Taking the guesswork out of decision-making

How weather data helps growers better understand herbicide activation

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, November 21, 2017 — Farming is going digital, and growers have a number of data sources and tools available at their fingertips. Earlier this year, BASF 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 growers make better farming decisions based on their local weather conditions,” said Scott Kay, BASF Vice President for U.S. Crop Protection.

 

One example of this is the BASF Herbicide Activation Tool. The tool shows predicted rainfall based on compiled historical rainfall data by specific geography, allowing growers to choose the right herbicides for their individual growing conditions.

 

This knowledge is important because timely, adequate rainfall is essential for activating residual herbicides and delivering needed weed control. Rainfall helps the herbicide absorb into the soil, where a plant will pull the water and herbicide into its root system. The Armezon® PRO and Outlook® herbicides are both highly flexible pre- and postemergent corn herbicides and can be activated with a quarter-inch of rainfall. The BASF rainfall tool can be used to show how likely an area is to receive a quarter-inch of rain, rather than the one inch of rain that is needed to activate competitive herbicides during key application windows.

 

“When you can make an accurate herbicide application to your fields, the more you make every dollar on your farm work for you,” said Kay. “That way, you can stay focused on the rain clouds rolling in instead of hoping you will get enough rain for your herbicide to activate.”

 

With many digital alternatives available to growers, BASF is careful to design its digital tools to make sure a grower’s experience is simple and easy. This is just one tangible example of how BASF can take an existing product and years of weather data, to help growers make better decisions which can ultimately grow a better crop.

 

To access the Herbicide Activation Tool, visit reliableactivation.com.

 

Always read and follow label directions.
Armezon and Outlook are registered trademarks of BASF. © 2017 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

About BASF’s Crop Protection division

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. BASF’s Crop Protection division works with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others to help make this possible. With their cooperation, BASF is able to sustain an active R&D pipeline, an innovative portfolio of products and services, and teams of experts in the lab and in the field to support customers in making their businesses succeed. In 2016, BASF’s Crop Protection division generated sales of €5.6 billion. For more information, please visit us at www.agriculture.basf.com or on any of our social media channels.

 

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.