I just stepped out of a meeting between several university agronomy faculty members and about a dozen vegetable farmers at a potato industry association.
The farmers are dealing — like so many who include potatoes in rotation — with the major costs of verticillium. The table of farmers started by laying out the stark reality: “Verticillium is trouncing our crops.” The four agronomists and plant pathologists present spent the remainder of the discussion recommending different variations on: “Try cover crops”, “Try manure”, “Try compost”.
The industry has tried cover crops and tried manure and tried compost for 50 plus years. Those ‘fixes’ simply don’t work on the time scale that the industry needs to be productive. At best, they allow farmers to feel like they’re doing something to tackle the verticillium problem, but one can almost hear the verticillium laughing at the effort.I get frustrated with the circular discussions on this topic because we’ve got chloropicrin – a clear, effective, targeted and, if I dare say it, modern solution. Chloropicrin, the active ingredient in Strike soil fumigants, supports the beneficial parts of the soil biome, increases nutrient cycling and improves overall soil health, while effectively managing yield-robbing pathogens like verticillium. That’s all documented by third-party research and is proving highly beneficial in fields around the world.
Innovators and front runners have already jumped on board, and our message is gaining increasing traction with a wider cross-section of growers. Yet, we keep running into conversational roadblocks within the industry. Due to misunderstanding, old-school ways of thinking or an unwillingness to move away from the status quo, many default to painting chloropicrin with the “all fumigants are bad” brush.
I’m happy to have the chloropicrin conversation with growers because it feels like a productive conversation. They start the conversation with their assumptions regarding fumigants, but tend to be open to hearing about why chloropicrin is different and how it can generate real returns in their fields. Where I’m frustrated is with the industry experts who, incorrectly assume a fumigant is a fumigant, and are closed to conversation about a technology — arguably the most effective technology currently available — that would have a beneficial impact on managing verticillium.
Let me throw open the doors of conversation. If you are an agronomist, ag researcher or anyone interested in the immediate-term and long-term success and sustainability of our potato fields, and if you have questions or uncertainty about chloropicrin, let’s chat! Want to do a third-party unbiased trial? We’re so confident in our results that we’ll gladly partner with you in a trial so you can personally experience the benefits. “Try manure”, “Try cover crops”, “Try compost” is a start but just isn’t a good enough solution for today’s farmers struggling with verticillium. If we work together, we can achieve more.
Contact me at [email protected]
