Tools, Collaboration Help Farmers Use Enlist Technology Successfully

Enlist-In-Field-Resources

Field specialists dedicated to the Enlist weed control system work closely with farmers to get the best results from the technology.

It’s true: Knowledge really is power. Providing farmers information and the opportunity to learn is vital for helping them succeed.

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As Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, continues to prepare the market for the large-scale commercialization of Enlist E3 soybeans, growing knowledge about this technology remains essential.

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For example, making the Enlist E3 soybean trait widely available to farmers requires seamless collaboration with seed companies. Work continues to ensure this – and other Enlist crop traits – are available in the best genetics over a wide range of maturities.

This will help make the farmer’s introduction to the Enlist system more profitable and successful. It’s an important facet of the overall grower experience as they see how new Enlist crops perform.

Planning is Paramount

Getting this technology into the hands of more farmers builds their comfort with the system and prepares them to expand Enlist crop acreage in the coming years.

Field planning, best management practices, application education and advice help farmers position Enlist crops to perform as promised. The goal is to help farmers get the most out of the Enlist system once it’s on their farms. That includes on-target application, excellent weed control, exemplary crop tolerance and the opportunity for top yield.

Corteva Agriscience is working diligently to ensure the Enlist traits are in top-performing soybean varieties, corn hybrids and cotton varieties.

Enlist E3 soybeans will be broadly licensed to the industry, and the Corteva Agriscience team is engaged with seed companies across the country that are preparing to incorporate Enlist E3 soybeans into their product lineup.

Tools Facilitate In-Field Education

From the beginning, education and product stewardship have been critical pillars of this technology. As a key part of the Enlist weed control system, the Enlist Ahead management resource provides an array of tools to help farmers, retailers and applicators understand how to use this technology – including Enlist herbicides – appropriately and effectively.

As individual Enlist crops come to market, the emphasis on education, training and stewardship expands. Committing resources to these efforts allows the company to launch these crops in a careful, responsible and measured way.

This year, corn farmers have joined cotton farmers in planting Enlist crops and using Enlist herbicides as part of a carefully considered program approach to control a host of increasingly difficult weeds. In addition, many soybean farmers are growing Enlist E3 soybeans for seed production. In 2018, select farmers are participating in a closed-loop marketing program involving an ADM facility.

First-Hand Learning Opportunities

Enlist cotton acres about tripled this year. Meanwhile, farmers are getting their first full commercial experiences with Enlist corn. Both Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides are performing as expected. They’re controlling tough weeds and, when applied according to the label, staying on target as intended. Both herbicides contain the advanced Colex-D technology, which limits drift and provides near-zero volatility.

The team of field specialists dedicated to Enlist are helping customers understand how to steward these products to protect their own and their neighbors’ fields, gardens, trees and other plants. The Enlist Ahead resources offer many useful and effective tools.

“When we work with farmers, we emphasize field planning, a program approach and adherence to all label requirements, including downwind buffers,” says Andy Asbury, a field specialist for Illinois. “Farmers are seeing how this system works in their fields.”

Specialists such as Asbury help farmers and applicators understand how to gain the benefits of the technology. They can apply these valuable herbicides and achieve on-target application and control tough weeds while adopting multiple herbicide modes of action to restrict the development of herbicide-resistant weeds. Tools and training are helping ensure farmers can use this technology confidently.

“I went to a plot tour last summer,” says North Dakota farmer Jeremiah Undem, who planted Enlist soybeans for seed production in 2017. “The tour information was great. The knowledge of the product was communicated extremely well. I’m very excited for this product. It’s a game changer.”

“We can help farmers understand label requirements for our products,” says Steve Snyder, a field specialist who covers the upper Midwest. “In addition, we offer online resources so growers in the field can get quick access to information on their tablets or smartphones.”

Lessons Lead to Trust

Corteva Agriscience experts are teaching farmers and applicators the importance of communicating with neighbors, monitoring conditions and using the technology according to the label.

“We have to be aware of our surroundings,” says David Hillger, Ph.D., a field specialist who covers Ohio, Michigan, and the Northeast. “Know what other crops are planted in your area, and respect the weather. We can’t go into the field when conditions aren’t favorable. We have to be good stewards of every herbicide technology we use.”

Customers are gaining experience with Enlist crops as field representatives continue to guide and educate them. Enlist Ahead includes tools that provide a wealth of information to help farmers feel secure when using this much-needed and extremely effective weed control technology.

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