The demand for professional lawn care services is booming, which is good news for marketers of pesticides and fertilizers used by lawn care operators (LCOs). Younger households in the United States are increasingly inclined to hire gardening, lawn care, and landscape maintenance professionals, resulting in a paradigm shift in the landscaping industry, after the downturn witnessed during the economic recession. However, a wide gap has emerged in the demand and supply of skilled labor in the industry in recent years, as the total number of lawn, landscaping, and groundskeeping workers fell – for example – from 913,480 in 2018 to 912,660 in 2019. While the overall demand for pesticides and fertilizers has increased – with sales rising by 2.9% per annum to over $500MM in 2021 – there has been a decided change in products usage: Continue reading
Category Archives: Agrochemicals/Specialty Pesticides
U.S. Crop Protection Facing Unprecedented Challenges
The U.S. agricultural chemicals market has experienced significant issues in the wake of the pandemic, from supply chain disruptions and labor shortages to increased regulatory pressure and supplier and distributor consolidation. Agricultural distributors and retailers must be able to compete in a constantly and rapidly changing market, plus offer new solutions to current challenges, including:
Pest Control Product Demand Is Flying High – Because of Poultry
Growing demand for poultry in five Southeast Asian countries is necessitating stricter animal-health regulations and higher hygiene standards which, in turn, is driving increased use of pest control products.
Sustainability Concerns Are Boosting Demand for Biopesticides, Biostimulants, and Biofertilizers
Protecting the environment has taken on global urgency, with the world increasingly focused on sustainability efforts. This has driven demand for global biopesticides, biostimulants, and biofertilizers.
Agrochemicals/Specialty Pesticides: Top 5 Picks for 2021
While production and supply within the agrochemicals market were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of the industry, nonetheless, continues to be positive, driven by global population growth, the increasing need to cut crop losses and maximize yields, consumer trends toward sustainably produced food, and the role of agrochemicals in helping to mitigate climate change. However, that’s not to say all is rosy.
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Biopesticides Are Going to Pot — But That’s Good News for the Market
Many analysts predict that the global market for biopesticides will double over the next five years — but much of this growth won’t come from traditional markets.
“Medical marijuana,” says Dennis Fugate, Industry Manager for our Agriculture and Specialty Pesticide practice, “is one of the more unusual markets fueling the increased demand for biopesticides.” Because the compounds that are used in biopesticides have very specific modes of action, they don’t affect non-targeted organisms, making them very appealing to growers of medical marijuana. And, because biopesticides don’t leave behind dangerous residues, they’ve become equally as appealing to users of medical marijuana.
7 Reasons Why Fruit and Vegetable Growers Are Embracing Biostimulants
Demand for biostimulants is growing rapidly, fueled in part by consumer trends toward wellness and organic produce, along with rising environmental concerns. Biostimulants contain organic substances such as humic acid, vitamins, hormones, and microorganisms that stimulate natural processes to enhance crop quality. When applied to plants or rhizosphere, biostimulants boost nutrient efficiency, resulting in increased root growth, greater water-holding capacity, and increased microbial activity.
“Population growth is another factor that is shifting attention to biostimulants,” says Dennis Fugate, Industry Manager for our Agriculture and Specialty Pesticide practice. The population is expected to increase from 7.3 billion in 2015 to 9.7 billion in 2050 — with global food demand projected to rise 59%-89% by 2050. “Biostimulants are expected to play a key role in significantly and sustainably increasing the yield of agricultural crops.”
Here are seven reasons why fruit and vegetable growers are adopting biostimulants.Continue reading
The Organic Fruits and Vegetables Market Is Increasing — So Why Is the Rate of Growth Expected to Slow?
Organic farming may be on the rise, but — at the same time — farmers say they aren’t planning to expand their organic production. Why the disconnect? According to Dennis Fugate, Agriculture Industry Manager for our Agriculture and Specialty Pesticide practice, “Farmers, in general, feel that demand for organics may have leveled off.” Consistent with this statement, a USDA survey of organic growers indicated that only 29% of organic farmers expected to expand their production, with 8% stating that they would discontinue or decrease their production.”
[UPCOMING WEBINAR] Sting Operation: How the US Controls Mosquito Vectors
Join this webinar to learn about:
Technology to the Rescue: Drones Will Help Control Mosquitoes
The use of drones is expected to increase in the never-ending effort to control mosquitoes, according to new research by Kline.
The unmanned aerial vehicles allow for more direct targets of application and reduce potential exposure of chemicals to applicators. Currently, drones are mostly used for scouting missions and to photograph areas of potential water accumulation; they’re also useful in larvicide treatments. Kline forecasts a steady growth of almost 2.4% over the next five years overall; in fact, 50% of respondents said they planned to use drones in the near future. Meanwhile, 25% planned to increase their use of larvicides to control mosquitoes, and another 25% said they planned to use more traps and monitors. Just over 15% of respondents said they were looking at increasing their coverage area to provide more effective control.
