Nufarm Introduces New fenoxaprop herbicide. Page 2

Nufarmer
Spring 2010 West
Nufarm Agriculture Inc.
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Introdu
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Page 2
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Nufarm Product News.
Nufarm Product News.
2
Bulkin’ up!
3
A new fenoxaprop herbicide; Assert®
tank mix update.
Nufarm expands bulk packaging lineup.
Little rascal.
3
Curtail* M doubles to eliminate
volunteer alfalfa.
True north strong.
4
Mr. Consistent.
5
Happiness is togetherness.
6
Switch without the swish. 7
Curtail* M: for those who love
Canada, but not Canada thistle.
Estaprop® Plus stands out for steady,
affordable broadleaf control.
Father and son appreciate one pass
control of Assert® FL.
Assert® and Assert® FL let you go
back and forth from wheat to barley.
No residue. No worries.
No residual sets CleanStart® apart
in canola and pulses.
Early signs of success.
Growers give thumbs up to new
Signal® herbicide.
8-9
10
Signal Bendy Man giveaway. 11
Tell us how Signal® is working for you
and receive a free Bendy Man.
Showing their maturity.
Nufarm puts a valuable twist on
established chemistries.
Cover photo: Rhett Allison
Nufarmer 2
12
Nufarm launches
Cordon™ herbicide
as an alternative
to Puma®120 Super.
years ago, Nufarm had no
“T en
graminicides. With the addition of
Cordon™, we now have one of the largest
graminicide offerings in Western Canada,”
beams Grant Deveson, Nufarm’s Calgary
based Commercial Manager.
New Cordon herbicide contains
fenoxaprop, the same active ingredient found
in Puma®120 Super, which is widely used
on wheat and barley acres across Western
Canada. Cordon is a Group 1 herbicide for
control of wild oats, green foxtail, yellow
foxtail and barnyard grass in spring wheat,
durum wheat and barley.
Cordon can be tank mixed with a wide
range of broadleaf herbicides for one pass
weed control.
As with all Nufarm herbicide products,
new Cordon is fully serviced and priced to
provide value to the grower.
“Cordon will be launched on a limited
basis this year,” Deveson explains, “but we
hope with its combination of great value in
a fully backed product, Cordon will one day
put Puma120 Super on the ropes.”
Assert® wild oat
herbicide now
registered with
Infinity®.
N
ufarm’s long time wild oat herbicide,
Assert®, now includes Infinity® on its
label of approved tank mixes for wheat and
barley.
Infinity is an exciting new Group 27 and
Group 6 herbicide introduced in 2008.
It gives growers an entirely new mode of
action to battle broadleaf weeds – and fight
herbicide resistance. Infinity offers broad
spectrum weed control, including kochia,
wild buckwheat and cleavers.
“This tank mix is great news for those
concerned with resistance, as Assert is the
ONLY Group 2 herbicide registered for use
in barley,” reveals Nufarm’s Grant Deveson.
“It’s a great example of teaming up the
latest technology with the tried and true.”
Nufarm expands bulk packaging lineup.
Due to customer demand, Nufarm is
BROADLEAF WEED HERBICIDES
SIZE
offering even more of its products in
Approve
100, 450, 800 litre
bulk formats for the 2010 growing
Curtail* M
960 litre
season.
Estaprop 114, 450, 840 litre
Mextrol 450 100, 450, 800 litre
Below is an updated list of Nufarm’s
BURNDOWN HERBICIDES
bulk pack offering. Ask your retailer
CleanStart
450 litre
for details.
Credit 45
115, 450, 1000 litre
GRASS AND ONE-PASS HERBICIDES
Signal™
800 acre
Little rascal.
Curtail* M doubles to eliminate volunteer alfalfa.
R
osemary, Alberta is in the heart of the province’s irrigation district.
Alfalfa has proven to be a winner for third generation farmer Rod
Dyck. He and his cousin Dwight, like to include it in the rotation as both a
seed crop and a cash crop.
The trouble is alfalfa can be a menace in following crops. Fortunately,
they have found that their trusted Canada thistle and broadleaf product,
Curtail* M, also helps them get a handle on volunteer alfalfa in their hard
red wheat and fescue fields.
“Curtail M is really good on volunteer alfalfa which can be pretty hard
to kill – even with conventional tillage.”
3
Rod Dyck tank mixed Curtail M
with a wild oat product and said
the combination helped him get a
decent crop – despite all the alfalfa
Rod Dyck
in two of his fields prior to seeding.
It wasn’t until after combining that he started to see some more alfalfa
creeping back in.
“Curtail M worked very well. There was no competition from the alfalfa.
If I have Canada thistle I’ll use it there as well.”
Curtail M
*
True north strong.
Curtail* M: for those who love Canada, but not Canada thistle.
I
n an Olympic year we tend to swell up with national pride and fondly
reflect on all the things that make Canada great.
However, Canada thistle is one namesake we’re not too proud of.
This deep-rooted perennial weed can seriously impact yields. Research
conducted at University of Saskatchewan by Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada has shown that at a high infestation rate of 24 Canada thistles/
square meter, wheat yields can be reduced by 61%. Even a light
infestation of 6 thistles/square meter was shown to cause up to 18% yield
loss. It goes without saying the damage can be even worse in a delicate
crop such as flax.
That’s why experts advise that when you see Canada thistle you need
to kill it.
In the past, Brad Cline has held off moderate Canada thistle infestation
with a spring glyphosate burndown on his farm near Belmont, Manitoba
(south of Brandon). But with serious infestations he has found this is just not
enough.
“It knocked the thistle down but did not kill them,” Cline reveals.
A number of Group 4 products offer various degrees of suppression,
such as Buctril M and Target. But it’s one thing to suppress a weed. It’s
another to control it.
One Group 4 product stands alone for its ability to control Canada
thistle: Curtail M.
“Curtail M contains clopyralid, an active ingredient that has proven to
be the most consistent and long lasting option for thistle,” explains Kim
Bedard, Nufarm’s Product Development Specialist.
After seeing that thistle was still in his flax crop following his spring
glyphosate burndown, a frustrated Brad Cline turned to Curtail M.
Nufarmer 4
He says it was the best decision he ever made.
“I came back and hit them with Curtail M at the ideal stage. I can’t
believe how well it worked. I grew one of my best flax crops ever!
It was an ocean of blue,” Cline smiles.
According to Nufarm’s Bedard, growers can expect season long
Canada thistle control with Curtail M, which is important with any
perennial weed.
After 40 years of farming, Gus Verniest of Holland, Manitoba is scaling
down his farm with a plan to finally retire in the near future. After all those
years on the farm he can confidently speak about the control Curtail M
gives him in wheat and flax.
“Last year I had really good season long control in a flax crop. This
year you saw the odd Canada thistle sticking up in the fields I sprayed,
but not many!”
Kim Bedard says Verniest’s observation is typical.
“With Curtail M the chemical gets right into the roots. So even in the
year following an application you can expect to see about a 75% thistle
stand reduction.”
Curtail M is also registered for annual and perennial sow thistle, plus
20 other tough broadleaf weeds. Verniest uses it to target dandelions,
an old nemesis.
So keep being a proud Canadian. Get a Maple Leaf tattooed on your
arm, but maybe avoid the Canada thistle.
Gus Verniest
Brad Cline
Curtail* M
Mr. Consistent!
Estaprop® Plus stands out for steady, affordable broadleaf control.
K
ochia remains a significant concern in the province of Manitoba.
This weed thrives in periods of drought and is known to spread
quickly. It is prevalent in the southern part of the province and in pockets
of central Manitoba (often found in saline soils).
Travelling through Manitoba, Nufarmer has met numerous farmers who
count on Estaprop® Plus broadleaf herbicide to stop kochia and a very
wide spectrum of broadleaf weeds in their tracks.
When quizzed why they continue using this “old school” herbicide, one
word keeps coming up again and again.
“It consistently works well,” says Ninette, Manitoba grower Gordon
Urquhart.
“Estaprop has been consistent over the years,” answers Brad Cline from
his farm in Belmont, Manitoba.
“It’s a consistent product for control,” adds Certified Crop Advisor
Jeramy Grills of Double Diamond Farm Supply in Elgin Manitoba.
We suppose that in an era where so many new products get introduced
every year, there’s a reason some of the old ones keep hanging on.
“Estaprop is no spring chicken,” says Nufarm Southern Manitoba
Territory Manager, Myles Robinson. “Guys know what they’re getting from
this 2,4-D and dichloprop herbicide.” Brad Cline echoes this sentiment.
Gordon Urquhart
Jeramy Grills
It always works well for me, and of course, it is easy on the crop.”
Robinson says this old workhorse remains a big seller in Manitoba
because nothing is better suited to the province’s kochia problem
especially at Estaprop’s great everyday value.
“Estaprop Plus is strong on kochia and I would say it’s sold for a fair
price… at the lower end of the spectrum,” Gordon Urquhart confirms.
“Nufarm tries to keep the price down without programming which I like.”
Asked to share any tips on getting maximum kochia control with
Estaprop Plus, both Urquhart and Cline suggest hitting the weed while
it is small and keeping water volumes up at 10 gallons/acre.
While many count on Estaprop Plus primarily for kochia control it is not
a one dimensional product. According to Double Diamond’s Grills, he
can’t remember having a complaint regarding Estaprop’s ability to control
kochia, round-leaved mallow or any other registered weeds. And that’s
over his 14 year career!
With over 30 broadleaf weeds on the label, Grills says it is a well
rounded broadleaf product for those “who don’t want to spend a fortune
on some of the higher end alternatives.”
Grills adds that the list of tank mix partners is just about as long as the
weeds controlled.
“I have one customer who’s mixed it with just about every product
under the sun,” he chuckles.
Whether you’re targeting kochia or are looking for great value in a
broad spectrum broadleaf herbicide, Estaprop Plus promises consistency.
And when a product works, what more can you ask for!
“I’ve used Estaprop for nearly ten years… mostly in my cereals.
Estaprop Plus
®
5
Happiness is togetherness.
Father and son appreciate one pass control of Assert® FL.
A
ssert® herbicide has long been established as the tried and true
Group 2 wild oat herbicide. In fact, it is the only Group 2 wild oat
product registered for barley and is a valuable tool in a resistance
management strategy.
In recent years, prairie farmers have made Frontline* broadleaf
herbicide one of the most commonly used tank mix partners with Assert.
The combination has proven extremely effective for controlling the
spectrum of weeds the majority of growers face in wheat and barley
crops: including tough weeds such as cleavers.
As part of their ongoing effort to pass greater value onto customers,
Nufarm recently packaged Assert and Frontline
together as Assert® FL. Not only is Assert FL formulated with the
high- performance rate for optimal wild oat control; it is priced to be more
economical than buying the two products individually.
To learn more about the “value of togetherness” we thought who
better to ask than a father/son farming team. So we caught up with
Calvin Hintz and his son Travis.
The Hintz family farms roughly 2,500 acres near Prairie River,
Saskatchewan. Calvin’s other son, Tyler lends a hand on a part time basis
as well. They grow many crops, including hard red spring wheat, winter
wheat, canola and barley. While they have no livestock, Calvin jokes
they do have one dog and four cats.
Nufarmer: Assert FL is a relatively new one-pass product,
but you’ve been using Assert for some time, correct?
Calvin: Frontline is a pretty decent product. The combination of the two
works well. Hempnettle and wild buckwheat are our main concerns.
Calvin: I first used Assert 20 years ago. I’ve used it as much
as I could over the past ten years.
Nufarmer: Has safety ever been an issue with either
product?
Travis: And this is the first year we sprayed Assert FL on all of our cereals.
Travis: We’ve never yellowed the crop. We’ve never worried about it.
Nufarmer: Is wild oat pressure particularly high in this
area?
Calvin: We’ve even sprayed Assert twice in the same season on barley
and never had a problem.
Calvin: There are always enough wild oats that we don’t take chances.
Nufarmer: You seem to like the flexibility of Assert FL?
Travis: If you screw up on wild oat control you’re in trouble. You can
pay for it for 10 years.
Travis: You have the
ability to go between
wheat and barley. That
saves time.
Nufarmer: Assert has a 20 acre/case rate and a higher
16 acre/case (the rate in Assert FL). Which was suited to
your weed pressure?
Calvin: I’ve put down the 20 acre rate in the past, but I’ve found that
there is a minimal cost difference. So the added control of the 16 acre
rate is worth it.
Travis: We don’t shave the rate, so wild oat control has never been
an issue with Assert.
Nufarmer: What do you like about the Frontline*
component in Assert FL?
Nufarmer 6
Nufarmer: Any
final thoughts about
Nufarm bringing these
products together in
one package?
Calvin: I haven’t been
this satisfied with any other
chemical when it comes
to in crop spraying!
Travis and Calvin Hintz
Switch without the swish!
Assert® and Assert® FL let you go back and forth from wheat to barley.
T
here’s a show on Discovery Channel you may have seen called
“Dirty Jobs.” In it, fearless host Mike Rowe gets waist deep into
some of the most inglorious jobs on the planet.
We’re not sure if he’s ever flushed a sprayer, but farmers we’ve
spoken with would put this near the top of their list of least favourite
tasks. While it can be somewhat messy, more than anything it’s
incredibly time consuming.
No wonder so many growers appreciate the ability to simply drive the
sprayer from one cereal crop to the next when using Assert® or Assert® FL.
“With Assert I quite often spray my barley and then go straight onto
wheat. That way I don’t have to worry about taking three or four hours
to clean my tank,” reveals Barry Bender.
It’s not that Bender isn’t up to hard work are you kidding, he’s been
at it since 1971 and is still cropping over 2,000 acres near Porcupine
Plain, Saskatchewan. In fact, he says it’s way easier than the old days
where you had to wait until wild oats emerged before you could
cultivate… and then seed.
Bender simply knows the difference between time wasted and time
well spent. He’s found Assert works equally well in wheat or barley,
so he doesn’t see the need to use another Group 2 product.
“I’ve been very pleased. It’s so easy on the barley. I wouldn’t still be
using it if it didn’t work.”
Dale Esparent
7
Blaine McPhee
Bender likes the range of tank mix options. One of his favourites is
Frontline*, which performs superbly in wheat and barley. In fact, he
goes on the record as saying it is one of the best tank mixes he has
seen in years.
In the neighbouring town of Tisdale, Blaine McPhee farms just under
5,000 acres. McPhee has recently started using the new pre-packaged
version of this popular tank mix: Assert® FL.
“It’s pretty universal. You can use it on wheat or barley,” McPhee
says. He’s a big fan of Frontline, which he feels is outstanding for
controlling wild buckwheat. He’s also been really impressed by the
wild oat control he gets from Assert FL.
“The high degree of wild oat control is just awesome. This year it took
so long for the crop to canopy. I was worried but I didn’t have any wild
oats at all!”
With such dependable wild oat control he says there is no reason
why he wouldn’t use Assert FL in wheat as well as barley. Especially
given the economical price.
Still further up the road in the town of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan,
Dale Esparent has only recently discovered the multiple uses of Assert.
“We’ve used Assert in barley for a while and now we’re using it in
wheat. We’re happy with the success we’ve had.”
Esparent has a genuine appreciation for the ease of using Assert on
both wheat and barley. He’s seen the damage other products can do.
After using another Group 2 wild oat
Barry Bender
product, he rinsed out his sprayer as usual.
Yet, this time he forgot to flush his booms.
“I had a strip down the field for a few
hundred yards. That product was harsh
on the barley. Thankfully it’s not a problem
with Assert.”
All three growers are concerned about
the arrival of Group 1 resistant wild oats
in this area of Saskatchewan. Since wild
oats don’t differentiate between wheat and
barley, they are glad to have a Group 2
option that makes their already difficult jobs
a little easier.
No residue. No worries.
No residual sets CleanStart® apart in canola and pulses.
T
he key to any good herbicide strategy is to target unwanted plants,
without inflicting any “collateral damage” on the intended crop.
With no residual, CleanStart® is an advanced herbicide that
finally offers greatly enhanced pre-seed burndown control for canola,
pulse and flax crops. It is even being used in wheat and barley.
“Glyphosate has long been an all-purpose burndown solution.
With the adoption of direct seeding it has largely replaced cultivation
on the farm because it takes care of the majority of common weed problems in a field prior to seeding,” says Kim Bedard, Nufarm’s
Product Development Specialist.
However, she points out that there are a handful of problem weeds
such as dandelion, kochia and winter annuals that glyphosate can
have a hard time controlling. Not to mention the challenge posed by
glyphosate tolerant volunteer canola.
“The trouble is that most pre-seed herbicides for these hard to control
weeds are residual. Which is fine if you’re seeding a cereal, but not
acceptable in canola, pulse and flax crops,” Bedard adds.
“Having no residue is important in certain crops,” confirms mixed
farmer, Darryl Perkins of Elgin, Manitoba. That’s why he did not hesitate
to use CleanStart when a difficult situation arose.
Perkins recently rented some new land where he intended to grow
Nufarmer 8
flax. One small problem: in previous years the field was used for a
50/50 rotation of wheat and Roundup Ready® canola. So he was sure
to have a mess of volunteer canola that he couldn’t count on glyphosate
to control.
“I got in at the 2-leaf stage of the volunteer canola. CleanStart worked
great. The field stayed clean for me,” Perkins says.
Nufarm’s Bedard notes that Perkins hit volunteer canola with
CleanStart at the ideal time… between the 2 to 3 leaf stage. This is
when the weed is most vulnerable.
While CleanStart controls volunteer canola on contact the absence of
residual means it can be used to clean up a field that will be seeded to
canola: a key crop for Rick Fraser of Fraser Seeds Ltd, based in Minto,
Manitoba.
Until he came across CleanStart last season, Fraser relied on straight
glyphosate to burn down canola fields. “It was our only option,” he says
with a resigned look quickly followed by a smile.
“With CleanStart there’s no residual to affect the canola crop so it
works very well for our needs.
For Rick Fraser, key weed challenges included spring germinating
dandelions, foxtail and night flowering catchfly. Being his first time using
CleanStart, he tried it on one field to begin with (after all, he had a
CleanStart
®
lot riding on his pedigreed seed crops). After seeing noticeable results
within just a few days he proceeded to spray 2,500 acres. He was very
impressed with both the speed and degree of control.
According to Kim Bedard, this fast control is another of CleanStart’s
chief attributes.
“Glyphosate usually takes seven to ten days. With CleanStart, weeds
start dying within a matter of days. Typically the weeds are toasted
within a week.”
Steve Wiens will attest to that. This spring he applied CleanStart
to 2,000 acres of pulse crops (peas, lentils) and mustard on his
sprawling farmland near Wymark, Saskatchewan. Wiens said he
could tell CleanStart had done the job within six days of application.
“It was awesome. The control was fantastic.”
Wiens was concerned about nipping his spring and winter annuals in
Darryl Perkins
9
the bud. In the past he’s found glyphosate alone is not quite enough to
handle flixweed and stinkweed in the spring. Wiens also confirmed an
observation many growers have made on CleanStart’s ability to control
a key weed concern that does not appear on the label.
“It does a good job on narrow leaved hawk’s beard, which is a
problem in our area.”
Bedard says that many of the farmers who participated in CleanStart
grower trials four years ago commented on how well the product
performed on the hawk’s beard. She confirms that more research
is being done to explore this further.
Steve Wiens sums up the thoughts of most CleanStart customers when
he says, “You can go into a pulse or canola crop, spray it and forget
about it – because with CleanStart there is no residual to worry about.”
And when it comes to your crop, it’s nice not to worry!
Steve Wiens
Rick Fraser
Early signs of success.
Growers give thumbs up to new
Signal® herbicide.
L
ast growing season Nufarm introduced Signal™: a new clodinafop
herbicide based on Horizon®, the most widely used wild oat and
green foxtail product in Western Canada.
Nufarm also made Signal available in two convenient one pass
control packs. Signal™ M contains Signal and Mextrol® (Nufarm’s
bromoxynil + MCPA herbicide). Signal™ D packages Signal with
Approve® (Nufarm’s bromoxynil + 2,4-D).
Grower reaction to this new family of products for spring and durum
wheat has been very positive. Speaking with farmers who have used
other clodinafop products in the past the consensus is that Signal seems to
work equally as well but at a more palatable price.
“I don’t think I could tell the difference,” shrugs Dwight Zacharias, of
Rosemary Alberta. Zacharias sprayed Signal D for the first time ever on
his hard red spring wheat.
Most land in this area is irrigated so farm
sizes are typically smaller. Which means
growers are dependent on higher yields. As a
result they have to be extremely confident in a
herbicide before they try it.
“Signal D was easy on the crop and
the field was absolutely clean. The wheat
yielded 90 bushels per acre,” says a smiling
Zacharias.
The decision to use a new product often
comes down to the recommendation of the
Dwight Zacharias
retailer – whose opinion and expertise carries a good deal of weight with
customers. Zacharias says he tried Signal D after speaking with a dealer
he knows “would never steer him wrong.”
Rhett Allison of Gull Lake, Saskatchewan does his own spraying but he
too looks to his retailer (South West Terminal of Gull Lake) for advice on
new products.
“I rely on them for information. My decision depends on the mix of
weeds I have in the field… and on price as well.” Allison says.
As Inputs Manager for South West Terminal, Dave Elviss is quite
familiar with the chemistry found in Signal, Signal D and Signal M.
He knows all are good, proven performers and does not hesitate
recommending any of them based on his high comfort level with
Nufarm products. Knowing all Nufarm herbicides are fully serviced
makes recommending them that much easier.
“Serviced products are very important to our customers and to us as a
retailer,” Elviss confirms. In addition, he knows his customers appreciate
products that are priced to give them a break at the time of purchase.
“The Signal family is available for a very economical price,” he adds.
Rhett Allison was neither surprised by Signal D’s steady performance in
the field, nor the great upfront value.
“We expect a good product at a good price. Nufarm has a better
price on their products than most of the other guys.”
As someone who works with a number of chemical companies, Dave
Elviss has noticed that with the addition of trusted product formulations
such as Signal, Nufarm has been making big strides over the years.
“Nufarm is turning into a force to be reckoned with,” Elviss observes.
“Their mature product line is working and they’re putting a new twist on it
with smart packaging. They’ve become a one stop manufacturer.”
Which Signal™ product is right for weed pressure in your wheat or barley field?
Signal™
(clodinafop)
Key grassy
weeds controlled:
Key broadleaf
weeds controlled:
Nufarmer 10
Signal™ M
(clodinafop, bromoxynil
and MCPA)
Signal™ D
(clodinafop, bromoxynil
and 2,4-D)
• Wild Oats • Volunteer Oats • Green and Yellow Foxtail • Barnyard Grass
• Persian Darnel • Volunteer Canary Seed
Signal can be tank mixed
with over 30 broadleaf weed
herbicides for custom control.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wild Buckwheat
Wild Mustard
Ragweed
Lamb’s-quarters
Stinkweed
Lady’s Thumb
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kochia
Shepherd’s Purse
Wild Buckwheat
Russian Thistle
Lamb’s-quarters
Wild Mustard
Stinkweed
Lady’s Thumb
Signal sayings:
During a slow stretch of winter, several Nufarm retailers showed us their creative side – taking
some fun captioned photos of their “Signal Bendy Man”. Here are some of the highlights:
Raising the Bar in Weed Control!
Contest:
Putting the Squeeze on Weeds!
Give the
Putting the Stomp on Weeds!
“Signal Bendy Man” a home!
Tell us how Signal® is working for you
and receive a free bendy man.
H
e’s flexible – like Signal® – which provides wild oat and
millet control in wheat and barley crops.
He’s magnetic – like Signal – which is highly attractive due to
the great value.
And he could be yours (or a fun gift for your kids)!
Simply write 1 to 3 sentences describing your experience using
Signal, Signal M or Signal D for wild oat control. Nufarm will send
a Signal Bendy Man in the mail to the first 100 respondents.
Your comments could be published in a future edition of Nufarmer!
11
Email your testimonial to:
[email protected]
(subject: Signal contest)
or mail to
Signal
PO Box 44055
South Centre Postal Outlet,
Calgary, Alberta T2J 7C5.
(Don’t forget to include your
return postal address!)
®
Showing their maturity.
Nufarm puts a valuable twist on established chemistries.
S
tarting with the commercial introduction of 2,4-D in the 1940s,
scientists worldwide have developed a wide array of herbicides to
help farmers improve yield potential by safely eliminating weed competition.
While new chemistries are still being introduced, Nufarm has carved
out a reputation for finding new ways to package familiar formulas. In
the process, they’ve managed to provide customers with a continually
growing line of proven products at a value that is hard to beat.
“Most people would be surprised to learn that Nufarm is the
world’s largest manufacturer of MCPA and the second largest maker
of bromoxynil and 2,4-D. We’re also the number two supplier of
glyphosate,” reveals Nufarm’s Calgary Marketing Manager, Christina
Cheng.
As a direct result of manufacturing efficiencies, Nufarm has been
able to introduce a number of affordably priced products based on these
individual ingredients or a combination of them.
Examples include Mextrol® 450 (a bromoxynil and MCPA herbicide
that mirrors Buctril® M) and Approve® (a combination of bromoxynil and
2,4-D that is very similar to Thumper®).
“Since we make the ingredients that go in, we can generally price
these products more economically than our competitors,” Cheng says.
“Put them side by side with the competitor’s products and we defy you to
tell the difference.”
Another aspect of Nufarm’s approach has been to purchase the
manufacturing and marketing rights to long time grower favourites that
other companies have decided to walk away from.
“Assert® and Curtail* M are just two products farmers have come to
rely on. When their makers decided they were no longer interested in
selling these herbicides, Nufarm jumped at the opportunity to keep them
alive,” Cheng adds.
Retailers and customers are indeed glad.
“If Nufarm didn’t pick up older products there would be a lot fewer
options,” observes Jeremy Grills of Double Diamond Farm Supply in
Elgin, Manitoba.
Despite all of this, Nufarm has also been an innovator in its own
right. Nufarm has created some interesting new products that combine
established chemistries in new ways to meet specific weed challenges
facing Canadian farmers.
Perhaps the most successful new product launch in recent years has
been CleanStart®. CleanStart is a unique combination of carfetrazone
(a group 14 herbicide) packaged with Nufarm’s Credit® glyphosate to
provide an enhanced non residual burndown product for canola and
pulse crops.
“Grower response has been amazing,” Cheng notes. “CleanStart
is a totally unique product that provides a missing piece to the puzzle.
Growers have been waiting for something like it for years.”
Nufarm’s Commercial Manager for Canada, Grant Deveson, is
confident that Nufarm’s approach is resonating with Canadian farmers.
“At the end of the day a dead weed is a dead weed,” he says
matter of factly.
“If a customer can use one of our mature products to kill a weed for
less money, why wouldn’t he? There’s a reason these chemicals have
been around for so long. They work.”
If that isn’t comfort enough, Deveson reminds us that all Nufarm
products are backed by the Nufarm Service Promise in the event
of a performance related issue.
Add the fact that Nufarm focuses on low everyday pricing versus
a tangled web of rebates and it’s clear that Nufarm is indeed
mature beyond its age.
Nufarm Agriculture Inc. P.O. Box 44055, South Centre Postal Outlet, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 7C5
Toll Free 1-800-868-5444 • www.nufarm.ca
Approve® and Credit® are registered trademarks of Nufarm Limited. Assert®, CleanStart®, Estaprop® and Mextrol® are registered trademarks
of Nufarm Agriculture Inc. Cordon™ and Signal™ are trademarks of Nufarm Agriculture Inc. *Trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.