RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, May 5, 2008 – Last year, corn growers across the country were introduced to Status® herbicide, the broad-spectrum broadleaf herbicide from BASF. Now, United States popcorn growers have access to this same tool to help them get the most out of every acre, with the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of Status for use on popcorn.

“Status has quickly become the premier herbicide for broadleaf weed control in corn and we’re excited to offer popcorn growers the same benefits of broad-spectrum control, crop safety and simplicity,” said Dan Westberg, Ph.D., BASF Technical Marketing Manager.

Nearly all of the world’s popcorn is produced in the United States with average annual production of almost 500,000 tons. With this registration,
U.S. popcorn growers will be able to rely on Status. It has a wide application window, is safe to the crop and has excellent crop rotation flexibility.

Dr. Westberg notes that growers who plant conventional corn acres have quickly come to appreciate the strong broadleaf weed control of Status, with its fast knockdown power and residual control of later-emerging weeds. In addition to being used as a stand-alone product for broadleaf weed control in conventional corn, Status is also the ideal tank-mix partner with glyphosate in Roundup Ready® corn.

“The number of broad-spectrum, postemergence herbicides available for use in popcorn is limited, making the Status registration an important development for popcorn growers,” said Dr. Westberg.

Status herbicide, in combination with Guardsman Max® herbicide and Headline® fungicide, provides growers a total solution to help them get the most out of every acre.

For more information about Status herbicide and the BASF portfolio of crop protection products, visit www.agproducts.basf.com.

With sales of €3,137 million in 2007, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of approximately $16.4 billion in 2007. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com

Always read and follow label directions.
Guardsman Max is a restricted-use herbicide.
Guardsman Max, Headline and Status are registered trademarks of BASF.
Roundup Ready is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC.
©2008 BASF Corporation. All Rights Reserved.