Missouri growers find success with dicamba technology

Scott Kay visits Western Missouri growers to learn more about their keys to success

There are many different ways people take on the role of a farmer. Some inherit the business from their family, generation after generation. Some marry into it. Some even dive head-first into the business and venture into it on their own.

 

Scott Kay, BASF Vice President for Agricultural Solutions, U.S., recently had the opportunity to meet two growers from Western Missouri who joined the farming community in different ways. Despite one being a first-generation grower and the other a third-generation grower, they both decided to tackle resistant weeds with the same technology.

 

John Riedinger is a first-generation corn and soybean farmer who started his operation 14 years ago. Reflecting on his many growing seasons, one of the biggest changes he’s noticed are the weeds.

 

“I have a game plan, especially with the weed control. You know, six or seven years ago, I didn't really have a plan.I just went and sprayed glyphosate. But with the resistance to glyphosate, I have to have a plan,” said John. “I do a lot of layering with residuals, and a lot of that's timing. So, I'll spray the first time and come back 30 days a second time, and that's the plan. I didn’t have to react to weeds.”

 

Recently, John made the decision to adopt dicamba-tolerant technology for his operation. 

 

“This is the first year I've gone completely dicamba-tolerant soybean. I mainly did that for a better burn-down using Engenia® herbicide, and it was a wonderful burn-down this year, including cost-effective,” said John.

 

After adoption of the dicamba-tolerant technology, John also went through the required online training. Not only did this training help him learn about properly using the product, but it also highlighted why it was so important to follow the label.

 

“A big thing with the training was that you have open communication with your neighbors, John shared, so I did a lot of calling around to see what crops were being raised next to mine.”

 

Doug Roth is another corn and soybean grower from Western Missouri, but unlike John who’s a first-generation farmer, he’s continued his family’s long farming legacy.

 

“My grandfather purchased this farm we stand on now. One of the things that I always heard growing up was, in a family business, often the first generation is the innovator,” said Doug. “But on a serious note, most generations have felt the need to act like the first generation.”

 

Doug has adopted this innovative mindset when deciding to use dicamba-technology on his operation to combat resistant weeds.

 

“On our farm particularly, I felt good about where we were at with resistance due to the fact we grew popcorn for several years. There is no Roundup Ready popcorn, so we were rotating our chemistry all throughout the '90s and early 2000s because we didn't have a choice,” he said.  “But, the weed control issues are real, and it’s difficult for farmers to have a timely application of a post-emerge product. The pre-emerge, the residual are key to our program.”

 

Doug used dicamba technology this year because the contact herbicides they used didn’t do a thorough job on helping them achieve clean fields. His operation makes their own applications of dicamba, and Doug felt that the training was really important for using dicamba this year.

 

With reports coming out of Missouri weekly on dicamba, Doug recognizes dicamba is in the public eye, but he still feels the year will end well for Missouri growers who chose to adopt the technology.

 

“After watching and listening this year, and in light of some of the additional timing restrictions, I think Missouri's going to have a more successful year with the technology,” said Doug. “Our results have been very, very good, and I don't know if we could have gotten these results with a competitive product. I'm really, really pleased with what we're doing for our soybeans right now with weed control.”

 

Despite having different backgrounds, these two growers came to the same conclusion. When new problems arise on a farm, innovation is important for any generation of grower, and using dicamba-technology to combat weed resistance is a prime example.

 

To learn more about dicamba stewardship best practices, please visit EngeniaStewardship.com.

 

Engenia is a U.S. EPA Restricted Use Pesticide.

 

Please check with your state pesticide regulatory authority as additional requirements may be imposed by state regulatory agencies.

 

Always read and follow label directions.

 

Engenia is a registered trademark of BASF.

 

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division

 

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2017, our division generated sales of €5.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

 

About BASF

 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.