BASF brings the farm to customers with launch of virtual innovation tour experience

◼ Growers can now visit BASF’s Australian wheat, barley, canola crop protection and seed variety demonstrations anytime, anywhere on the Virtual Innovation Tour website

◼ Visitors can use onsite cameras to tour BASF’s research sites in real-time, view side-by-side treatment comparisons, listen to industry podcasts and seek technical advice

◼ Virtual tour showcases BASF’s research farm at Longerenong (Vic) with additional highlights from farms at Tamworth (NSW), Wagga Wagga (NSW) and York (WA)

Melbourne, Australia – September 9, 2020 – Every year, BASF looks forward to welcoming the agronomy and farming community to visit its many farm demonstration and innovation sites across Australia. Whilst 2020 has presented significant restrictions on travel and in-person meetings, BASF’s Agricultural Solutions team has launched a Virtual Innovation Tour website that enables its customers to experience new technologies and learn how to get the best out of their crops.

“Seeing is believing for agronomists and growers, so when it became clear that we could not host farm field days in person this year, we knew we had to come up with a new way for our customers to learn about our innovations and experience our trials,” said Leta LaRush, Head of Marketing, Australia & New Zealand, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “Just like a traditional farm tour, our Virtual Innovation website allows visitors to check out our demo sites around the country and see the progress for themselves in real-time. The only difference is this year they can do so from the comfort of their own home and without having to get their boots wet.”

On the website, visitors can take a self-guided tour of BASF’s wheat and canola demonstration plots at Longerenong, Victoria, and, thanks to in-field time-lapse cameras and 360-degree camera technology, view progress across all phases of crop growth, from seed through to harvest. The website also shares content from BASF’s research farm at Tamworth (NSW), herbicide trials at Wagga Wagga (NSW) and canola herbicide systems trials at York (WA).

The platform also provides visitors with access to BASF’s Agricultural Solutions Technical Services team. “We are passionate about providing Australian growers with high performance, locally proven crop solutions and the right advice to ensure they get the most out of our products,” said Phil Hoult, BASF Technical Services Manager, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “We also enjoy sharing our expertise in a range of industry issues, such as herbicide resistance management and innovative canola varieties and traits. With the launch of the Virtual Innovation Tours, we can make sure customers, who are unable to travel at the moment, still have access to plot tours and the same trusted advice they have come to rely on from us.”

Other features of the BASF Virtual Innovation website include technical podcasts, product and agronomic information, live site tour events, and grower tips. Visit the site at www.basf-virtual-innovations.com.au/.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2019, our division generated sales of €7.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.