Wilbur-Ellis, a recognized leader in precision agriculture technology and the marketing and distribution of plant protection, seed and nutritional products in the U.S. market, has agreed to be the exclusive distributor for Employ, containing Plant Health Care’s Harpin aß technology, for applications to specialty crops in the U.S.
“The addition of Employ to our branded offerings is a meaningful step forward to becoming a distribution market leader in the biological solutions space,” says Wilbur-Ellis branded technologies portfolio manager Jesse Rosales. “We are very excited about growing this product in key specialty crops regions like Washington, Oregon, Michigan and the broader northeastern U.S.”
Harpin ?ß works by triggering a plant’s own self-defense systems, in a manner similar to vaccinations in humans. The plant responds with improved vigor, healthy growth, heightened defense response and, ultimately, increased yield. Being a biological product, Harpin aß has a very favorable human and environmental safety profile.
Employ provides benefits for the growers of fruits and vegetables through increased yield and quality. Employ was recognized as Best Global Biostimulant at the Agrow Awards in November 2018, but has had limited distribution in the U.S. This new agreement with Wilbur-Ellis will substantially increase the number of growers introduced to the product.
“With this new agreement, Employ will have the power of a major distributor in the U.S. specialty crop market for the first time,” says Chris Richards, executive chairman and interim CEO of Plant Health Care. “Wilbur-Ellis has great trust and respect with specialty crop growers and will be a great partner to expand the growth of Employ in these crops.”