Valent U.S.A. Corp. and Nufarm Americas entered a distribution agreement that appoints Nufarm the exclusive distributor of Valent-branded products for professional turf, ornamental and aquatic uses in the United States, effective Feb.16.
As part of the agreement, Valent and Nufarm will combine product portfolios of the two companies into one broad portfolio that will be sold by Nufarm in the U.S. and will feature Nufarm’s leading product offerings such as Escalade and Millennium Ultra herbicides as well as its Cleary line of fungicides, along with Valent’s brands such as Safari insecticide, Arena insecticide, SureGuard and Clipper herbicides and Tourney fungicide.
Moreover, Nufarm and Valent’s sales and technical teams are joining forces.
“This partnership will unite two highly complementary businesses to bring our customers one of the largest and most complete portfolios in the industry,” said Andy Lee, executive vice president and COO at Valent. “Combining our strengths in technical development, product development and operational activities will enable accelerated delivery of innovative, value-added solutions to the turf, ornamental and aquatics market.”
Darryl Matthews, general manager for Nufarm in North America, added, “We are excited to join forces with Valent to create substantial value for our customers. We each bring complementary ths to the market, and by combining these resources with customer collaboration, we will generate new and innovative solutions that uniquely fit the needs of the market.”
Under the agreement terms, Nufarm will offer the entire line of Valent branded products for professional golf course, lawn and landscape, production ornamental and aquatic use under the Valent brand name. The agreement excludes Valent’s business in the agricultural crop protection, seed protection, consumer home and garden, industrial vegetation management, forestry, pest control, timber treatment, public health and animal health markets.
Lee said the U.S. agreement between Valent and Nufarm builds on the successful distribution collaborations established between Valent’s parent company, Sumitomo Chemical Co. and Nufarm—Sumitomo invested in the global Nufarm business in 2010.
“This is a very exciting time as our two companies work together to form a top-tier organization that is positioned in a leadership role with customers and partners,” Lee said. “We anticipate the value and innovation Valent and Nufarm will bring to our customers in years to come.”
The partnership is being spearheaded by sales and technical teams from Nufarm and Valent. Scott Todd, national business manager for Valent, is optimistic of what’s to come of the partnership, too.
“People can do the math—taking No. 5 and No. 7 and putting them together makes us a top-tier player,” Todd said. “Whether that’s No. 1, 2 or 3 I don’t know. I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.”
Updated: 3/14
