b'JUSTIN CLARK Earth FirstREGIONAL TECHNICAL FIELD LEAD, BASFjustin.clark@basf.comagriculture.basf.us/crop-protection/use-areas/ EARTH FIRST,well convey the rest of the plan-seed-treatment.html ets later. Back in 2007, I found myself spending a lot of time at a job site in Illinois. I stayed in the same town and hotels as a bunch of pipeline workers. Compatibility is Key You know, the guys that bury large pipes into the ground. Every night, the truck tailgates in the parking lot were down, the beer coolers were open, and the smell of BBQ was in the air. The NO ONE TELLSyou how difficult it is working with living systems. Thinkhard-working pipeline guys and this seed plant about it: there are so many things out there that can kill your biologicalguy with office hands had some commonalities. I productsin fact, even your chemistry can. But did you know you dontthink we were in the same pond, but in different have to compromise your biological game for your chemistry game? boats. One evening I noticed a bumper sticker Thats right. While there are some chemistries or biologicals that dontthat read, Earth First, Well Pipe The Rest of the get along, there are plenty others that can really work together in perfectPlanets Later. We had just started manufacturing harmony. So, what does that mean for you? our OMara Ag belt conveyors in earnest, maybe a Well, it means compatibility is key. year or so before. Since that time, I have remem-If you think about it scientificallylets say youre using a fungal- orbered that bumper sticker and held its fun conno-bacterial-based biological. You wouldnt put it on a seed treated with atation close. What does it really mean? I couldnt chemical seed treatment that immediately killed the living biological, right?wait to use the saying somehow myself, so here it Of course not. is today.Whats the secret? In short, the key to compatibility is ensuring one isThe where, why or how of your application, not taking away from the survivability and performance of the other.conveyors are important to us: be it shelled corn, Many of BASFs biological products are Bacillus spp. based. These aresoybeans, sunflowers, popcorn or ear corn that gram-positive spore forming bacteria, so theyre very hardy and robust,you need to convey; be it horizontal, inclined, which means theyre strong survivors. To ensure their survival though, youdeclined, shuttling, tripper conveying; be it high need to learn how to mix them directly in formulations with other activeprofile, low profile, pan idler, tri-roller, bi-roller, ingredients from traditional fungicides, nematicides, insecticides, inocu- slider bed, round bottom, sorting table, treated lants, coatings and colorants. That gets you set up for success.seed drying, bag handling, bag slitting, screw con-And heres another secret, when our biologicals, chemistries, coatings,veying, or bucket elevating, CONVEYING makes inoculants and colorants are still in the R&D phase, we make sure to testup a large part of our business every single day.them for compatibility with one another. But its important to know com- These conveyors fit the realities of our market. patibility is about more than just survivability. We look at the proportion ofThey are better by design, heavy-duty is standard the loaded biological population that succumbs and at what time perioddesign and seedsmanship is considered through-these biologicals drop below a minimum performance threshold. out the design. The equipment is installer-friendly, That means, to assist customers in making the best choice, we bench- user-friendly, service-friendly, and pocketbook-mark the survivability of our biologicals not only with our seed treat- friendly. ment products, but for common market standards from other suppliers.If you are still with me, thank you for reading Everyone has a unique growing situation and seed treatment need, and wethis far. We look forward to want to help with the legwork for customers to understand which biologi- helping you with your con-cal is compatible with other seed treatment products.veying needs on this planet When it comes to biologicals, we know theres so many things that falland on to the next planet within the spectrum, and weve seen the reluctance around biologicals duewhen you are ready.to uncertainty around the survivability of the product. But if you pressure test your biologicals and ensure theyre coming from a reputable and reli-able source that ensures quality and supports chemical compatibility withROBIN OMARAvalidated recommendations, youre ensuring success in the field for years to come.PRESIDENT,OMARA AG SERVICESMake sure to check out my last column on inoculants as well, and some romara60@msn.comcommon misconceptions I encounter with them (Hint: if you use it everyomara-ag.comyear, you will see the best results).JUNE 2021SEEDWORLD.COM /25'