At BASF Turf & Ornamentals we want to be the first choice of turf professionals across the U.S. Part of that means a sharp focus on what customers want in new products and delivering solutions that fulfill their unmet needs.

Today, identifying those needs can sometimes be clouded by noise from special interests for “green” or organic products. The appeal of these products is usually tied to the notion that they are better for the environment. Manufactured pesticides are thought by many to be harmful and their benefits somehow artificial.

After all, alternative “non-chemical” treatments must be better. If it’s “organic” that means the turf has been grown and kept healthy naturally, without the aid of pesticides, right?

Well, not exactly.

What many outside our industry do not know is that plant material can be certified organic when it has been treated with pesticides such as copper and sulfur-based fungicides. It’s certified organic because copper and sulfur are organic compounds.

It’s true that both copper and sulfur are natural products that have been used as fungicides for thousands of years, but they don’t come without risk either – copper is a heavy metal that is toxic to fish. There are groundwater contamination issues to be aware of when using copper.

My point is this, we, as an industry - manufacturers, turf professionals, distribution sales and university cooperators need to educate the public at every opportunity about the benefits of our products. There is a lot of misinformation out there and myths that continue to be considered truths.

In fact, the real truth is that the products used on turf today: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, provide more effective performance at lower use rates than ever before.

At BASF we test our products rigorously and work with the Environmental Protection Agency and state governments to adhere to all guidelines to ensure our products are suitable for use around humans, animals and within the environment. And the turf professional purposely follows the manufacturer’s guidelines as it relates to proper use and storage of the products.

These products provide a better quality of life for all of us and we are all stewards of the environment.

I enjoy golfing with my friends and associates, and take pleasure in my backyard with family and neighbors. I am a mother with three young children; the last thing I would ever do is expose them, or my friends and neighbors, to anything harmful.

Neither would you.

So take the time remind everyone you know how hard we all work to provide solutions that improve and sustain our environment.

Thank you.

Toni Bucci
Business Manager, BASF Turf & Ornamentals