AGCO Axes Spracoupe Sprayers Discontinuing Line

Feb 22, 2013

Citing EPA compliance and diminishing volumes resulting in an ever-changing industry landscape, AGCO announced it will discontinue production of its line of SpraCoupe compact, self-propelled sprayers for the North American market in 2013.

Mark Sharitz, AGCO's marketing director for application equipment, said production of all SpraCoupe 2013 models - including the 4460, 4660, 7460 and 7660 models - will continue through May.

For the past 50 years, the SpraCoupe brand has served farmers who want smaller professional-grade self-propelled application equipment for applying fertilizer and crop protection products on their own. However, the North American customer base for this segment has been shrinking, reflecting fewer, smaller farms and a growing number of larger farming operations, fueling demand for larger, more productive machines.

Click here to see more...

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.