Ethan Clarke is a first-generation farmer producing corn and soybeans in Indiana. Clarke started farming at an early age, when his neighbor needed help on his operation. He then received an opportunity to farm on his own in 2017 and has been learning and trying new practices ever since, including planting Enlist E3® soybeans for the first time in 2020.
As a first-generation farmer, Ethan Clarke always knew his dream job was farming, but he didn’t know how he’d make his dream a reality. Clarke’s neighbor took him under his wing and showed Clarke, at a very young age, the ropes of his operation. As Clarke grew older, he gained more and more responsibility on his neighbor’s farm, which led him to an opportunity to start farming on his own by renting land in 2017.
“If it wasn’t for my neighbor, I don’t know how I’d be farming today,” Clarke says. “I’m not trying to be the biggest farmer, but I am trying to be sustainable for years to come.”
With the goal of being efficient and taking the best care of his land, Clarke has found the Enlist® weed control system helps meet his goals.
“With the Enlist system, I can be more efficient with my land by following the label and spraying up against the tree line when the wind is blowing away from it,” Clarke says. “I don’t have to worry about losing a bunch of land due to buffers, which helps me better control weeds throughout the field. However, I do monitor the wind direction and leave a buffer if the wind is blowing toward the tree line.”
Clarke made the switch from an in-crop dicamba system to the Enlist system, planting Pioneer® brand Enlist E3® soybeans for the weed control benefits and the results he achieved.
“I was very pleased with last year’s Enlist E3 soybeans; we averaged around 70-80 bushels per acre,” he reports. “Enlist gives me peace of mind when spraying, along with a wider application window so I’m not sacrificing weed control. I’m sticking with Enlist beans this year.”
The Enlist system helped keep fields clean throughout the season. During harvest, Clarke didn’t need to stop the combine and cut down waterhemp to keep weed seed from spreading. This year, he’s starting clean and staying clean.
First by applying a burndown with glyphosate and a residual to keep weeds down until coming back with his postemergence program, which includes Enlist One® herbicide. Clarke’s tank mix consists of Enlist One and a glyphosate herbicide, along with a residual and a micronutrient blend. To keep clean fields, he aims to apply this postemergence tank mix when weeds are small and the weather is cooperating.
“So far, I’ve had a really good kill with Enlist One,” Clarke says. “Nothing stands a chance against it. Not even our problem weeds, such as waterhemp and giant ragweed. That’s why I like using Enlist One along with tank-mix products in my post program.”
Clarke plans to apply his tank mix of Enlist One herbicide before R1 or R2, so he has clean fields before the soybeans canopy. He also follows the label and ensures he’s using qualified nozzles and pressure ranges to achieve a successful, on-target application.
“As long as you stay on label and run the recommended rates, you’ll have no problem keeping a clean field,” he reports. “I’m happy altogether with my Pioneer Enlist E3 soybeans.”
To learn more about Clarke’s tank mix and see how he achieves a clean field of Enlist E3 soybeans, watch his YouTube video.
Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.
PROBLEM WEEDS:
Waterhemp, giant ragweed, marestail
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES:
No-till, nonirrigated