Soaring costs present a crop protection quandary

Two schools of thought are emerging about farmers’ use of crop protection products, such as pesticides, this growing season. And they’re at either end of the spectrum.

One school says farmers will use more products than usual. That sounds like unconventional thinking, given how production costs have soared – crop protection is expensive and farmers traditionally watch every dime leaving their bank accounts. It’s not what crop protection product companies were forecasting earlier this year; they thought low prices would force farmers to reduce product use.

But through the winter, things have changed. An emerging argument is that farmers can’t afford not to invest in products that will enhance their crops’ production to the max.

Indeed, expenses are high but the prices farmers get for their crops are not keeping pace with inputs that increase the cost of production – which in some cases, like fertilizer, is not an option. That may mean that farmers must pull out all the stops to coax every possible bushel they can from their fields, without exhausting the soil or themselves.

Some people think that scenario will lead farmers to use products they might not normally use – legal, researched, commercially available products that some other year, they feel they could do without and still make a decent living.

And it’s not just crop protection products; rather, all farming strategies are getting a second look. Low crop prices, high costs and unexpected twists and turns like we’ve seen over the past year or so require farmers to consider efficiencies in every aspect of their operations.

The other school of thought reflects farmers’ traditionally economically minded way of growing food. People who subscribe to this way of thinking believe high costs might lead to farmers using fewer costly crop protection products.

They’ll scout their fields, keep an exceptionally close eye on the arrival of pests and disease, and use crop protection only when the balance sheet works out in their favour.

Thanks once again to research, farmers and agronomists know how much of an infestation crops can handle. Fields don’t need to be entirely weed-free, pest-free or disease-free. Crops have varying tolerance to pests and disease, depending on the variety, severity of the infestation and growing conditions.

An experienced eye can determine if crop protection is necessary to stop insects or disease in their tracks, or if the crop is hardy enough to handle it, so pesticide or herbicide use can be withheld or localized.

Scouting is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s been recommended for farmers and practiced for years. But it’s another example of how the current economic situation is making everyone take another look at stepping up their management practices.