Why Access to & Good Stewardship of Crop Protection Tools Matters

Season 5: Episode 210

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Jeffrey Smith of Valent U.S.A. and Dr. Frank Wong of Bayer Crop Science to discuss the essential and often misunderstood role of crop protection in modern agriculture. Representing the Growing Matters coalition, Jeff and Frank dive into the importance of science-based advocacy, the value of stewardship, and the continued fight to ensure farmers have access to the tools they need to protect their crops and yields.

The conversation covers the mission of Growing Matters and the BeSure! campaign, the science behind neonicotinoid products, and the regulatory challenges posed by misinformation and shifting political winds. Jeff shares insight from his decades of work building coalitions to defend key crop protection chemistries, while Frank explains the rigorous safety and regulatory processes behind pesticide approvals and the responsibility that applicators hold.

Listeners will walk away with practical reminders about treated seed, foliar applications, label compliance, and why good stewardship matters—not just for safety, but for the long-term resilience of agriculture. With a candid and even humorous look at the intersection of science, policy, and public perception, this episode offers clarity in a time when growers need it most.

To learn more about Brenda and her services, visit https://growingmatters.org.

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Transcript

00:00:11:10 - 00:00:36:12
Chrissy Wozniak
Hi, and welcome to North American Spotlight I’m Chrissy Wozniak. Today we're diving into the vital and often misunderstood topic of crop protection. Specifically, the importance of safe access to the tools that help farmers protect their crops and preserve their yields. That's where growing matters comes in. A coalition committed to promoting responsible use of crop protection products and ensuring growers have all the tools they need for success.

00:00:36:14 - 00:00:55:04
Chrissy Wozniak
Today, I'm joined by Jeffrey Smith, associate director of industry and government relations for Vaillant USA, and doctor Frank Wang, director of stakeholder relations for Bayer Crop Science. Welcome back, Jeff and Frank. I love having you guys on every year. And thank you so much for joining me today.

00:00:55:06 - 00:00:57:20
Jeffrey Smith
Thank you. Thanks for having us.

00:00:57:22 - 00:00:59:19
Dr. Frank Wong
Thank you Christy.

00:00:59:21 - 00:01:07:00
Chrissy Wozniak
So can you each, start out by giving us a little of your of each of your background.

00:01:07:02 - 00:01:34:22
Jeffrey Smith
Okay. I'll go first. Frank, that's okay with you. So I do industry relations with Vaillant USA. But I am actually a weed scientist by training. I spent, Well, this is my 26th year with Vaillant USA. But I spent my first 16 years Vaillant doing research. So working with the very products we'll be talking about today, developing, developing them for markets, working with sales force and training.

00:01:34:24 - 00:01:54:16
Jeffrey Smith
So it was good to get a lot of field experience, but now I'm working in government relations, which is about freedom to operate, which is, you know, a much more political discussion. And Frank and I are certainly faced with many challenges in today's, pesticide world. So, that's, you know, where my primary focus is now.

00:01:54:17 - 00:01:58:03
Jeffrey Smith
So, Frank.

00:01:58:05 - 00:02:18:15
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. I'm very similar to Jeff in the sense that I am not a trained entomologist. From the get go. I'm actually a plant pathologist. And, I've been with Bayer Crop science for about 14 years. And prior to that, I was state wide extension specialist, for the University of California, working primarily in turf and ornamental crops.

00:02:18:15 - 00:02:57:18
Dr. Frank Wong
So, I have the benefit of bringing in that experience as well to the conversation. And, you know, why would they take a plant pathologist and, move them into working on, pollinator safety and, you know, non-target movement? It's because it's that important issue. And so I have been utilizing my background in pesticide safety and, and, stewardship, for at least the last ten years as far as focusing on, pollinator safety and using neonicotinoids responsibly because it's then been that big of an issue for the industry.

00:02:57:20 - 00:03:08:18
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. That's great. And thank you both for your service to the industry. Definitely invaluable. So explain what growing matters is and why it was created.

00:03:08:20 - 00:03:35:08
Jeffrey Smith
So, you know, Frank just mentioned, you know, issues around pollinators. So several years ago, there was a big, push, to protect pollinators. And, you know, something we've always tried to do in the pesticide industry is protect any of, you know, species or anything not, you know, not in the field, but there was a big groundswell of, political, negativity around, pesticides in general and specifically the neonics coming out of the EU.

00:03:35:10 - 00:03:56:13
Jeffrey Smith
And so there was a lot of misinformation out there. There was a lot of data gaps. There was a lot of misunderstanding about what neonics were and weren't. And so the Growing Matters coalition, was registrants that actually have unique products getting together and working on generating the data showing the benefits of these products, getting the messaging out.

00:03:56:15 - 00:04:15:18
Jeffrey Smith
So it was really a, you know, a collaborative effort to generate the things to make sure our political leaders, our regulatory groups, understood the need for these products and the benefits of these products so that they weren't unnecessarily targeted for cancellation. That's my dirty overview of it. Frank, if you want to, add to that.

00:04:15:20 - 00:04:38:02
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. You know, I'll I'll take a slightly different, tack on it and, you know, simultaneously, as you know, as Jeff mentioned, you know, there's all these external pressures as far as, you know, folks being very circumspect and then looking closely at crop protection tools. I think we can all agree that farming has not gotten easier.

00:04:38:04 - 00:05:16:11
Dr. Frank Wong
Over the last ten years. And so there's this definite recognition that farmers and other, you know, agricultural and nonagricultural sectors, you know, really need to maintain the utility of these tools. And, really benefit, from the insect control that they provide. Because, again, there's all kinds of other issues, whether they're economic challenges or labor challenges, so on and so forth, that we really feel that losing these important tools, it's just going to make life harder, for those out in the field and those managing, plans for living.

00:05:16:13 - 00:05:27:07
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, yeah. Great points. So what is the best tour campaign? You do this every year? What is its mission? The messages and really the goals.

00:05:27:09 - 00:05:50:12
Jeffrey Smith
So, yeah, I mean, in its simplest terms, it's a public service announcement campaign and focusing on the best management practices for the use of mnemonic products. So and that's focused across the U.S. we started small and we you know, we're focused in the Midwest and we've since expanded it, us wide. And it's not just farm scapes or agronomic crops, it's also urban landscapes, not egg uses.

00:05:50:12 - 00:06:14:05
Jeffrey Smith
What Frank had alluded to his experience in the past. So in the gist that we just want to it's a stewardship program. You know, we we at Vaillant USA, we you know, registration of the product is just the first step. Obviously, being great stewards of our product, it's very critical as it is for Bayer and other companies. So it's really about just a little simple reminder to growers that, hey, I know that you are in the midst of planting.

00:06:14:07 - 00:06:31:10
Jeffrey Smith
You're getting hit with all kind of issues out there today, whether, you know, be just input cost, tariffs, whatever the current issue is of the day, just, you know, just a little simple reminder to, hey, make sure you follow the label if you do that and follow the label to a tee, not going to have any issues.

00:06:31:10 - 00:06:48:15
Jeffrey Smith
And also to use other stewardship best management practices, IPM, which we can talk about in a minute. Other things to, you know, make sure you, cover seed, those sorts of things. So neonics are used a seed treatments there uses soil and injections that are used as foliar products. So it's a wide array of uses for these products.

00:06:48:17 - 00:06:52:15
Jeffrey Smith
So it's simply just getting the word out how to use them properly.

00:06:52:17 - 00:07:15:22
Dr. Frank Wong
And, you know, likewise. I think the current statistic is less than 1% of the US population is working on a farm or has anything to do with food production. And, you know, I don't have the numbers for, you know, other, other, industries like golf courses and lawn and landscape. But, you know, again, I suspect it's a similar number.

00:07:15:24 - 00:07:49:21
Dr. Frank Wong
But, you know, as a result, I think the public, really misunderstands, the reason why pesticides are a critical part of pest management programs and more importantly, all of the testing and regulation that goes around, pesticides as far as ensuring that, you know, they have a very low risk of harm to the general public. So as a result, I think that, you know, pesticide applicators are just under an incredible amount of, of public, you know, attention.

00:07:49:23 - 00:08:29:21
Dr. Frank Wong
And so not only did we want to remind, pesticide users that, they absolutely need to be, aware of, you know, the label instructions and practicing good stewardship and integrated pest management. But also, if you go to the be sure, website, there's lots of resources there as far as education background and other, educational materials that, you know, you can use for outreach or just informing, you know, your friends and neighbors, of why you might be using these tools and what, safeguards are built into those pesticide labels to protect the public from, unreasonable, risk or harm, right?

00:08:29:21 - 00:08:58:14
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. And and those are really good points, I think especially, in this time where we're there's a bit of uncertainty with the new administration about where things are going. That it's it's it's very good, a very good time to be educating, especially the public as well. And you've both mentioned stewardship many times. So why is it so important to practice proper stewardship when using crop protection products?

00:08:58:16 - 00:09:24:15
Jeffrey Smith
Well, because as Frank mentioned, and we've as we said before, there's a lot of pressure on pesticides. And we certainly don't want, you know, misapplication in the field to, you know, continue to bring attention to pesticides. You know, so we want to make sure that they're used where there is no outside movement, there is no harm to applicators, there is no harm to, offsite pollinators or, or other wildlife.

00:09:24:21 - 00:09:48:23
Jeffrey Smith
Because to do that, if you don't follow proper stewardship, we could, you know, obviously bring problems upon ourselves. But also, you know, stewardship is also about resistance management. So, you know, the neonics are certainly a key component of, of a resistance management program. There are very few classes or modes of action of chemistry for growers to use, especially in crops like citrus, cotton.

00:09:49:00 - 00:10:07:21
Jeffrey Smith
And so if we don't protect these, products, we could lose or, you know, a class of chemistry as a whole that would just be, you know, detrimental to the industry because you're not going to be able to rotate with you know, the other two, three. We only have maybe 2 or 3 other modes of action out there that we can rotate with to prevent resistance.

00:10:07:21 - 00:10:14:05
Jeffrey Smith
So, you know, we just want to make sure that people are doing the right thing. So we don't create our own problem.

00:10:14:07 - 00:10:50:07
Dr. Frank Wong
And, you know, you know, Christy, you know, I'm not the most serious kind of what's I'll always take a grain of salt, but, you know, there is a reason why I became a university professor and not a farmer or small business owner. That buys pesticides, because those are really hard professions, right? You know, if you talk about all the things that you have to do to keep your operation going, you know, I maybe pesticides are 1% of what is on somebody's mind, as far as, you know, the other challenges that you might have to face, keeping your operation going and, you know, unfortunately, you know, it's really important to use those

00:10:50:07 - 00:11:09:04
Dr. Frank Wong
tools responsibly. And, you know, the label, has a lot of guidance on there as far as how to, you know, prevent off target movement, how to use the right rates and timing, so on, so forth. But, you know, slip ups can happen. And so, you know, the last thing you want to do is end up on the front page of the newspaper.

00:11:09:06 - 00:11:32:19
Dr. Frank Wong
But unfortunately, over the last, you know, ten years, you know, that has happened right? And so, again, we just really want to be a helpful partner in reminding everybody on the importance of following those, label directions, those rules and regulations, and, you know, local, you know, local specifics, you know, whatever you have to do.

00:11:33:00 - 00:11:54:07
Dr. Frank Wong
But, you know, again, we want to make, the, the use of these tools as, you know, as easy as possible. And again, whatever we can do to help out and you know, remind our pesticide applicators that, you know, there's a lot of responsibility when it comes to using these kinds of tools. I think we're all better off now.

00:11:54:07 - 00:12:16:03
Jeffrey Smith
And I'll just add on, Frank mentioned partner. And so we do partner with our, allied organizations in the industry, whether it be Crop Life America, National Association of State, Department of Bag, Atco. On getting the word out, for stewardship of neonics. So it's a it's an industry wide collaboration that we're focused on. So it can't just be us.

00:12:16:03 - 00:12:35:08
Jeffrey Smith
It has to be. Everybody has skin in the game to to make sure that we're using. And you know we keep talking about neonics. But these principles apply to all pesticide products. You know rotating modes of action, cleaning up spills, following the label. These are all things that apply to any pesticide use, not just neonics.

00:12:35:10 - 00:12:45:10
Chrissy Wozniak
And so what are some some other quick reminders for producers and applicators that they should follow when using treated seed. For example?

00:12:45:12 - 00:13:06:08
Jeffrey Smith
Yeah. Good point. So you're going to hear a familiar theme. Even hearing this now for four years is to follow the label. You know, first and foremost follow the label. The label is the law. But, you know, specifically to see treatment. You know, Frank may have more comments on this, but obviously using the proper lubricants to cut down on dust and, and vacuum cleaners, you know, clean it up.

00:13:06:08 - 00:13:26:15
Jeffrey Smith
You know, if you're out, you're out in the field, you know, farmers are pretty, you know, protective of their cost and seed cost money. So you're not going to drive around seeing a ton of seed laying around on the field. But if you happen to have a, you know, see a spill or some mishaps, you know, make sure you clean up your seed, put it back in the bag, cover it so it doesn't come in contact with wildlife or birds of the birds.

00:13:26:17 - 00:13:52:15
Jeffrey Smith
And then, you know, another thing is, is Frank and I, both a members of a group called Phil Watch, which is about communicating with local beekeepers. So applicators have access to the location and owners of beehives in the field, you know, near, near a commercial field. So it's a good way for them to communicate when they're applying products so that the beekeepers can move their hives around if needed, to protect them.

00:13:52:17 - 00:14:21:01
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. You know, I, I can't add much more, to what Jeff said, and, but, you know, maybe, maybe I'll, I'll just talk a little bit about, you know, the, the actual use rates and the benefits. Again, if you talk about, seed treatments, they are just such a great return on investment, you know, that the that visual that I've been given many times is that it's literally two packets of sugar, per acre.

00:14:21:03 - 00:14:56:13
Dr. Frank Wong
And so if you look at some of the older technologies that, you know, spraying over the top or treating the whole field, I mean, that's an incredible reduction in active ingredient out there for, you know, benefit across the board on a lot of those row crops that are, utilizing treated seed. And, so, again, you know, I was just looking at some figures, you know, before I interview, you know, it's it's something like, you know, near 20% for, for corn, you know, nearly 30 something percent for, you know, canola, you know, quite high for, for a number of those row crops.

00:14:56:15 - 00:15:18:24
Dr. Frank Wong
And, again, you know, just, you know, why wouldn't you use that kind of technology to ensure, protection of your of your crop from, damaging insects? And maybe I'll. I'll just jump ahead a little bit and, you know, we've been seeing a lot of this narrative recently that, you know, treated seed is unregulated and it's dangerous.

00:15:18:24 - 00:15:39:02
Dr. Frank Wong
And, you know, that that, you know, it doesn't have the same stringency of, of, of, you know, rules and regulations that, other applications do it. And that's completely false. That is called the treated article exemption. And the pesticide is definitely regulated. You know, as far as approvals and risk assessment so on and so forth.

00:15:39:08 - 00:16:04:01
Dr. Frank Wong
And that regulation, applies to the treatment of the seed all the way, you know, from, from, you know, the the actual container of pesticide through the treatment of the actual seed. However, at that point in time, the actual treated seed is regarded as a separate category. And it's the same reason that, you know, like, for example, you don't regulate your cat or dog after you have treated them with, you know, what

00:16:04:03 - 00:16:04:09
Chrissy Wozniak
I'm.

00:16:04:14 - 00:16:27:14
Dr. Frank Wong
Referring to. Yeah. To, to to treat them fleas. And it makes common sense, but a lot of the groups are falsely pointing that out. And all I would say there is that, you know, in addition to assuring everybody that the pesticide used to treat the seed is highly regulated, that there are instructions that will come with the seed tag bag or seed bag tag.

00:16:27:18 - 00:16:56:24
Dr. Frank Wong
Apologies. Or other, kind of supplemental material that comes with those treated seeds that again, you have to pay attention to. So, you know, in this case it's not necessarily the label, but there are rules, regulations and instructions there that everybody's got to pay attention to, including, disposing of excess seed properly and returning anything, essentially to a retailer or distributor, as you know, instructed by the instructions on that feedback, Jeff, I think.

00:16:57:01 - 00:16:57:22
Chrissy Wozniak
So, yeah.

00:16:57:24 - 00:16:58:14
Jeffrey Smith
Well said.

00:16:58:19 - 00:17:06:20
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. Thank you. Although I would love to see somebody trying to regulate, you know, a treated cat, if they can.

00:17:06:24 - 00:17:08:12
Chrissy Wozniak
That would be interesting.

00:17:08:14 - 00:17:12:20
Dr. Frank Wong
If, if you can regulate a cat, you could probably accomplish a lot of things in life.

00:17:12:20 - 00:17:16:05
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, well, I've tried herding them, and it doesn't work very well, so.

00:17:16:07 - 00:17:20:10
Dr. Frank Wong
Oh, maybe. Maybe there's a reason why that's that. That is the same, you know?

00:17:20:11 - 00:17:22:24
Chrissy Wozniak
So it's exactly.

00:17:23:01 - 00:17:40:08
Jeffrey Smith
Yeah. Just to follow up on Frank's point there, you know, the ironic thing about the attacks on, you know, treating seed. And Frank mentioned the, the small usage for, you know, dose rates on the field is that it's a precision, you know, application. I mean, it's the stuff that we have tried to promote and been credited for promoting for, for decades now.

00:17:40:08 - 00:17:59:02
Jeffrey Smith
And now it's it's seen as something that's not good. And it's, it's very it's very disheartening to see. And so, it's something that Frank and I and, and our colleagues in our industry are certainly dealing with at numerous levels, the misinformation about how Nazi treatments are regulated.

00:17:59:04 - 00:18:05:22
Chrissy Wozniak
And what is the the current status of EPA's review on neonics?

00:18:05:24 - 00:18:38:14
Jeffrey Smith
So we are still in the registration review, process. Okay. Which is supposed to occur every 15 years. I think we are in year 15 now of registration review for the for the neonics. And a lot of that is not necessarily EPA per se, and that there has been a lot of changes in the past 10 to 15 years when it comes to regulatory, rules, including protections around pollinators, which we've talked about, which EPA had to go through a process for creating new, data requirements for that.

00:18:38:16 - 00:19:06:04
Jeffrey Smith
Now we had Endangered Species Act, work plans at EPA is implemented, and that is bogged down the registration review process. We're getting through that process now. We're two thirds of the way through as of today. But we expect that the there was a proposed interim decision for the neonics. But then the ESA, portion work plan was, put out, so they had to bring it back and they're redoing the interim, the proposed interim decision.

00:19:06:04 - 00:19:26:07
Jeffrey Smith
So once that comes out, there will be a comment period. And then growers, would comment there. And then after that there will hopefully be an interim decision and perhaps a final decision once. We're, you know, probably talking to three years that minimum down the road before a final decision is still implemented. But in the meantime, you can still use neonics as you always use them.

00:19:26:07 - 00:19:28:11
Jeffrey Smith
So there's no changes in the label.

00:19:28:11 - 00:19:55:15
Dr. Frank Wong
So yeah. And you know, just just to add on to that, as everybody knows, the, EPA Endangered Species Act, work plan came out in 2022, actually about three years ago to the, you know, to the day, because I remember that came out in April, 2022. And in fact, on April 29th, the final insecticide strategy was, was published as well.

00:19:55:17 - 00:20:33:23
Dr. Frank Wong
And, I just, you know, want to give a real quick shout out to our, our, you know, partners over at the Environmental Protection Agency. You know, what we've seen in a lot of the ESA policy changes in response to, grower and stakeholder responses, has been very encouraging. I think that what we kind of are walking away with and the neonicotinoids will definitely be subject to, you know, some of this new ESA process as far as the review, and, you know, I'm encouraged because when the work plan first came out, there were some pretty draconian things in there.

00:20:34:03 - 00:21:00:16
Dr. Frank Wong
And I think, you know, working with the grower community, the applicator Committee and even some of the, you know, NGOs, that have normally been pretty critical of agriculture. I think we are landing on a policy that is, you know, definitely implementable. And again, you know, that's the kind of thing that we need to see more of as far as cooperation, to use common sense and solve problems.

00:21:00:18 - 00:21:32:07
Dr. Frank Wong
And definitely I think, you know, kind of were set up, with, as Jeff mentioned, the registration review, the neonicotinoids to, have, these new registrations in place that, you know, both protect the utility of the tools and also accomplish the goals of, protecting those threatened and endangered species. And, you know, again, you know, my my personal op ed is, you know, hug a regulator, because definitely at the federal and state level, especially with a lot of changes in government, I think, you know, they're under a lot of pressure right now.

00:21:32:13 - 00:21:58:16
Dr. Frank Wong
And, to, you know, with, with potential workforce reductions and, just a quick reminder to the public, it's like, you know, we need, headcount, in, you know, federal, and state agencies in order to maintain those partnerships, to, maintain those product registrations and, that, you know, ag technology, for, you know, the use on, on, on field, you know.

00:21:58:18 - 00:22:03:16
Jeffrey Smith
Yeah. Before you, before you hug the regulator, make sure it's okay versus.

00:22:03:18 - 00:22:15:15
Chrissy Wozniak
So yeah, that that makes sense. And and Jeff, you talk about your work building coalitions to defend specific chemistries under regulatory scrutiny.

00:22:15:17 - 00:22:35:24
Jeffrey Smith
Yeah. So you know this is Frankenstein's monster. So we, you know, we we spend the bulk of bulk of our time just, you know, keeping the relationships, staying in touch. We really can't as the face of the. And we really can't be the face of the industry, really, when it comes to, working with, political leaders, congressional staff.

00:22:36:01 - 00:22:59:11
Jeffrey Smith
So it's really important that we, develop those relationships and educate our, allies on the issues, specifically the technicalities of it. So it's not always easy things to talk about. So it takes time. It takes effort, it takes multiple touchy touch points. So, so that they can be the voice for us because again, we're seeing as, bias for obvious reasons.

00:22:59:13 - 00:23:22:23
Jeffrey Smith
So they really have to communicate the benefits of these products. Why they need them. What would happen to them if these products were to go away and Frank's? And our job is simply to make sure that they understand and they're active communicating. We we both get constant, you know, requests for engagement, requests from our companies to, you know, product, you know, help me get this through.

00:23:22:23 - 00:23:46:13
Jeffrey Smith
Help me pull it out of the agency, help me defend this action. So, it's a constant. It's a constant, effort. In fact, Frank and I have been worried about, you know, so many things going on, so many comment periods where we talked about the pollinators, the EASA. Now we've got Maha. Maha is a new category that is, creating some some issues in the industry.

00:23:46:13 - 00:24:07:22
Jeffrey Smith
So we're constantly tapping these folks and we really appreciate their willingness to defend because they have they have obviously pesticides is just one part of the things that they're worried about. They're worried about simply making a living, making sure they've got inputs, making sure they got financing, making sure they've got, farm bill. So for Frank and I, we're we're constantly having to come in and we don't forget pesticides too.

00:24:07:22 - 00:24:23:18
Jeffrey Smith
And it's it's a constant reminder. But they do they do appreciate pesticides and understand their need and, and how they have to defend them. But it's you only get 1 or 2 issues when you go to a congressional leaders. So sometimes it's hard to get pesticides to be in their top 1 or 2.

00:24:23:20 - 00:24:33:16
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. That's it. And the way the wind blows too. Right? So it's really important for us to keep this conversation open and always be open to the truth, no matter what that truth is, right?

00:24:33:18 - 00:24:42:02
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. Christy, I if you if we have time now, I tell a funny and self embarrassing story regarding this.

00:24:42:04 - 00:24:43:13
Chrissy Wozniak
Absolutely.

00:24:43:15 - 00:25:12:15
Dr. Frank Wong
So so this is a Jeff just gave me a great opening to to remind everybody that, you know, I know that different sides of the aisle may disagree on on x, Y or Z, but it is so important to keep science in mind and that as a society, you know and well beyond pesticides that, you know, science is really powerful and we should be making decisions, especially on policy based on science.

00:25:12:17 - 00:25:37:00
Dr. Frank Wong
And I'll tell you very same story. So, you know, several years ago, I was asked to give testimony in front of, agricultural Committee and in one of the states and all of not me of the state. But, man, I prepped for this, and I got my facts and figures and reviewed the literature. Went in there, and doctor Frank P long and I was talking about, you know, benefits and risk assessments and so on and so forth.

00:25:37:06 - 00:25:57:05
Dr. Frank Wong
And I walked out of there thinking that, you know, I had just dazzled them with science. And the party after me came in there and showed a video of their steel drum band dressed up as bees. And they did a song and, you know, kind of, did, did a little bee dance and boy, did I get my butt kicked that day.

00:25:57:05 - 00:26:17:06
Dr. Frank Wong
Crazy. So, it's just really disheartening, when you walk into a situation and, science doesn't win the day. And just, again, a reminder to everybody, we absolutely need to lead with science. And when we kind of, you know, let emotions or gut feels, guide what we do, I think we all lose out.

00:26:17:08 - 00:26:41:02
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. That is such a good point. And, you know, my my career has always been marketing. And, you know, it's our job to tap into emotions. But I feel like we're in a time where everybody's making decisions based off of emotion. So it's just so important to hear everybody out and actually, I can't believe bees that dressing up as bee, that's just it's crazy.

00:26:41:02 - 00:26:48:22
Chrissy Wozniak
But look, when it works, it works like we need to be more creative on our side to.

00:26:48:24 - 00:27:03:02
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, yeah yeah. Good. Good story. So finally, what's the what's the one thing that you wish more people understood about the science and safety behind pesticides? For each of you?

00:27:03:04 - 00:27:05:07
Jeffrey Smith
I'll let you go first on that one, Frank.

00:27:05:09 - 00:27:18:21
Dr. Frank Wong
Oh, gosh. Jeff, you have to remind me as I'm going senile at age 52, right? It is a current price tag for a registration around the 400, $450 million range.

00:27:18:23 - 00:27:24:23
Jeffrey Smith
It it it's well into the three hundreds. Yes. And about. Well, now it's probably 14 years, so.

00:27:25:00 - 00:27:53:15
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. So, you know, just again, you know, the, the, the amount of work that goes into a pesticide registration, the majority of it really addresses, you know, human health and environmental safety and all of those studies that are done by a company that's that's trying to develop new pests. I mean, they're not doing it for fun. You know, these are passing the, you know, strict eyes of of our regulators.

00:27:53:15 - 00:28:36:19
Dr. Frank Wong
And there's a lot of work that goes into them as far as ensuring that there's no, you know, an unacceptable risks to, to, the environment or human health and, just again, you know, when, when we have that system in place, that, you know, protects the public and the environment, I just would love it if people recognize that the products that are registered in the United States, you know, we have the best regulatory system in the world and, that, you know, that they would have confidence that, you know, when used according to the label, that there's a high degree of, of safety, and reduction of risk built into those

00:28:36:19 - 00:29:04:21
Dr. Frank Wong
products. And again, you know, you know, what's what's worse, you know, using a pesticide or losing your crop. And I think, you know, if we are able to to just be rational about things, that, you know, the, the benefits of pesticides just is so clear. And I think if people kind of set aside their prejudices against the technologies that they, they would clearly understand, you know, why these are essential tools.

00:29:04:23 - 00:29:23:17
Jeffrey Smith
And I think, you know, kind of a different point. You know, the industry as a whole is, you know, we're we accept a lot of, you know, risk is very important to us. You know, we're not going to put things out on the market that, that would expose us to high levels of risk. And that goes to the regulatory system that Frank talked about prevents that that anyway.

00:29:23:17 - 00:29:44:16
Jeffrey Smith
But as an industry, you know, you hear a lot about, environmental groups wanting to push, you know, pesticides out or maybe certain types of pesticides. But as an industry, we have been moving forward with new technology over the last 10 to 20 years. You know, Frank mentioned the, you know, products that have a spoonful, you know, used to be pounds of product per acre.

00:29:44:16 - 00:30:05:06
Jeffrey Smith
Now we're talking about grams or milligrams of product per acre. We've got new technologies coming on board, whether it be seed treatment, whether it be, Crispr technology, biopesticides, bio stimulants. So we see where the market is going and, you know, it's still got to be regulated, but we are moving in the direction that the consumer wants.

00:30:05:06 - 00:30:25:15
Jeffrey Smith
It just has to be based on results. I mean, we, you know, we have to have products that actually work because if we can't protect our crops from pest, you're not going to have a stable and a food supply. And so we see some of that direction in the EU, where it's all about risk. It's not about exposure, it's not about benefits.

00:30:25:17 - 00:30:31:03
Jeffrey Smith
And that's certainly not a, regulatory system that we want to have here in the US.

00:30:31:05 - 00:30:55:05
Dr. Frank Wong
Yeah. And you know, again, you know, we've got 8 billion people in this world to feed. Also, you know, sticking up for my non ag colleagues, you know, 8 billion people to protect from mosquitoes and cockroaches too, you know, and, and again, you know, if we are looking at that amount of work, we certainly need every tool in the toolbox that we can utilize to, to protect the public.

00:30:55:07 - 00:31:25:20
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you both for everything that you do. This is always an ongoing conversation. And, I wish you both luck in into the future. And, and you you guys are totally right. There's so much coming down the pike, too, of new technology that can help in this field. And and also just educating people who eat, which is everyone, that it is not really possible to grow at this level and be able to enjoy food.

00:31:25:20 - 00:31:39:10
Chrissy Wozniak
That's not just a local native plant, right? If that. If you want to get rid of all of it, that's great, but you're going to have to grow or eat what grows in your area then. So I think, the responsibility is also on the consumer. Right?

00:31:39:12 - 00:31:43:00
Jeffrey Smith
Absolutely. I really appreciate talking to you, Christy.

00:31:43:02 - 00:31:45:02
Dr. Frank Wong
A pleasure as always. Chris.

00:31:45:04 - 00:32:02:13
Chrissy Wozniak
Yes, you too. And thanks to all who are watching or listening. If you want to learn more, the links are provided in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe to North American Tech Spotlight on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Listen notes or if you prefer, a video, you can also find us on Rumble or really wherever you listen to podcasts.

00:32:02:13 - 00:32:05:19
Chrissy Wozniak
If you like the episode, I'd love it if you shared it and have a great day!