BASF launches tool to assist in making crop protection product selections

By Scott Kay, Vice President, BASF U.S. Crop Protection

Farming is going digital, but it can often be confusing to determine which tools truly help with the decision-making process for each growing season. From GPS precision planting, to custom inputs based on the soil makeup and layout, it can be difficult to decide which products and technology are going to put your money to work with the greatest efficiency.

Row crop farmers have shared their concerns with us and have asked, "Look, there are lots of data sources and tools. I don't always know how to use that data to make a decision on my farm. Can you make it easy for us to navigate lots of different data sources?"

Earlier this year, we acquired ZedX, a company that develops agronomic weather, crop and pest models that can rapidly translate data into insights for more efficient agricultural production. It's really enabled us to help farmers make better decisions based on their local weather conditions.

By using ZedX weather data and analytics, the herbicide activation tool can show predicted rainfall based on compiled historical rainfall data by specific geography. You can then choose the right herbicides for your individual growing conditions. The tool is available online at www.reliableactivation.com.

This knowledge is important because timely, adequate rainfall is essential for activating residual herbicides and delivering needed weed control. The herbicide activation tool can even be used to show how likely an area is to receive the necessary rainfall to activate a herbicide during key application windows.

How does this benefit your operation? The herbicide activation tool is a valuable data source to pair with your crop protection plan because it can help you choose your herbicide more efficiently based on your expected rainfall. The tool shows a forecast for eight weeks out as well as historical views for the past 10 years. For example, Armezon PRO herbicide and Outlook herbicide, highly flexible pre- and postemergent residual corn herbicides, activate with just a quarter inch of rainfall compared with up to an inch required with other herbicides. In most cases that means you're 2.5 times more likely to get activation with Armezon PRO herbicide and Outlook herbicide compared to competitive herbicides. Armezon PRO herbicide and Outlook herbicide control broadleaf and grass weeds such as waterhemp, pigweed and nightshade with a wide application window.

When your herbicide activates, you can make every dollar on your farm work better for you, putting weed management back in your control. That way you can stay focused on the business of growing crops and not worry about your herbicide investment.

  We are committed to developing innovative solutions, and the herbicide activation tool is one example of listening to your concerns to create a product that is easy to use and that helps you make better decisions for growing better crops.

Visit www.reliableactivation.com to learn more and to begin using this simple tool to manage your herbicide applications for next season.