Success with Vorceed® Enlist® Corn: Strong Roots, Standability, and Yields
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After 36 years of farming in Rock Falls, Illinois, farmer Marc Schutz says this year’s corn crop will be above average despite the dry August. After five years of planting NuTech Seed corn, Marc says, “The performance speaks for itself. With NuTech Seed we’ve seen healthier roots, stronger standability, and better yields compared to other seed we’ve planted in the past.”
A Large-Scale Family Farm
Marc farms with his brother Shane, nephews Spencer and Sloan Schutz, brother-in-law Chad Wetzell, and son-in-law Konner Smith, under the name Schutz Farms. Together, they farm about 18,000 acres in northern Illinois, including 7,800 acres of commercial corn, roughly 4,000 acres of seed corn, and 5,800 acres of soybeans for the seed corn rotation. Ninety-five percent of the commercial corn is grown in a corn-on-corn system, with 1,000 acres irrigated.
Corn that Yields and Stays Standing
Over the past two years, Marc has planted NuTech brand Vorceed® Enlist® corn hybrids to deliver the yield, consistency, and standability needed for Schutz Farm’s large operation. “We like something that’s going to stand,” Marc says. “With so many acres of commercial corn, standability is everything.” He estimates that nearly 90 percent of his acres are planted to Vorceed Enlist corn this season.
Healthy roots are a key factor in that performance. “If you’ve got a big, healthy root system, you’re going to get better nutrient uptake from the ground,” Marc says. “That helps your end game with yield.”
Marc says the last three years on the Schutz Farms have been the best yields. He adds, “With timely July rains this summer, we thought we were going to have the best yields ever, but due to a dry August, yields have changed. We still have above-average yields, but not what we expected because of the weather.”
Agronomic Management
Schutz Farms relies on a conventional tillage system for corn and is starting to implement strip till on some of the seed corn acres. The farm team chisels in the fall, cultivates in the spring, and applies anhydrous in the fall. Regarding fertility, Schutz Farms uses variable-rate applications across the operation, balancing manure and starter fertilizer at planting.
Marc takes a layered approach to pest and disease management. Along with the insect protection of Vorceed Enlist corn, Marc adds, “We use insecticide at planting and then use insecticide with our fungicide in the summer,” he explains. This year, the farm also faced heavy disease pressure, including gray leaf spot, southern rust, and tar spot, which required multiple fungicide applications in some fields.
Confidence in Seed Investment
The relationship with his local NuTech Seed District Sales Manager, Ryan Gilbert, has also been crucial. “Ryan is really good about looking at the different soils and making recommendations,” Marc says.
“There might be one or two varieties that work across everything, but I rely on his advice to find the right fit for the right field.”
Invest in Performance
When it comes to seed decisions, Schutz Farms doesn’t cut corners. “We don’t buy corn just because it’s cheap,” he says. Marc believes investing in performance hybrids is key to achieving higher yields on his farm. That mindset has made NuTech brand Vorceed® Enlist® hybrids his go-to choice.
He suggests that first-timers to NuTech Seed do what he did: plant a few acres and see how it turns out. He says now neighbors are noticing his cornfields. “The first year, we had maybe six or eight boxes,” Marc recalls. “Other farmers in the area have taken notice, and some have started trying NuTech hybrids as well.”
For Marc Schutz, the results are clear: Vorceed Enlist corn provides the roots, standability, and yields that keep his large family operation moving forward.
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Following burndown, Enlist Duo® and Enlist One® herbicides with Colex-D® technology are the only herbicides containing 2,4-D that are authorized for preemergence and postemergence use with Enlist® crops. Consult Enlist® herbicide labels for weed species controlled. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are not registered for use or sale in all states and counties; are not registered in AK, CA, CT, HI, ID, MA, ME, MT, NH, NV, OR, RI, UT, VT, WA and WY; and have additional subcounty restrictions in AL, GA, TN and TX, while existing county restrictions still remain in FL. All users must check “Bulletins Live! Two” no earlier than six months before using Enlist One or Enlist Duo. To obtain “Bulletins,” consult epa.gov/espp/, call 1-844-447-3813, or email ESPP@epa.gov. You must use the “Bulletin” valid for the month and state and county in which Enlist One or Enlist Duo are being applied. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency if you have questions about the registration status of Enlist® herbicides in your area. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW TO USE ANY PESTICIDE PRODUCT OTHER THAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS LABELING. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. USE OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, 2,4-D-CONTAINING PRODUCTS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE WITH ENLIST CROPS, MAY RESULT IN OFF-TARGET DAMAGE TO SENSITIVE CROPS/AREAS AND/OR SUSCEPTIBLE PLANTS, IN ADDITION TO CIVIL AND/OR CRIMINAL PENALTIES. Additional product-specific stewardship requirements for Enlist crops, including the Enlist Product Use Guide, can be found at www.traitstewardship.com.