM strategy, providing weed control and reducing prevalence of weedy hosts for soybean cyst nematode from @colinjbarclay

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

Moving on to the impacts of long-term cover crop use in corn/soybean rotations on waterhemp population dynamics from @BayronH1994

[Eugene Law @AgSystemScience]

We then heard about "planting green" into rye cover crops, nutrient management, and herbicide programs for weed management in corn from @Bcunn8