Today the number of such options available to your farmers continues to grow every season.
 

But not all spikes are equal, so how do you ensure customers get the right one for their requirements?
 

BASF technical manager Grant Hagerty says the first step is to define a successful outcome, for both you and the farmer: “Ideally you want to recommend the option that will mean they get the best possible results first up, and do not end up coming back to you with subsequent weed problems down the track.”
 

It can be tempting to try and ‘save’ customers money on all sorts of sowing inputs at this time of the season, including herbicides, but in the big picture, this doesn’t always add up.
 

“The value of most New Zealand farm land is such that it has to earn to its potential 365 days of the year, or as close to that as possible.
 

“If your customers are sowing new pasture this autumn, for example, they can’t afford for it to not to grow as much as it is genetically capable of growing. And that means no weeds, full stop.”
 

Comprising one of the most recently developed active ingredients available in the preplant market, Hagerty says Sharpen herbicide provides modern broadleaf weed control in keeping with the demands (and expectations) of 21st century farm systems.
 

Sharpen contains saflufenacil (Kixor), which works by rapidly bleaching and desiccating susceptible broadleaf weeds, and symptoms are often visible within hours of application.
 

It’s compatible with all formulations of glyphosate, and farmers can plant ryegrass, maize or cereals into sprayed paddocks 24 hours after burndown.
 

It can be used to spray out pastures for renewal as well as preparing paddocks for certain arable crops.
 

“A key point of difference is that it has good systemic action, so it can be used to target larger problem weeds like deep rooted dandelion, hieracium and hawks beard as well as ragwort, thistles and docks,” he adds.
 

Other benefits add genuine value to today’s time-poor farmers – with Sharpen, there is no need for tank decontamination, and it has short withholding periods for both grazing (two days) and slaughter (14 days).
 

It also has zero milk withholding, and does not alter the sweetening effect of glyphosate.
 

For more detail visit www.basf.co.nz.