Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
Atticus is a proud sponsor of the ARA Rising Stars program, a commitment to developing emerging leadership within retail distribution. The ARA Rising Stars program provides a vehicle for member organizations to recognize and develop their top performers with unique professional development and networking opportunities.
Atticus is honored to recognize the 2021 ARA Rising Stars grand prize winner, Erin Hardin, precision ag coordinator at Southern States Coop., Inc. Erin is a graduate of Mississippi State University with an education in plant soil sciences, biology, and marketing. As a precision ag coordinator, Erin works with technology in the field to analyze, interpret and manage customer data to provide customers with real-time advice and recommendations based on accurate and actionable information.
Listen now as Erin talks about what leadership means to her, the Rising Stars experience and the opportunities that followed!
Erin explains that her role is ever-changing by day and season. She has been in her position for just over two years, and in that time, her recent accomplishments include the Rising Star award, ‘The Scoop’s’ 40 under 40, and the 4Rs stewardship award. Still, Erin tells us that the proudest moment in her career thus far is “seeing the success of her growers and their farms after working hard all season long on analyzing data, making recommendations and then seeing that out through to harvest.”
As part of the ARA Rising Stars recognition, the grand prize winner receives a trip to the Atticus headquarters located in Cary, NC, giving the recipient a ‘day in the life of an Atticus employee.’
“Atticus gave me many new tools and information to bring into my career; life advice, career advice, operational insight, and many networking opportunities”
If you know an emerging agriculture leader deserving of industry-wide recognition, nominate a 2022 Rising Star here by August 31, 2022.
Due to the destructive nature of Phytophtora, it’s vital almond growers remain vigilant in monitoring for and treating Phytopthora early with a systemic fungicide like ReCon™ Bold SL.
The drought progressing through California is taking a toll on the fertile Central Valley, home to the world’s largest acreage of almond orchards. Yields from last season are down due to record heat and water allocations.
Some growers are replacing older trees with new plantings that can more efficiently use water. If you are part of that group, be sure to have a plan in place to monitor for and manage Phytophthora. Vigilance is also needed for established trees as this pathogen is thought to be present in most surface water, which also means it’s likely present in most orchard soils. If left unchecked, an orchard can quickly succumb to infection.
Proactive management is key
There are several areas you can focus on to manage the Phytophthora pathogen in your almond orchard:
- Water management
- Planting practices
- Disease control
“Phytophthora is a soilborne pathogen that causes root rot and crown rot diseases,” explained Tanner Lowrey, area business manager for Atticus. “That makes water management the number one tool for keeping Phythophthora from wrecking havoc in your orchards.”
If the crown is infected with crown rot, it can quickly move through the tree and cause death, especially in the spring as temperatures rise. If root rot develops, tree health will decline over time before the tree eventually dies. The keys to water management include:
- Keep water from pooling around trees
- Irrigate more frequently in smaller amounts
- Improve drainage capacity in low-lying areas, in soils with poor water penetration, and in areas that flood frequently
Young trees are particularly susceptible because their root system and crown area are smaller than mature trees, and these diseases impede their ability to absorb nutrients and water. But you can give your new plantings a fighting chance when you follow a few simple guidelines:
- Plant on berms to minimize prolonged water exposure to crowns and roots
- Manage irrigation rate and volume, as noted above
- Select rootstocks that pair well with soil conditions and varietals
Actively monitoring your orchards for early signs of Phytophthora can help trigger fungicide treatments to keep infection in check. Symptoms often mimic drought stress and nutrient deficiency, so look for wilting leaves, slow vegetative growth, and limb decay. You can also collect soil samples from around roots, as well as root samples, to be tested.
“You want to catch Phytophthora early because it can become a costly problem to fix with multiple fungicide applications and in cases of tree loss, replanting trees,” Lowrey stated. “ReCon Bold SL systemic fungicide with the active ingredient mefenoxam provides excellent protection against this pathogen, especially when treated early. With root to leaf protection, ReCon Bold SL improves both root and overall tree health.”
Maintaining vigilance against Phytophthora through strategic water management, planting practices, and fungicide treatments can help you stay one step ahead of this almond enemy. Using a branded-generic fungicide from Atticus, like ReCon Bold SL (comparable to Ridomil Gold® SL) with the active ingredient mefenoxam, will help you be battle-ready against Phythophthora this season.
As your pest-defense ally, Atticus works closely with its retail distribution partners to deliver value-driven, branded-generic products that meet agronomic and business needs so you get the most from your input requirements. Atticus puts its experience to work so you can focus on production and help meet the demands of the food supply now and in the future.
© 2022 Atticus. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Not all products are registered for use in every state. ReCon™ Bold SL is not manufactured, or distributed by Syngenta, seller of Ridomil Gold® SL. Ridomil Gold® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. ReCon™ is a trademark of Atticus, LLC.
Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
Due to the destructive nature of Phytophtora, it’s vital almond growers remain vigilant in monitoring for and treating Phytopthora early with a systemic fungicide like ReCon™ Bold SL.
The drought progressing through California is taking a toll on the fertile Central Valley, home to the world’s largest acreage of almond orchards. Yields from last season are down due to record heat and water allocations.
Some growers are replacing older trees with new plantings that can more efficiently use water. If you are part of that group, be sure to have a plan in place to monitor for and manage Phytophthora. Vigilance is also needed for established trees as this pathogen is thought to be present in most surface water, which also means it’s likely present in most orchard soils. If left unchecked, an orchard can quickly succumb to infection.
Proactive management is key
There are several areas you can focus on to manage the Phytophthora pathogen in your almond orchard:
- Water management
- Planting practices
- Disease control
“Phytophthora is a soilborne pathogen that causes root rot and crown rot diseases,” explained Tanner Lowrey, area business manager for Atticus. “That makes water management the number one tool for keeping Phythophthora from wrecking havoc in your orchards.”
If the crown is infected with crown rot, it can quickly move through the tree and cause death, especially in the spring as temperatures rise. If root rot develops, tree health will decline over time before the tree eventually dies. The keys to water management include:
- Keep water from pooling around trees
- Irrigate more frequently in smaller amounts
- Improve drainage capacity in low-lying areas, in soils with poor water penetration, and in areas that flood frequently
Young trees are particularly susceptible because their root system and crown area are smaller than mature trees, and these diseases impede their ability to absorb nutrients and water. But you can give your new plantings a fighting chance when you follow a few simple guidelines:
- Plant on berms to minimize prolonged water exposure to crowns and roots
- Manage irrigation rate and volume, as noted above
- Select rootstocks that pair well with soil conditions and varietals
Actively monitoring your orchards for early signs of Phytophthora can help trigger fungicide treatments to keep infection in check. Symptoms often mimic drought stress and nutrient deficiency, so look for wilting leaves, slow vegetative growth, and limb decay. You can also collect soil samples from around roots, as well as root samples, to be tested.
“You want to catch Phytophthora early because it can become a costly problem to fix with multiple fungicide applications and in cases of tree loss, replanting trees,” Lowrey stated. “ReCon Bold SL systemic fungicide with the active ingredient mefenoxam provides excellent protection against this pathogen, especially when treated early. With root to leaf protection, ReCon Bold SL improves both root and overall tree health.”
Maintaining vigilance against Phytophthora through strategic water management, planting practices, and fungicide treatments can help you stay one step ahead of this almond enemy. Using a branded-generic fungicide from Atticus, like ReCon Bold SL (comparable to Ridomil Gold® SL) with the active ingredient mefenoxam, will help you be battle-ready against Phythophthora this season.
As your pest-defense ally, Atticus works closely with its retail distribution partners to deliver value-driven, branded-generic products that meet agronomic and business needs so you get the most from your input requirements. Atticus puts its experience to work so you can focus on production and help meet the demands of the food supply now and in the future.
© 2022 Atticus. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Not all products are registered for use in every state. ReCon™ Bold SL is not manufactured, or distributed by Syngenta, seller of Ridomil Gold® SL. Ridomil Gold® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. ReCon™ is a trademark of Atticus, LLC.
Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
By Mike King, Vice President, Operations, Atticus—Supply chain dynamics have changed significantly over the last 12-18 months. Agriculture has faced challenges with global trade and tariffs, a change in administration, the global pandemic, international and local manufacturing delays, stateside port congestion, and local logistics capacity constraints.
While these challenges affect the entire industry, Atticus has been able to work through these extraordinary times with a deliberate approach to build resilience.
We have pushed ourselves to persevere through every obstacle while learning, developing and strengthening personal and company-wide competencies for adaptability and decisiveness; forge new strategic relationships and define new strategies for sourcing and manufacturing, and deepened our manufacturing and logistics diversity to sustain our arsenal of weapons. We continue to improve processes and automate systems where applicable, and review and challenge every aspect of our supply chain.
In short, Atticus has adapted to the new normal. Operational excellence for us is a mindset solidified in a cultural framework. That includes human resource structure and staffing, systems and processes, and communication and coordination.
Simply put…our people, processes and structure, with a heavy dose of discipline, allow us to succeed.
When we began, like most small companies, we had a few professionals doing multiple functions with little defined by way of documented processes. As Atticus grew, so did the complexity. We took the time to “process map” the entire operations team, restructured for logical workflow and staffed for longer-term scalability with an eye on bench strength and succession planning.
All of this gives Atticus a competitive advantage and our customers real benefits. We excel as a small team of high-performing professionals relentlessly driving for results. Day in and day out, I am energized by how quickly our people can identify a strategy, product or everyday problem, then align on a solution and deliver for customers. No matter the complexity, no matter the discipline, we are adaptive, creative, resourceful and decisive.
The ultimate industry sin is to negatively impact the customer. We take it personally if we fail. So, Atticus chooses to engage with customers through a relentless pursuit of results, saying what we are going to do and then doing it. It sounds simple, even basic, but most of our competitors don’t do this consistently. We have found this is the way to be accountable and reliable.
Operational excellence will remain part of our living cultural framework, embedded in the way we think to drive our actions and results. We aspire to be a triple-A supply chain team; agile, adaptable and aligned. And when you couple that with the most extensive branded-generic product portfolio in the industry and knowledgeable, well-networked business and sales managers, Atticus is unrivaled in its organizational alignment with a focus on the future.
Mike King has been in the agricultural chemical industry his entire 30-plus year career. He started with FMC two weeks out of high school and worked his way up through various manufacturing, operations and supply chain roles, including plant management. He then moved to North Carolina to work for MANA (now ADAMA) and then to Verdesian Life Sciences, spending a large portion of that time integrating acquired companies and building a scalable and sustainable operations and manufacturing platform. For the last two years King has served as vice president, operations, for Atticus.
Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
Transcript:
NAFB: With high corn and soybean prices and cold, unfavorable growing conditions so far in 2022, it’s important for farmers to invest in fungicides to maximize yields. Despite high input costs, farmers should still consider fungicides to protect overall plant health and support yield potential.
Aaron Burke, Business Unit Lead, North, with Atticus, offers his thoughts on the bump in fungicide demand and the opportunities fungicides offer corn and soybean farmers this year…
Aaron Burke: The high prices that we’re experiencing with soybeans and corn has just made the ROI calculation for growers really easy to put a fungicide on and get incremental margin and benefit from it. So, when you combine the yield bump that you can have with fungicides, regardless of disease, a lot of the strabillium family has the ability to add six to 12 bushels, whether there’s disease present or not. Growers are looking at the economics and really just determining how many times they’re going to treat versus if they’re going to treat.
NAFB: He says the number one consideration in fungicide selection is field history and the historical challenge each individual farm has had…
AB: The other thing to consider this year again, because of the economics, is the number of applications. Historically, growers in corn have maybe balanced a choice between a V5 application and a VT application. Many of them this year are probably going to be looking at both. Growers need to be considering the timing of that application and communicating with their retailer. And the sooner that they do that, the better they can guarantee that they’re going to have the timing and products that they need. Last thing to consider is all the options that are available for fungicides. Atticus has over 25 broadacre fungicides with both single active ingredients and mixtures. So, when you look at all the alternatives that are out there, it’s a great time to consider Atticus products and post-patent alternatives that can offer even greater savings.
NAFB: Burke explains what pathogens farmers should be watching for this year…
AB: Yeah, tar spot is probably the most emotional one in corn just because it’s newer, it’s been pretty significant in infection and yield loss. But the other ones in corn that are always kind of there, anthracnose, northern corn leaf blight, the rusts, and then the other one that kind of popped up last year similar to tar spot was crown rot. In soybeans, you have seedling diseases like pythium and fusarium. You also have Phytophthora root rot and white mold. 2021 was a relatively dry year, so it would have been less white mold infection than normal. But if we trend back to any normal levels or have higher levels of moisture, we’re probably going to see more white mold. And then, the other one that kind of popped up in soybeans last year was cercospora leaf blot, and growers should just be on the lookout for that.”
NAFB: He adds it’s important to stay in close contact with your retailer and offers other tips as farmers go through the season…
AB: Continue scouting. Again, they can do this through their retailer or on their own, keeping their eye open for infection, lesions. And then as you continue through the season, obviously you make the investment in the fungicide, you’re going to experience the yield enhancement that they offer and the disease protection. The last thing is the evaluation when you get into harvest looking at the different fields, level of infection, how the fungicides performed, additional yield that you might have experienced just because of the fungicide application. And then documenting and tracking all that data so that as you move forward into 2023, we just have a greater dataset to make more informed decisions about where and when and how to use fungicide on your farm.
