b'Enlist E3 Soybeans Rapidly Gaining Acres from Established CompetitorsThe soybean trait battleground is heating up as acres trade hands and farmers establish loyalties.Sonja BegemannSOYBEAN GROWERS HAVEmore trait options thanto an estimated more than 50% of the soybean acres. The ever beforeand theyre putting those options to workaccompanying herbicide did not receive approval until the 2017 this season. This years options include: Enlist E3 Soybeans,season. Today three new formulations are commercially available: LibertyLink, LLGT27, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend, Roundup ReadyEngenia (BASF), Tavium (Syngenta) and Xtendimax (Bayer)2 XtendFlex and other non-herbicide focused traits such asAll said, that hasnt been without challenges. Widespread Plenish high oleic soybeans. alleged dicamba damage has brought with it controversy, law-With more options, farmers are spreading risk and diversifyingsuits and opposition from some farmers and activist groups. In their operations. 2017, University of Missouri Weed Scientist Kevin Bradley com-In 2020, about 20% of the total U.S. soybean acres werepiled a report that found about 3.6 million acres had received planted to Enlist E3 soybeans, says Cynthia Erickson, vicealleged dicamba damage.president, U.S. marketing, Corteva Agriscience. In 2021, we wereAs a result of the alleged damage, soybean growers in estimating 30% and it recently increased to 35%. the Bootheel region of Missouri filed a lawsuit against Bayer/Corteva is leaning hard into the Enlist E3 soybean technology.Monsanto. Just one of the cases went to trialBader Farms V. While they still sell Xtend traited soybeans through Pioneer andMonsanto. Bayer announced a mass tort agreement to settle all other brands, Enlist is where theyre staking their future. In fact,other dicamba drift litigation.the company opted out of selling its dicamba premix, FeXapan,The company will pay up to a total of $400 million to resolve for 2021 and beyond. the multi-district litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for Iowa-based Stine seed says 96% of their soybean sales forthe Eastern District of Missouri and claims for the 2015-2020 the 2021 crop were planted to the Enlist E3 Soybean trait. For thecrops years, Bayer said in an announcement in 2020. Claimants past several years, Xtend traited soybeans have been the domi- will be required to provide proof of damage to crop yields and nating force. evidence that it was due to dicamba in order to collect.While we dont have sales or yield numbers at this point ofLawsuits arent over just yet though, and theyre also targeting the season, we are seeing great demand for XtendFlex from ourEngenia manufacturer BASF in addition to Bayer. In early June customers across all soy growing regions, says Wes Hays, U.S.2021, 57 Texas grape growers and four Texas processing compa-soybean portfolio lead for Bayer. We have plans for HT4 soy- nies filed a suit against both companies for alleged damages.beans later this decade, which will add tolerance to 2,4-D andDrifting herbicide has damaged up to 95% of the productive HPPD to XtendFlex. grape vines on dozens of family-owned vineyards covering 3,000 In 2020, Reuters reported Xtend products were planted to 50acres near Lubbock, plaintiff attorneys claim in a press release.million acres, or 66% of the total crop. Enlist soybeans were justDefendants disagree with the allegations.20% of the 2020 crop. Its well documented that a 2019 freeze contributed to the The U.S. industry jumped 15 percentage points [in total acresgrowers current companies and that other known sources of planted to Enlist E3 soybeans] from last year, Erickson says.herbicides have been ignored by the growers, BASF says. The Were assuming much of that came from the Xtend system. company also says the formulation was created to reduce off-target movement, label requirements and continued training will A Brief Look at Dicambas Legal History aid in current and future on-target applications.Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans first hit U.S. soilin a com- The Texas grape growers lawsuit is ongoing.SWmercial sensein 2016. Since then, the soybean trait has climbed 60/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2021'