Federated Co-ops, Inc., requires growers to annually update or renew their Product Service Policy (PSP) before crop protection can be purchased or applied each spring. Craig Gustafson, Federated's eastern division agronomy manager, explained the key reasons why this is required.

First, change is continuous and the demands of agri-business are increasingly complex. Federated understands these changes and is here to help you -- our growers -- navigate the challenges the changes create.

Secondly, the Product Service Policy is a communication tool. The PSP allows growers to clearly convey their plans to Federated, which in turn enables the Federated team of agronomists, applicators, and suppliers to provide their best level of performance and service.

Thirdly, understanding crop protection products and their proper use is extremely important. Knowing more about the product prior to application is the first defense against misapplication.

The product labels include valuable information, including but not limited to:

• which weeds are controlled by the product,
• application rates and timing,
• soil types and textures in which the product performs best,
• crop rotation considerations,
• groundwater and grazing restrictions,
• required setbacks, and
• re-entry intervals.

Additional crop protection product information is available online at this link.  Go to product search and enter the brand name of the product; from the list provided, you can download or view any label, according to Gustafson.

Fortunately, the PSP has not changed this year (as compared to 2016). "However," said Gustafson, "there are new crop protection products available for 2017 with new label requirements."

Gustafson added this reminder: Always refer to the product label for all directions. "The label is the law," he said.

View (and/or download) Federated's 2017 Product Service Policy.

Members of the Federated agronomy team will be contacting growers throughout January and February to update PSP forms. Your Federated Agronomists are always ready to discuss crop protection options for your farm in 2017.