Looking back, it was a fortuitous journey. Researchers at WinField United were working with a material in development, but noticed it wasn’t achieving the expected outcome. Instead, it appeared to be providing drift reduction properties.
“At that point in time, we were starting to hear about more regulatory potential, and we had existing products that worked to reduce drift, but they had some technical baggage with how they mixed in the tank and interacted with different nozzles,” says Eric Spandl, Senior Manager of Product Development, WinField United.
Once the material was reclassified for additional testing as a drift reduction agent, InterLock adjuvant was born. Now, 20 years later, it has been used on more than 813 million acres in 46 states and 13 countries.
“Day in and day out, InterLock has performed,” Spandl says. “Its promise started with drift reduction–reducing the fine droplets and not creating mixing issues–but we soon saw how it can impact the deposition and the canopy penetration.”
InterLock’s core benefits include:
- Improves weed control by up to 7%
- Delivers 33% more of the herbicide to the target
- Reduces driftable fines by 33%
Spandl adds with the product’s track record it has also amplified the message of sustainability and stewardship in chemical applications.
“It’s primary objective is to keep more product where you want it,” Spandl says. “And when we manage the fine droplets and manage for drift, we achieve that while also reducing risk. Now, the side benefits include increases in yield documented in both corn and wheat.”
InterLock is an oil emulsion, which uses soybean oil in its formulation.
“This is a great part of the InterLock story—a product that helps farmers using their own crops to build it,” Spandl says.
As a herbicide DRA, InterLock has spun off into other segments as well including the products MasterLock (for fungicides and insecticides) and StrikeLock (which adds high surfactant methylated seed oil).
“We all are concerned about how we manage the land and being good stewards. This family of products are cool tools in the toolbox,” Spandl says. “Pick the right nozzle, the boom height, and consider environmental conditions---from there InterLock fine tunes your setup.”
Having tools to help ensure products are applied how and where they are intended will be a greater value to growers and applicators going forward.
“It’s only more important as we have the Endangered Species Act (ESA) being implemented and guidance and restrictions on labels,” Spandl says. “With ESA---we’ve been collaborating with CPDA (Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology), we have examples now of labeling that has come out with that— for example with Liberty Ultra. It’s the future of new products. As new products are registered or reregistered there is greater scrutiny on drift and run off. These tools are one way we can help growers and commercial applicators manage it.”
What makes the 20-year anniversary of InterLock special is not only what the product has achieved, but how it’s moved the whole segment of adjuvants forward.
“In product development, you spend years and years working on products—most of the things you work on never see commercial introduction,” Spandl says. “But to see something like this that is a home run and continues to build momentum and establish a whole family–it’s rewarding to contribute to the success of growers and retailers.”
