Not a Pleasant Surprise

Variability is one of the first lessons we learn in agriculture. You can strive all you want to keep controllable production factors constant, yet there may be wide changes between yields.

A cornerstone of stewardship is to be conservative in communication. Pesticide marketing differs from that for perfume in that we avoid exaggeration, even erring on the side of most abundant caution.

I recall some of my most humbling professional experiences being related to reprimands from my Gurus for drafting copy about Ekalux (Quinalphos) and yield assurances. That is why I am especially sorry to come across this ridiculous and unprofessional link Rice Calculator (2009, Syngenta Farm Assist) from a successor organization of my former employers:

I appeal to all pesticide industry professionals to desist from misleading communication. Perhaps this happens because we let some advertising types hijack the entire communication effort. It is not as though truthful communication is entirely altruistic: brands and businesses are built on decades of trust. They  can shatter beyond repair after just one misguided campaign.

Dr. Satya Banerji

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