Pennsylvania farmers report stronger herbicide performance and fewer re sprays after adopting SATCHUR8™
A new spray tank additive called SATCHUR8™ is putting real dollars back into the hands of Mid Atlantic farmers by helping herbicides work more effectively. For growers like Joshua Towson of York County, Pennsylvania, the return on investment has been unmistakable.
Towson says he first noticed the product’s impact during a battle with fast growing broadleaf weeds.
“The biggest benefit I saw was on large seeded broadleaves,” he explains. “They were getting big fast, and we paired glyphosate, SATCHUR8, and ENLIST®. Within a week, those big weeds melted to the ground—and they were dead.”
For Towson, avoiding a rescue treatment made all the difference. “Another trip with the sprayer is another $15 an acre, plus the time,” he says. “Time to spray is tough to find. When you’re bouncing around from field to field, that extra pass becomes a real pain. But not with SATCHUR8™—and that means a better ROI.”
SATCHUR8™ entered the Mid Atlantic marketplace after extensive testing in the Willard Farm Performance System (FPS)—a research driven platform developed by Willard Agri Service LLC, a three generation leader in crop inputs and agronomic support.
According to Mike Twining, Willard’s Vice President of Innovation, SATCHUR8™ is exactly the type of technology the FPS was designed to identify and validate for growers.
“When we avoid re-sprays, that’s real money that goes back to our farmer customers,” says Twining. “Last year, where we used SATCHUR8 in historically tough weed-control scenarios, our number of spray passes dropped by more than 50 percent.”
SATCHUR8’s origins are unusual—and part of what makes it effective. The technology was first developed for the healthcare industry to help cancer drugs adhere to tumors. The same adhesive properties help herbicides stick to weed foliage and release active ingredients over an extended period.
“Under a microscope, it looks like a mass of microscopic filaments,” Twining explains. “When added to the spray tank, it helps the herbicide bind to the target weed and stay there longer.”
The formulation was adapted for agriculture by Planet Earth Agronomy, a Midwest research firm specializing in biological and agronomic innovations.
Willard Agri Service created the FPS initiative to cut through the noise of today’s rapidly evolving ag technologies. The goal: find solutions that deliver measurable, repeatable value for growers—financially and environmentally.
“We’re not going to recommend something until we’re sure it brings a clear benefit,” says Twining.
The FPS combines Willard’s decades of regional agronomy experience with new decision support tools, logistical planning, and on farm testing. It’s part of a company wide commitment to helping farmers boost income per acre while safeguarding their land for future generations. CEO Billy Willard says this disciplined evaluation process is essential in today’s agriculture landscape.
“Agriculture is complex, and we need a more systematic approach to evaluating new technology,” Willard says. “By applying high standards, we help our customers avoid misfires and make better informed decisions. As an independent local company, we can be objective about what works and what doesn’t.”