STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS HAVE IDENTIFIED RESCUEGRASS, A WINTER ANNUAL GRASS WEED, AS A CRITICAL AND GROWING PROBLEM IN THEIR WHEAT FIELDS WITH SEVERE INFESTATIONS REDUCING WHEAT YIELDS BY 70% AS DOCUMENTED BY GLAZIER FARMS IN LOYAL, OKLAHOMA. IN OUR WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS, WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT MOST BATTLING RESCUEGRASS ARE SPENDING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, AT LEAST $12/A, ON HERBICIDES THAT PROVIDE LITTLE EFFICACY OR THEY ARE GRAZING OUT THEIR WHEAT CROP WITH CATTLE BECAUSE OF YIELD AND QUALITY LOSSES ASSOCIATED WITH HARVESTED GRAIN. GRAZING OUT THE WHEAT CROP DENIES STAKEHOLDERS THE OPTION OF DIVERSIFYING THEIR INCOME THROUGH GRAZING AND GRAIN PRODUCTION IN THE SAME PRODUCTION SEASON, THUS REDUCING THE RESILIENCE OF THEIR SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH HERBICIDE-TOLERANT WHEAT SYSTEMS CAN PROVIDE SOME CONTROL OF RESCUEGRASS, OVERRELIANCE OF THESE SYSTEMS SELECTS FOR HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEED BIOTYPES, SHORTENING THE LIFE OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND DECREASING THE NUMBER OF EFFECTIVE HERBICIDES. OUR PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL NEED THROUGH THE COMPLETION OF THREE OBJECTIVES. WE WILL 1) EVALUATE RESCUEGRASS GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT FROM SEED COLLECTED FROM THE REGION, 2) CONDUCT A FIELD STUDY THAT WILL ASSESS THE INTEGRATION OF PLANTING DATE, VARIETY SELECTION, AND ADDITION OR ABSENCE OF HERBICIDES TO MANAGE RESCUEGRASS, AND 3) SHARE EFFECTIVE RESCUEGRASS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WITH REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH ESTABLISHED AND NEW EXTENSION VENTURES. WE ARE WELL-SUITED TO CONDUCT THIS PROJECT BECAUSE OUR REGION IS AT THE CENTER OF THIS ISSUE AND HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO CARRY OUT A SUCCESSFUL RESCUEGRASS MANAGEMENT PLAN BEFORE SPREAD INCREASES.