Dow Agro to sell legacy herbicide brands

A competitor will buy Treflan, a Dow Agrosciences' herbicide with long Indiana ties that has been sprayed on weeds for more than 50 years.

Treflan is the most well-known product in an old-line family of dinitroaniline weedkillers that Dow Agro has agreed to sell to Arizona-based Gowan Co.

Treflan was once one of Eli Lilly and Co.'s best-selling products. It became part of Dow Agro's portfolio when Lilly owned half of the company.

Treflan has long gone off-patent, so it competes with generic brands. Dow Agro said it's selling the line of weedkillers as part of its "portfolio management" that can include casting off lesser-selling products to focus on ones that generate more revenue.

Indianapolis-based Dow Agro said Monday the sale of its dinitroaniline weedkillers totals about 15 brands that also include Edge, Team and Bonalan. They are sold in 22 countries and control weeds in a variety of crops, including cotton, canola and vegetables.

A sale price won't be released, said Dow Agro spokeswoman Kenda Resler-Friend. She also wouldn't disclose sales numbers for the weedkillers being sold.

"It's one of those situations where we think the future value of those products would be better served by another company," she said.

The products are formulated and packaged in Alberta, Canada. A dozen Dow Agro employees at the Alberta facility will transition to work for Gowan, she said.

The sale should be wrapped up by the end of the year.

Juli Jessen, Gowan Group CEO, said in a statement that the Dow Agro brands are  “proven products in this critical era for herbicide resistance management.  The products are particularly significant for us in Canada and Europe where our growing sales force is centered on extending the utility of herbicide programs."

Family-owned Gowan specializes in selling products for smaller ag markets such as vegetable farming and turf growing.

Call Star reporter Jeff Swiatek at (317)444-6483. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffSwiatek.