Special Report

BASF looking to partner with farmers

BASF, the largest chemical producer in the world, sent the message that they want to partner with farmers at the 2015 Commodity Classic.  Scott Kay, Vice President of U.S. crop, says BASF invests two million dollars every day in crop protection research and development.  Kay tells Brownfield that BASF is now taking steps to move beyond just providing solutions and moving more towards better partnering with the grower.

According to Kay, BASF listened to growers by distributing a survey to about 200 of them to see what was on their mind.  Kay says there were a few takeaways from the survey, beginning with planning for success.  Next, use information from BASF and others to know your products.  Kay also talked about the investment advantage, saying, “a lot of feedback we’re getting suggests farmers want to invest, but it would be nice if there was someone to partner with when there is a downside to the commodity prices.”

Based on the survey, Kay says BASF will partner with the grower to mitigate some of that risk.  He points out that for this to be successful, the grower would need to sit down with a BASF business rep in the field or their local retailer.   That is where the partnership would begin.