Investing with Intent: Maximizing ROI with Fungicides

Maximizing return on investments from inputs is an important goal for many growers. With increased pressure from low commodity prices, it’s important for growers to get out of their fields what they put into them.

To help you inform your growers on the best ways to maximize ROI, corn and soybean grower Eric Totemeier, of Columbus Junction, Iowa, and Mitch Blair of BASF shared their insights on using inputs like fungicides.

 Consistency helps maximize ROI

For growers, the consistent performance and return on fungicide investment is critical to getting the most out of their inputs. BASF Plant Health fungicides, like Headline AMP^® fungicide and Priaxor^® fungicide, help mitigate biotic stress (disease) and abiotic stress (environmental) to optimize growth efficiency in the plant.

So how does consistency help growers maximize the ROI of fungicides?

According to Blair, management of biotic and abiotic stressors help drive ROI of fungicides. When evaluating whether or not a fungicide application should be made and whether it will provide a return on investment, work with your growers to:

1. Analyze which acres will respond to a fungicide application.
2. Choose the right fungicide for their operation.
3. Leverage the benefits of proactive fungicide applications.
4. Look at the long-term weather forecast.
5. Invest with intent.

In over 500 on-farm trials of Priaxor fungicide from BASF, the product has consistently provided a yield advantage 92 percent of the time*. Priaxor fungicide provides strong disease control and prevention to protect your investment. It has the most consistent positive yield response for the highest ROI, while delivering proven Plant Health benefits. Give your growers peace of mind knowing you are recommending an investment that will positively impact their bottom line.

 The proof is in the pudding

Corn and soybean grower Eric Totemeier believes that BASF Plant Health fungicides truly provided him with a return on his investment. Totemeier farms 1,800 acres in Iowa, of which 50 percent are corn and 50 percent are soybeans.

“When we start out planning, a good majority of our corn acres get a fungicide which is called Xanthion^® in-furrow fungicide from BASF. This goes on with a starter fertilizer early on in the spring and gives us really good protection up front,” said Totemeier.

Xanthion, an in-furrow fungicide from BASF, combines a chemical fungicide and biofungicide to help control soilborne diseases and provide improved cold tolerance, promoting seed health. It provides extended residual control by forming a protective shield around the roots and can lead to healthier plants later in the season.

Despite weather conditions, the use of fungicides has proven to be beneficial for Totemeier. “No matter what, if you’ve had a cool, wet season, you’re obviously open to more disease. If you’ve had a dry and hot season, those fungicides actually help the plant cool down and hold on a lot longer.”

When reflecting on the 2018 season, Totemeier attributes his successful season to fungicides. “100 percent of my corn acres and 75 percent of my soybean acres had a fungicide on them, and I attribute those high yields back to a fungicide application that helped protect that yield.”

To learn more about how you can help your growers maximize ROI with fungicides, listen in on the conversation we had with these growers at the end of 2018.

Always read and follow label directions.

Headline AMP, Priaxor and Xanthion are registered trademarks of BASF.
*2012-2017. BASF sponsored. Summary of all on farm trials. Priaxor fungicide 4 fl oz/A. Applications R1-R4 with the majority at R3. Consistency = % of trials when the Priaxor fungicide treatment out-yielded the UTC.