Minnesota Farmer Weighs Merit, Chooses Enlist E3® Soybeans
After seeing all the herbicide trait options and their performance, Steve Wertish has settled on the Enlist™ weed control system as the best fit for his Olivia, Minnesota, operation.
“Enlist works,” Wertish says. “It’s our go-to product.”
Wertish farms near Olivia, Minnesota, with his brother, Tim. They grow corn, soybeans, sugar beets, sweet corn and green peas. They also are Mycogen seeds dealers. A good number of their soybean acres are for seed production.
“All our soybean acres are Enlist E3 soybeans,” Wertish says. “We’re also growing some Enlist corn.”
Regaining the upper hand
Like many farmers, Wertish was satisfied using the Roundup system for many years. That began to change eight years ago.
“We found we had resistant waterhemp,” he says. “Since then, we’ve started farming some fields with serious giant ragweed issues. We need to control these weeds.”
Other herbicide traits may have their places, but they aren’t as viable for Wertish as the Enlist system. Enlist™ herbicides are an important part of his program approach to controlling weeds. A huge plus is that he’s been using Enlist Duo® herbicide in recent years with no drift or volatility issues. That’s important because of surrounding sugar beets, peas and other susceptible crops.
“I’m confident it works,” he says. “With Enlist herbicides, we’ve had no problem whatsoever.”
Following the label
Wertish is mindful of using any herbicide technology the way it’s designed.
“We definitely need to know where our neighbors’ and our own susceptible crops are,” he says. “If the wind is blowing too strong or in the wrong direction, we’ll wait until later to spray.”
He says it’s important to use the correct labeled rate to fully control weeds and steward your herbicides.
“You must follow the label; if not, all we’re doing is selecting for resistant weeds,” he says. “If we apply Enlist according to the label, we’ll be able to use it for a long time.”
Yielding satisfaction at harvest
While weed control is important, Wertish demands more from his soybeans. They’ve got to yield well.
“The yields from Enlist E3 soybeans have been as good as anything we’ve raised,” he says. “I would not plant them otherwise.”
Other growers, who’ve had experiences similar to the Wertishes with other herbicide technologies, are extremely interested in Enlist E3 soybeans.
“Our Mycogen customers are chomping at the bit to get this product,” Wertish says. “This coming sales season we expect to expand our soybeans sales two to three times just due to Enlist E3 soybeans. We’re excited.”
Gratifying results
Wertish gets a strong sense of satisfaction using 2,4-D choline on tough weeds. He admits he likes the instant gratification of seeing it go to work so quickly.
“It’s fun to see the results of 2,4-D choline,” he says. “In just a couple of hours, you see weeds wilting. They’re gone in a couple of weeks, but it’s a nice feeling to see the effects begin right away.”
Wertish is sure his customers will feel that same satisfaction when they’re able to apply Enlist herbicides on their fields of Enlist E3 soybeans next summer.
