EPA Says Product Could Help Prevent Future Wildfires
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALDWELL, ID (Oct. 27, 2020) BioWest Ag Solutions is pleased to announce the release of Battalion Pro – a liquid, preemergent bioherbicide product. Battalion Pro (active ingredient Pseudomonas fluorescens strain ACK55) provides an economically sound and natural alternative for the selective suppression of the invasive annual grass weeds cheatgrass/downy brome, medusahead, and jointed goatgrass.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered Battalion Pro on September 30, 2020, stating the product could be helpful in preventing future wildfires in the western United States. (EPA news release: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-approves-innovative-products-aid-wildfire-management). EPA risk assessments, extensive contract testing, along with laboratory and field research, conclude that Battalion Pro is nontoxic, nonpathogenic, and does no harm to non-target plants, native flora, and fauna. Registration includes use on crops, rangeland, forest, pasture, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Lands, grasses grown for forage or seed, sod production, recreational areas, roadsides, road cuts, construction sites and rights-of-way.
About Battalion Pro
Battalion Pro contains a naturally occurring weed-suppressive bacterium from the soil, discovered after years of research by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The patent protected technology is exclusively licensed from ARS. BioWest Ag Solutions further developed the product for the commercial market. The complex registration process was overseen by the Interregional Project Number 4 (IR-4).
Battalion Pro suppresses only the three targeted annual grass weeds. These invasive weeds have shown to fuel destructive wildfires that result in billions of dollars annually in losses to rangeland, crop, habitat and property, and pose a threat to humans, animals and the environment. This product will soon give agriculture growers and rangeland managers a new tool for fire suppression activities and post-fire restoration efforts.
Battalion Pro is unique in the marketplace as it works at the seed bank. The bacterium inhibits root elongation and can reduce the targeted annual weeds to near zero growth for several years when used in conjunction with integrated weed and restoration management practices. With the reduction of annual grass weeds, desirable plant species can become more competitive. Late fall or early winter is the most effective time to apply this bioherbicide, as the bacterium establishes and proliferates in cooler temperatures with precipitation. This is also the same time that the root system of cheatgrass and other grass weeds, start to grow. Battalion Pro is now available in a quality bulk liquid product for large quantity applications.
BioWest Ag Solutions produces fertility and specific-use biological products and provides plant consulting services to growers and land managers across the western United States. BioWest’s microbial product line offers high-efficient, superior quality, and highly targeted products at a cost‐effective price point. Battalion Pro complements BioWest Ag Solutions’ existing product line and is consistent with the company’s vision of delivering scientifically sound products that maintain a healthy balance between plant and soil.
For more information contact Angela Lafferty (208-949-4404; alafferty@biowest.ag). For more information about BioWest Ag Solutions’ products and services, visit www.BioWest.ag or contact the main office at 208-960-8069.