All In With Enlist® Cotton
Daniel Loftin and his dad consider themselves cotton farmers. Yes, you may find a few acres of rice, corn or soybeans, but they grow approximately 2,000 acres of cotton on their farms in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri.
“I am the fifth generation and manage the farm,” Loftin says. “But Dad is still the CEO.”
Loftin appreciates the wisdom his dad and granddad share with him to help him make decisions on the farm.
In 2018, the Loftins decided to plant PhytoGen® cottonseed with the Enlist® trait on 100 percent of their cotton acres. Loftin says his dad believes in the technology. First, they verified the new varieties would produce similar yield to the varieties they had planted previously. Then they started the season.
Pigweed challenges Loftin’s crops, like many other crops in Arkansas, for sunlight, water and nutrients. His weed control program this year included an initial pass of Enlist One® herbicide tank-mixed with glyphosate. He then made a second pass with glufosinate and glyphosate. Loftin appreciates the glufosinate tolerance the Enlist® cotton provides because it helps with weed resistance management.
To help manage the weeds on sandy soils during wet weather, Loftin made another application of Enlist One herbicide plus glyphosate.
“This weed control approach was very effective. We are pleased with how things are looking,” Loftin says. “This spring was tough, but the weed control seems good. Everything stayed clean where we could make timely applications.”
Loftin has four PhytoGen brand varieties planted on his farm, including PhytoGen brand PHY 320 W3FE to help control nematodes.
“We’ve had stand issues in our field behind the barn because of nematodes,” Loftin says. “With this variety, though, this is the most even stand we’ve ever had.”
Additional varieties include PhytoGen brand PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 340 W3FE and an experimental plot.
After using the Enlist® system this year, Loftin is encouraged to use it again.
“I really like the Enlist system. If yield turns out, we definitely will plant all Enlist again next year,” Loftin says. “I feel like I’m in control with the Enlist system. As long as you apply the Enlist system within the labeled weather minimums, you can rest easy knowing it’s going to stay where you spray. With other herbicide-tolerant systems, we don’t have that security.”
