FNA launches Puma-like herbicide

Farmers of North America has unleashed its own entry in the cat-themed grassy weed herbicide market for wheat and barley growers.

Saskatoon-based FNA, which brokers deals for lower-cost imports of ag inputs on members' behalf in the West, Ontario and Quebec, said Wednesday its product HellCat (active ingredient: fenoxaprop-p-ethyl ) will be available for its members this spring.

A product label and other details weren't available Wednesday for HellCat, apart from FNA's statement that the Group 1 herbicide will have "the same active ingredient as Puma."

Bayer CropScience sells two different formulations of Puma herbicide in Canada: Puma 120 Super, at 120 grams of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl per litre, and Puma Advance, with the same active at 90 g/L.

FNA didn't say in its release Wednesday what HellCat's formulation will be, but other companies' off-patent fenoxaprops, such as Viterra's Wildcat and Mana Canada's Bengal, are packaged at 120 g/L.

Both Puma products are registered for use in spring wheat, spring barley and durum crops on the Prairies. Puma 120 Super is also approved for use in spring wheat and barley in the East, while Puma Advance is registered in the East for spring wheat crops.

Both Pumas are registered to control annual grassy weeds such as wild oats, green foxtail, yellow foxtail and barnyard grass.

"The pricing structure we have created exclusively for FNA members makes it difficult for competitors to wiggle around the edges," said Darren Palendat, crop protection officer with AgraCity, FNA's neighbour in Saskatoon. AgraCity provides procurement, processing and packaging for products such as FNA's generic herbicides.

FNA said its pricing structure for HellCat will involve the MPower Rewards system, which provides cash rewards to FNA members based on "final cost efficiencies and volumes realized."