Adapting to change and embracing new challenges…

It is an honor to partner with Greenhouse Management and Nursery Management in supporting this “State of the Market” special report. It is an important time for ornamentals as the industry continues to embrace new solutions while adapting to the current environment.

For those readers who do not know me, I provide technical support for the greenhouse and nursery business at Bayer. I am fortunate to be a part of a small, yet highly experienced, group of ornamental specialists who strive to deliver best-in-class customer support. It is always a pleasure to interact with growers and learn more about the challenges and successes of their operations. The insights gleaned from those discussions are very often what drives innovation at Bayer as we continually work to address the evolving needs of the industry.

Pests don’t rest, even in a pandemic

During these unprecedented times, we know that our customers still have businesses to run and crops to protect. Pests aren’t deterred by social distancing. So, Bayer remains committed to providing customers with ongoing technical support, and we are adapting our approach accordingly. This includes leveraging virtual tools, like FaceTime and Microsoft Teams, to keep communication lines open. Whether for product support, technical and agronomic expertise, pest diagnoses, or just someone to talk to, you can count on us to be there when you need it most.

Adding value to minimize production costs

One of the fundamental challenges growers face is staying on budget, and to do this they must manage overall production costs. Therefore, when it comes to plant protection products, successful growers demand products that bring value to the operation and result in long-term cost savings in other areas. This includes products with broad-spectrum activity and long residual control, as well as plant and environmental safety. Bayer understands these demands and continues to deliver innovative products with these criteria in mind. We also offer value calculators for our products so that customers can calculate the broader cost-savings benefits of investing in Bayer solutions.

Complex challenges call for innovative solutions

Insects, weeds and diseases will always be factors for growers to manage. Working with customers, university researchers and our internal team of developmental scientists, we continually work to provide growers with valuable solutions, such as Broadform® fungicide, Marengo® herbicide and Altus® insecticide to help them tackle their toughest challenges. Broadform, as the name implies, is an excellent rotational tool that manages a broad spectrum of diseases and protects plants from more than 50 pathogens. For weed control, no other herbicide lasts longer than Marengo. A powerful pre-emergence herbicide, Marengo demonstrates up to eight months of residual control of more than 90 weeds with a single application. And Altus provides plant protection from piercing-sucking insects with minimal impact on beneficial insects, including pollinators, and it has an excellent track record for plant safety. Growers can learn more about these and other innovative solutions for protecting ornamentals by visiting es.bayer.us/ornamentals.

Last, but certainly not least, thank you, Greenhouse Management and Nursery Management for sharing this important “State of the Market” report. Here’s to a year of embracing new challenges, implementing innovative solutions and growing beautiful, healthy plants!

Sincerely,

Aaron Palmateer, Ph.D.

Senior Technical Service Representative, Ornamentals, Bayer

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Bayer Environmental Science, a Division of Bayer CropScience LP, 5000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 400, Cary, NC 27513. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-800-331-2867. environmentalscience.bayer.us. Not all products are registered in all states. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, Altus, Broadform and Marengo are registered trademarks of Bayer. © 2020 Bayer CropScience LP.