Dear Farm Industry News:
On your Web site, you provided an article about glyphosate and weed control and adding AMS to the product [“Glyphosate weed control,” posted June 29, 2004]. What is AMS? I am a farmer, but off hand do not know what those letters stand for.

Thanks, Dolly

Dear Dolly,
Thanks for visiting our Farm Industry News Web site.

AMS stands for ammonium sulfate, which is often needed as a water conditioner in glyphosate herbicide tank mixes. If your water is full of minerals, and farm well water often is, you probably need to use AMS with glyphosate. Otherwise the minerals can interfere with the herbicide's performance.

An excellent explanation of AMS and water hardness is available from the University of Wisconsin at http://ipcm.wisc.edu/uw_weeds/extension/articles/ammsulreq.htm.