As another season growing season approaches, farmers are once again planning for flea beetle control. This year planning comes with an additional question of what tools are left in the toolshed after re-labeling of lambda-cy insecticide products may limit use in 2023.
One of the alternative products available is Pounce, an FMC insecticide.
Prior to the lambda-cy news, FMC Canada was already planning an increase in supply of the product, as they know how detrimental flea beetles can be to canola plant populations, as well as in anticipation of potentially elevated pest pressure in 2023.
Since then, FMC has decided to increase their production by four-to-five times, as they look to fill the hole that has been left in the market.
Katrina Schmidt, marketing manager for FMC Canada, says flea beetle control is going to be the number one drive for the product, but it does hold other places in the market as well, including cutworm control. As well, Pounce is used up to the five leaf stage in canola, so it is targeted at other canola pests in the market, too.
In order hit this target of improved output and capacity, FMC has been working ahead of the issue across the board. This means an increase in staffing, safety stocks, de bottlenecking, and more.
“Typically, when we look at planning for supply of a product, you’re looking 12-18 months out in advance. So turning around a substantial amount of volume with essentially four months notice is very challenging. So what happens is, you have to look at the opportunity and what else we can do to free up the production line time,” she explains.
“So that is a larger conversation with global and regional counterparts, to see if we can accommodate that potential new demand,” says Schmidt. “If we can make some product in March and some more Pounce in March, and another product can maybe be shifted a little bit later in the season, then those are the kinds of things that we’re looking at right now.”
Check out the full conversation between Schmidt and RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney, below:
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