Volume 42, Number 1 | JANUARY 5, 2016
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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER
www.grainews.ca
PRODUCING NEW PESTICIDES Farmers know a lot about using pesticides. Here’s a chance to learn about how chemical companies dream them up, produce them and market them to you By Lisa Guenther
H
ave you ever wondered how chemical companies create and launch new pesticides? How much it costs them, how they decide what it will cost you and how they come up with those names? Well, we were wondering the same thing at Grainews, so we talked to Kelly Bennett. Bennett manages Dow AgroSciences’ cereal broadleaf herbicides portfolio. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about how Dow creates and launches a new product.
1. How long does it take? How long does it take to launch a new pesticide? Once Dow has identified a new area of chemistry, it typically takes at least 10 years from idea generation to market launch, Bennett told Grainews. Dow screens thousands of compounds every year, Bennett said. Many are created theoretically using computer modelling in the discovery phase. Dow then evaluates the most promising active ingredients in growth chambers, looking at efficacy and crop selectivity. Only about 10 to 20 per cent of these compounds make it past the growth chambers, Bennett said. But as they move through the process, higher and higher proportions of actives advance to the next stage. About four to six years into the process, a product moves from discovery to development, which Bennett said is a real critical milestone. “Once you’re in that phase, you’re pretty confident
you’re not going to kick it out at any stage,” said Bennett. It’s a critical decision point, Bennett said. “That’s where you’re putting a stake in the ground, where you’re going to start spending big money.” So how many actives never see the light of day? If you start with several thousand potential new actives, only a few might make it to market, Bennett said.
2. Is it going to make it? How do you determine whether or not it’s going to market? Before an active even gets out of the lab, Dow researchers complete toxicology tests to make sure it’s safe to handle. As the product moves through the process, there’s more testing to make sure it meets regulatory requirements in different jurisdictions. Dow also looks at product performance on pests and crop safety. So how do they figure out what kinds of products they’re looking for? Dow’s discovery scientists start by identifying key target pests in their global markets. They also need to anticipate farmers’ needs several years down the road, Bennett said. Dow has a base set of weeds that are consistent problems, but they’re also on the lookout for emerging weed issues. Much of their information on future problem weeds comes from farmers, via Dow’s sales people, who are out in the field. For example, a few months ago a rep sent Bennett a picture of American dragonhead, a plant native to most of Canada and the U.S., according to the USDA. “One of our products was controlling it. Well,
obviously it’s not on our label because it would be difficult to even find it to do any research on,” said Bennett. But it’s now on Dow’s radar, as they figure out whether it’s worth plunking it into their research trials. Dow also looks at products that make it easier for farmers to get spraying done. “So our most recent products that we’ve launched, we’ve put a real strong emphasis on their performance under a wide range of conditions, whether it’s crop stage, weed stage or climatic conditions,” said Bennett.
3. What’s the biggest challenge? What’s the biggest challenge to bringing a new pesticide to market? “Cost is probably one of the biggest challenges,” said Bennett. In 2001, the cost to discover and develop a product was typically about $90 million. Today the cost of bringing a new active to market is typically $250 million. Usually Dow applies for patents when it’s moving a product from early discovery stages to the stage where it’s being developed more intensely, Bennett said. Patents are protected for 20 years in Canada. That means Dow usually has 10 years left on the patent once a product hits the market. “So you create a big hole of negative dollars, and then you start selling the products on the market globally. And you have to get return on investment over quite a long period of time. So it’s extremely high risk,” said Bennett. Regulations are another big challenge, although
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In This Issue
Wheat & Chaff .................. 2 Features . ........................... 5 Crop Advisor’s Casebook . 8 Columns ............................ 10 Machinery & Shop............. 18 Cattleman’s Corner .......... 23
Flax production
leeann minogue page 6
Agritechnica
scott garvey page 19
FarmLife ............................ 28