Grow Choice updates Fluproponate production

The Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party (VSTWP) hosted guest speaker Robert Fagan earlier this year, owner of agricultural chemical company Grow Choice.

Robert gave an insightful presentation on his experience in returning the selective herbicide, Fluproponate, to the market and the challenges he has faced from finding an alternative recipe that complies with strict new production licences in overseas production facilities. Fluproponate is the only registered selective herbicide for the invasive noxious weed, Serrated Tussock, and was removed from the market for two years during the COVID period, with serious doubts that it would ever return to the market.

The VSTWP are grateful to Robert for his firsthand account at developing a new recipe for the selective herbicide and the massive challenges he has overcome to get it back on the shelves for landowners across the country.  Robert travelled all the way down from Tamworth to deliver his presentation first hand and covered the topics of production restraints, price updates, purity of the new production line and also his concerns for the herbicide remaining on the market and the need for further trials to assist with this task requirement.

Robert was asked many questions about the price increases since returning the product to the market and stated that ‘due to new restrictions on ingredients, we have a limited supply of raw ingredients, that has resulted in significant cost increases but an increase in purity of production’. ‘We are aiming doing all we can to increase the production volume and sourcing new supplies of raw ingredients to reduce the cost of this unique product to the consumer, land managers and landowners’ noted Mr Fagan.

For further information about joining the VSTWP or to attend meetings, please contact Ivan Carter on 0422605953. For more information on serrated tussock, please visit www.serratedtussock.com