Drift and runoff of pesticides are among the many reasons blamed for damaging and diminishing populations of bees and any number of animal habitats. As such, many in the ag industry pushed for the adoption of adjuvants to EPAs Herbicide Strategy.

“Drift reduction adjuvants (DRA) are among the most practical, affordable, and efficient ways to reduce off-target pesticide movement and can thus greatly help to protect endangered species,” Greg Dahl, Retired Senior Research Manager at WinField United and Past President of the Weed Science Society of America, said on the organization website. “Pesticide applicators already use DRAs on more than one hundred million acres annually in the United States, and their performance and environmental protection benefits have been well demonstrated, documented and realized.”

Late last year EPA agreed and included drift reduction adjuvants as a mitigation option for the Endangered Species Act taking a cue from Weed Science Society of America, the Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), CropLife America, and the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants, among others.

John Blackford, who was the Branded Technology Portfolio Manager, Wilbur-Ellis when he spoke with CropLife Magazine in January, EPA’s addition of adjuvants as a mitigation tool for drift is: “The most significant regulatory change is the application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to herbicide, fungicide and insecticide applications. This could impact every farm, in every county, in every state, with every crop applied.”

Before EPAs rule changes, adjuvants were viewed more as a luxury than a necessity. Their usage was directly tied to the roller coaster-like price growers could get for their crops.

“We see increases in use as crop prices rise and decreases as prices drop,” Brian Anderson, KopCoat, Regional Sales Manager – Agriculture, told CropLife earlier this year. “Growers tend to eliminate adjuvants first when costs seem high, although studies have shown that adjuvants increase pesticide effectiveness, which boosts yields by reducing weed competition.”

Now that adjuvants are included as a mitigation strategy, providers hope that these products will become less luxury and more necessity. Retailers can play a key role in that process.

“Retailers have been pivotal in increasing adjuvant usage,” Anderson says. “They have educated growers about the correlation between adjuvant usage and significantly increased pesticide effectiveness, decreased callbacks, and increased income at the grower level.”

Austin Anderson, Brand Manager of Adjuvants with Helena Products Group, agreed with that sentiment.

“Retailers are crucial links in the agricultural value chain, acting as educators, advisors, and distributors of adjuvants,” he said. “Our expertise and relationships with farmers enable us to promote the proper use of adjuvants, foster adoption of innovative solutions, and ensure compliance with regulations, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable farming practices.”

That education, along with the addition of adjuvants to EPA’s Herbicide Strategy, seems to be working.

“Our market research shows interest and usage of spray adjuvants continues to grow,” Joe Vaillancourt, Adjuvants Marketing Manager, WinField United, explained in response to a question from CropLife. “The validation of consistent performance of adjuvant solutions has been paramount to their growth over the years. Today, it feels like there are more farmers who ‘won’t spray without them’ than the skeptics.

New Offerings

“Growers have known for years the benefits of surfactants and stickers because they demonstrably and clearly improve herbicide efficacy,” CPDA President and CEO Terry Kippley told CropLife in January. “Now, growers are discovering the benefits, both environmental and economic, of utilizing Drift Reduction Adjuvants (DRAs) to make precise applications with little or no offsite movement.

“Over the next several years, (we) expect even greater adoption of adjuvants,” Kippley continued, “especially DRAs, as Endangered Species Act pesticide no-spray buffer restrictions appear on more and more pesticide labels. DRAs will play a key role in reducing or eliminating these buffers.”

Kippley lauds providers for delivering better and safer solutions.

“Improvements include new chemistries such as polymers that are less sensitive to shear and building formulations with sustainable and lower toxicity components,” he said. “Plus, formulations have expanded to include many products with multiple functions providing convenience for retailers and growers. We have also seen increasing research and use of adjuvants in new markets with fungicides and soil applied herbicides.

“All these factors have resulted in the ability to better match adjuvants with specific nozzles, products, and application methods to optimize performance and minimize driftable fines,” Kippley continued. “These (factors) address one other factor applicators have more focus on ― ROI. They want products with data to prove performance and return.”

Of course, as products become more advanced and more technically cutting edge, understanding how they work requires deeper understanding.

“We are starting to see a lot of universities and adjuvant manufacturers spend money to innovate and specialize their offerings,” said Jeff Bunting, Vice President of Crop Protection, GROWMARK, in an interview earlier this year. “The new products are more sophisticated and that will continue to require experts to understand the chemical reaction that is happening in the tank, during the application process, what happens to the droplet that lands on the intended plant, and how that pesticide maintains its effectiveness to control the target weed. Now (users must) figure in the environmental challenges and the increasing regulatory requirements of making that application without harming the environment.”

Changing Attitudes

“The adjuvant business is continuing to grow,” Eileen Bernard, Senior Adjuvant Manager for Loveland Products told CropLife. “As growers face more challenges and tighter markets, it is critical that they are getting the most out of every application they make. Adjuvants work by reducing the potential fail-factors in applications, ensuring you get it right the first time.”

While the inclusion of adjuvants in EPA’s final Herbicide Strategy is good news for the industry and while a number of effective adjuvants are already on the market, developing new adjuvants presents some challenges.

“Developing new adjuvant ‘ingredients’ is fraught with difficulty – development and registration costs can be very high and market acceptance can take years to occur, Dan Karlik, Vice President, Adjuvants Unlimited, told CropLife earlier this year.

It’s not just advancements in the adjuvants themselves. Spraying equipment has also improved, allowing retailers and their grower-customers to more precisely deliver products.

“Retailers are now utilizing very sophisticated sprayers,” KopCoat’s Anderson said. “This new generation of sprayers has controls that allow them to either spot treat fields or spray entire fields. Other technologies, like drones, allow for precise treatment in fields, and the new adjuvant technology allows for drift control in areas that were previously off-limits.”

Just like other crop inputs, there are variations in the quality and efficacy of adjuvants.

“Many in the industry — basic manufacturers, distributors, retailers and grower applicators — recognize the difference a high-quality adjuvant makes when used in a spray application,” said Matt Faletti, Business Development and Marketing Manager, Precision Laboratories LLC, in an interview earlier this year. “The impact of adjuvant selection can mean the difference between a clean field, and a satisfied customer or a real problem that ultimately could result in yield loss.”