Growth Stage is delivering success for DuPont Crop Protection in the corn and soybean herbicide business in Central Canada. DuPont and Growth Stage enjoy the success that only a long-term relationship can provide.
DuPont has one of the most comprehensive herbicide lineups available to corn and soybean producers in the marketplace. Their particular mix of offerings provides opportunity for growers to spray DuPont products over a wide application window. As the market share leader, DuPont faces the dual task of market share growth and defense.
With so much at stake and such a broad product mix, DuPont needed a way to accomplish the following:
- Communicate the attributes of DuPont herbicides with growers and retail outlets.
- Communicate the correct application timing for many growers.
- Differentiate themselves from manufacturers competing for market share.
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To assist in the achievement of these objectives, Growth Stage developed the Crop Staging Guides. Crop Staging Guides are fax or email reports sent to growers and retail outlets in Quebec and Ontario. Each report contains modeled crop development to show the correct application timing of several DuPont herbicides for corn or soybeans. As well, the guides contain valuable agronomic information, a local weather forecast and a local Crop Heat Unit comparison.
The 2006 growing season marks the ninth consecutive year that DuPont Canada has contracted Growth Stage to assist in their Eastern Canadian Corn and Soybean marketing communication strategy.
Growth Stage uses its proprietary crop modeling and communication system to forecast and communicate proper herbicide application timing to corn and soybean growers. Based on a recipient’s local weather conditions and planting dates, Growth Stage models the development of the corn and soybean crops and forecasts the approximate application dates for specific DuPont herbicides. This information is communicated to the grower in Crop Staging Guides sent via fax or email.
Each Guide is unique, with modeled crop staging information for each recipient based on their local weather conditions and the specific dates they planted their corn or soybeans. To provide the best experience possible and to ensure that the modeled crop information is valid, each recipient has the opportunity to calibrate the model (through a web application) based on their local observations. Since crop development is modeled daily, each recipient can consistently access the latest information to assist in their application decisions.
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The ability to calibrate the models based on local observations and to receive near real-time data helps recipients make more informed application decisions for the DuPont products they use. Concurrently, DuPont is getting a significant number of brand impressions with each target grower throughout the herbicide application season.
Success and growth of this project is due to the strong relationship built between DuPont and Growth Stage. Dumaine comments; “We have always found the staff at Growth Stage to be very customer focused. They are always ready to listen and take appropriate action in a timely manner.”
Larry Dumaine offered these words regarding his relationship with Growth Stage; “I have no hesitation in saying that Growth Stage is a leading edge company. They have good technology but are always willing to try to find ways to make it better. They do this by capturing the voice of the customer.”
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