Weeds are a challenge for every farmer. The annual Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day showcases solutions beyond herbicides.

On a hot August day in central Iowa, a few hundred farmers from across the Midwest gathered in demonstration fields at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station.

Some pushed one- and two-wheel weeding tools between rows of brassica. Downhill, an equipment dealer turned on a “flame weeder,” a propane-powered device that melts away any unwanted plants.

Others pulled multi-row tractor attachments with camera-guided systems and hydraulic adjustments through fields of recently-planted corn.

Bringing farmers together to see equipment in action – and even test it out themselves – is at the heart of the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day.

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