Special Report

Engenia herbicide 2017 and beyond

Farmers have been struggling with glyphosate resistant weeds in their fields for some time and had been looking for tools to combat those weeds. Gary Schmitz, Midwest Regional Technical Service Manager for BASF tells Brownfield the dicamba-tolerant crop system was brought out in response to their needs.  BASF’s Engenia herbicide has shown great activity controlling those problem weeds, but that success has been tempered by the off -target movement of the product.

Schmitz said BASF investigated every field (with dicamba problems) that they were made aware of so they could assess the situation and come up with recommendations so that it doesn’t happen in the future.  He said there is great confidence in the tool and it’s need.  It is important now to assure it’s availability for farmers in the future by finding a way for them to use it safely and effectively.

BASF is cooperating with state agencies, commodity groups, and university extension to make sure everyone is on the same path moving forward.

When asked if all dicamba is created equal, Schmitz explained that dicamba is the molecule that controls the weed. The formulation used for BASF Engenia herbicide is less volatile than the older formulations.

Overall, Schmitz said, the key is to understand what happened.  He told Brownfield they need to make sure there is sound science and fact-based solutions to be sure dicamba damage doesn’t happen again next year.

Conversation with Gary Schmitz: