Weed control that hits the mark
Near Allegan, Michigan, Jake Drozd’s grandfather started Drozd Family Grain with 50 acres. Through the years, the family-owned operation has expanded to 8,200 acres of corn, soybeans and, at times, milo. Today, Drozd, his father and brother run the farm.
“We take pride in our stewardship and how we do things,” Drozd said. “We want to take care of the land, including the land we lease, for years to come. We want that landowner to think, ‘We want you guys to keep coming back.’ That’s what we really pride ourselves on.”
When Drozd noticed resistant weeds, such as waterhemp, marestail and giant ragweed, popping up throughout the fields, he knew he needed to do something different with his weed control program.
“The three of us huddled up, knowing we had to make a decision; because if we didn’t, we would have a real problem in the next five years,” Drozd said.
However, with Michigan’s diverse crop mix, including many fruits and vegetables, Drozd needed herbicides that would land and stay on target.
Making the decision
Drozd did his research and was intrigued by a produce grower who applied Enlist® herbicides next to tomatoes, which are sensitive to 2,4-D herbicide. However, Drozd noticed the Enlist herbicides, which feature Colex-D® technology and 2,4-D choline, did not drift, and there was no harm to the tomatoes.
After seeing others’ success with the Enlist® weed control system, Drozd began with a few acres of Enlist E3® soybeans in 2024 and incorporated Enlist One® herbicide into his herbicide program approach.
“Drift is a big deal. We’ll watch the wind speed and direction. I don’t want to pay for somebody else’s crop,” Drozd said. “The nice thing about Enlist One herbicide is I don’t have to worry about drift. It’s landing right where it needs to land. I sprayed it right next to our garden and had no problems at all.”
In 2025, Drozd planted PowerCore® Enlist® and Vorceed® Enlist® corn on approximately half of his corn acres. With Enlist® corn being tolerant to Enlist One herbicide, Drozd has peace of mind, knowing he has an effective option to help control waterhemp and giant ragweed.
“The clear choice for us using Enlist One herbicide was seeing it in our soybeans. We had waterhemp and some marestail we sprayed at the home farm, and Enlist One was impressive. I was surprised how well it took care of the weeds.”
— Jake Drozd
Prep and scout
Before the season begins, Drozd makes sure the sprayer is ready to go. He checks for plugged or misplaced nozzles, watches for a good spray pattern with each nozzle applying the same rate, and changes all the filters.
“Our sprayer may not look the prettiest, but we know that when we go to the field, we’re putting on the right rate,” Drozd said. “It’s just proper maintenance.”
Drozd explained they scout throughout the summer and run their own combines so they can observe fields during harvest. They can note productive field areas and where there’s heavy weed pressure. As the farm’s “spray guy,” Drozd takes it personally if he sees any weed escapes.
“One of the biggest benefits of using Enlist One herbicide in our herbicide program is to take care of weeds resistant to other herbicides,” Drozd said. “Stewardship is a big deal with herbicides, as is knowing how to apply them, so we get the full benefit of the herbicides. So, it starts working as soon as it hits the leaf. We try to change up some herbicides just to try to inhibit resistance.”
Future goals
Through his connections with other growers, trade shows, local ag company representatives and more, Drozd keeps up to date on the latest technologies, product offerings and advancements.
“We want to grow better beans. We want to build soil fertility. We want better corn yield and better prices,” Drozd said. “But, more important, we want all of us to stay healthy and well. We want to do this for years to come.”
™ ® Colex-D, Enlist, Enlist Duo, Enlist E3, the Enlist Logos, Enlist One and Vorceed are trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. PowerCore® multi-event technology developed by Corteva Agriscience and Monsanto. ®PowerCore, Roundup and Roundup Ready are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. Always follow IRM, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed representative for the registration status in your state. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are registered trademarks of BASF. The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Corteva Agriscience and M.S. Technologies L.L.C. 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.