FMC Recommits to Research and Innovation

FMC Recommits to Research and Innovation

With the mergers and shake up in the seed and crop protection industry, one company has decided to change its direction on research and innovation.

FMC sold off their research division several years ago, preferring to let others focus on research while they focused on servicing growers. But with the Bayer/ Monsanto merger, BASF spinoffs, and the Dow AgroSciences/Dupont merger, FMC has decided to re-invent in new product research. David Wheeler, Director of the Technical Services division of FMC, said, “Today, innovation from a discovery platform is very important to continue to provide the solutions as resistance evolves to the older technologies.”  FMC purchased research facilities from DuPont in 2017.  “We invested not just in a R&D complex but in an engine to build a discovery pipeline for the future,” Wheeler told HAT at an FMC field day in Boone County.

Wheeler said their research pipeline will have a very specific focus, “We have over 400 researchers focused on nothing but crop protection every day.” He added that this gives FMC a unique advantage because they do not have to focus on seed research but just on crop protection products. New products and compounds from FMC are already hitting the market and more are on track for approval for 2019.

Speed to market is another aspect of the FMC research approach. Wheeler said, “One of the things we are trying to bring from the FMC side is a speed to market approach. Once we find that hit that we feel will bring value to the market, we want to develop it as soon as possible.”

Wheeler stated the company is committed to their retail partners and co-ops as the best way to service the needs of growers