1. Summer 2013 Dicamba Marketing Study
Derek Patterson
Doerun,GA
Trainer: Jason Pittman
I spent the majority of my summer assessing all the possible concerns and perspectives of
the use of Dicamba in the South East. I called on growers, retailers, and consultants to gather
information so that my team can better understand the public opinion of Dicamba.
While conducting my research I found that 95% of the time customers were ready for Xtend
to get out in the market and be commercialized. This will provide another tool in their toolbox to
control weed pressure while still achieving the superior yields that the Deltapine varieties offer.
Some of the customers I called on while conducting my study, asked many questions on Dicamba,
but displayed little concern with drift. The customers with the highest concern were the ones who
had previous issues with Dicamba, or 2,4-D drift; and the customers who farm either multiple
brands or a diverse set of crops close to each other.
A big argument many customers brought to my attention was the cost of technology.
Growers are concerned that the cost this new technology will bring to their existing seed pur-
chases; and if the operating cost of controlling weeds will impact their overall profitability. Some
customers do not anticipate to use all of the modes of action brought to market by Bollgard 2
Xtendflex Cotton, and do not see the need to pay a high technology fee. Another concern from cus-
tomers was why they need to use Dicamba, if they already have a good residual/weed manage-
ment program.
I learned that the ideal way to gain the highest public opinion on Dicamba used is to get the
top 10% of customers on board with Xtend. This includes the most influential growers, retailers,
consultants, the strong academics, along with the first new product evaluator (NPE) plots, as well as
the Xtend weed management system. I would also recommend that we continue to market Xtend
as “another tool in the toolbox”, which growers are really taking a liking to. Finally, we need to con-
tinue to inform customers on the benefits of Dicamba, as well as application requirements, so we
can eliminate drift damage situations in our near future.
Concerns/questions
Retailers Consultants Growers Frequency Asked
Cost of Technology 8 2 12 100%
Drift Liability 8 3 11 100%
Application Requirements 4 1 4 45%
Application Training 3 1 2 28%
Yield Drag 2 0 1 14%
Positive Outlook
Farmer's Confindence on Xtend 7 2 12 95%