Dawn Refsell is a field development manager for Valent. At the 2016 Farm Progress Show she took time to talk to Chuck Zimmerman about whats happening in the world of crop protection.
Valent is focused on a few new programs, Refsell explains. One of those is seed treatments. Their INTEGO SUITE soybean seed protectant launched just last year and is certainly something to consider, since Refsell compares seed treatments to insurance. After the major investment in seed a growers should protect the maximum potential, she says.
They’re also excited about a product that resulted from farmer feedback. Growers wanted a liquid treatment and registration for more crops. Zeal for soybeans answers that request and protects against two-spited spider mites and other mites that can cause potential yield-loss. The mode of action of Zeal offers three weeks or more of residual control, stopping the mite from egg to adult.
Herbicides are also at the top of Valent’s list.
“I would say almost 100 percent of the people who have come to our booth have asked for something in regards to helping manage either palmer or water hemp,” Refsell told Chuck. “And so we’ve been doing a lot of strategizing, dissecting what they’ve used in the past for their weed management strategy, what they need to use forward, different levels they can incorporate residuals into their program. We’re very keen on supporting multiple, effective modes of action and also an overlapping residual program.”
Hear what recommendations Refsell has for managing weeds her full interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps16-valent.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dawn Refseel, Valent”]