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Press Releases

These are the press releases we've issued over the last several years.


Recent Media Coverage of AgAttack, Incorporated

  • Beneficial Insect and Mite Dispensing Technologies for 2002 and Beyond, California Conference on Biological Control, August 15-16, 2002, pages 152-155
  • Ag Expo Spotlights Good Bugs' Fight, Visalia Times-Delta, February 18, 2002, page 3A
  • A Growing Alternative For Farmers, The Fresno Bee, February 17, 2001, pages C1-C4
  • Beneficial Organism Dispensing Technologies, California Conference on Biological Control, July 11-12, 2000, pages 180-182
  • Better Beneficials, American Vegetable Grower, November 1999, Greenhouse Insider page 2
  • Application Made Easy, Fruit Grower, April 1999, pages 26J-26L
  • Strategies for Dispensing Beneficials in Row Crops: What Works?, California Conference on Biological Control, June 10-11, 1998, pages 227-230
  • Postpone Pesticides: Release Beneficials, Cotton Farming, February 1997, page 45
  • A Bull's-eye for Bugs, The Grower, September 1995, pages 8-9
  • The Bug Planter, California Farmer, May 1995, pages 8-9


Press Release Detail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 


AgAttack Provides New Lost Cost Dispensing Options

October 20, 2004 -- AgAttack, Incorporated has announced the availability of very low cost tractor and ATV-mounted dispensers. The dispensers contain all of the metering mechanisms of their more expensive counterparts. The difference is that the grower builds their own frame to hold the metering device as well as the insulated box and bottle.

Our research shows that most growers and applicators have a capability to build the necessary frame to attach the metering system to their tractor or ATV. The 3-gallon (11 liter) bottle and insulated box is often provided by their insectary or can generally be purchased locally (for example, from a bottled water company). The "Bug Blower" requires a gasoline blower and a tank with a pump (for the "sticker" material). The grower almost always has these components on hand.

Growers and applicators are looking for inexpensive ways to improve their beneficial organism dispensing operations. It makes sense economically for AgAttack to provide the metering elements and to let the grower/applicator incorporate our mechanism with their existing equipment (tool bars and related attachments). AgAttack will provide its customers of these new products with pictures of frames and dimensions of parts that could be used to make the frames.

The "Bug Dropper" and "Bug Blower" will still be made available to those customers who are not interested in making the own frames. The primary reason for switching is cost. The "Bug Dropper" metering mechanism will cost $400 and the "Bug Blower" will cost $750.

We believe that customers outside of the United States will be most interested in using these new low cost components because only the meter will be shipped, rather than all of the heavy iron framing.


AgAttack Plans New Remote Sensing Analysis Services

October 2, 2003 -- AgAttack, Incorporated is planning a new remote sensing analysis for growers.


AgAttack Establishes New Web Site Presence

September 30, 2002 -- AgAttack, Incorporated has a new web site, at the same address: www.agattack.com. The new site is easier to navigate and contains more equipment pictures.

This site will continue to change based on customer feedback. AgAttack has a strong commitment to customer support and desires to be effective in providing accurate information in a timely manner to those that need it.


New Product: Low Cost Dispensers

Handheld Devices Provide Same Functionality as Electro-Mechanical Units

 March 16, 2002 -- AgAttack announces it latest class of product: a group of handheld dispensers. These dispensers provide the same proven method of metering beneficial insects and mites as earlier company products. The difference with this equipment is that no external power source is required for operation. The benefit to the user is a much lower equipment cost.

AgAttack is a company that develops and markets products to dispense beneficial organisms for agriculture. The products provide low cost and effective means for applying good “bugs” to control agricultural pests. AgAttack solutions cover a wide spectrum from do-it-yourself suggestions to mechanized metering products. The company doesn’t sell insects or consulting services -- just products for dispensing beneficials.

The newest AgAttack product has been designed to work in indoor or outside environments. The dispenser meters an amount of insect or mite combined with vermiculite carrier into a tube that drops the mixture onto a crop canopy. The dispenser comes with several lengths of tubing so that treatments can be made from ground height to as high as someone can reach.

The dispensing equipment utilizes a bottle for the bug/vermiculite mixture and a spring-loaded metering plate. A variety of bottle sizes are supported, for example: pint or liter. Customers specify the size they need. The spring-loaded metering plate is moved by hand and returns to its initial position by operation of the spring. Metering plates can dispense from 0.15 to 2.5 ml of material per dose. Customers receive a metering plate that meets their dispensing requirements.

AgAttack dispensers were first used in strawberries in 1996. Since then, a host of other indoor and outside crops have been treated. The AgAttack equipment is based upon the research work by Dr. Ken Giles and his team from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of California-Davis.

AgAttack is committed to creating solutions for distributing beneficials for all crops. The company has worked with researchers, insectaries, PCAs, entomologists, and growers to develop its products. Company president, Warren Sargent says: “Our entire focus is on creating dispensing solutions for releasing beneficials. We don’t raise or sell bugs, nor do we consult. We work with growers and their suppliers in order to provide an optimal solution.” AgAttack is based in Visalia, California.


No Sales Tax on AgAttack Products

September 10, 2001 -- The State of California passed new legislation exempting products like ours from sales tax. This will effectively reduce the price of our products in California by over 7%.


AgAttack Trademark Approved

June 6, 2001 -- AG ATTACK is now a registered trademark. The United States Patent and Trademark Office registered the trademark on May 22, 2001. The approval process took about 16 months from application submission to official granting.


AgAttack Sponsors Biological Control Research Studies Data Base

 May 10, 2001 -- AgAttack has established a data base of biological control information. Visitors to the web site can learn what biological control research is available by crops and growing locations. The research has been provided by growers, insectaries and researchers. An email link is included with each entry so that the interested party can get in direct contact with someone who knows how biological control will work for that crop.

AgAttack expects that its data base will continue to grow as more people interested in biological control access the web site. An automatic submission form is included so that those with bio-control information can easily transmit this data to AgAttack. As soon as the data is received, it is formatted and sent on to the web site.

In addition to crop and growing location, the data base contains the following: pest to be attacked, beneficial to be used for the attack, beneficial dosage rate, frequency of treatment, and expected treatment results. The current data base includes information specific to California, United Kingdom, and greenhouses (glasshouses). About 20 crops are currently covered.


AgAttack Youth Focus

January 16, 2001 -- AgAttack has established a new youth focus on its web site. The concept is to encourage elementary, middle and high school students to perform research in biological control. Students will design a research project, complete it, and report on their results. The students will submit their findings to the web site for publishing. An email address provided by the students will allow others who are interested to make direct contact for questions or comments.

AgAttack is committed to helping people learn more about integrated pest management (IPM) through biological control. AgAttack intends to collect information that will be helpful to all IPM stakeholders. AgAttack will not provide biased reporting, rather factual results from original research.

The new features on the web site are accessible by clicking on the "Young At Heart" marquee banner at the bottom of the first page. Although still under construction, the viewer can see the direction that AgAttack plans for its site.


AgAttack Establishes Internet Presence

www.agattack.com now a reality

August 31, 2000 -- AgAttack, Incorporated has a new web site. The old site contained pictures of our products as well as company information. The new site adds more customer support help - especially in the area of dispenser calibration. New charts and tables makes this process much easier.

This site is expected to evolve based on customer feedback, also a new item at the company's site. AgAttack has a strong commitment to customer support and want to be effective in providing accurate information in a timely manner to those that need it.


New Product: "Bug Blower"

System for dispensing "good bugs" in trees and vines now available

Today's Date -- June 30, 1999

AgAttack announces it latest product: the Bug Blower. This product provides a new method of dispensing beneficial insects and mites for tree and vine crops. The equipment has been tested in almonds, grapes, and peaches, but is expected to work for almost all crops with a vertical surface. This product is a complement to the Bug Dropper, which is used in row crops.

 AgAttack is a company that develops and markets products to dispense beneficial organisms for agriculture. The products provide low cost and effective means for applying good “bugs” to control agricultural pests. AgAttack solutions cover a wide spectrum from do-it-yourself suggestions to mechanized metering products. The company doesn’t sell insects or consulting services -- just products for dispensing beneficials.

The newest AgAttack product has been designed to work in a tree and vine environment. The dispenser meters an amount of insect or mite combined with vermiculite carrier into a fluid stream that propels the mixture onto a crop canopy. Water or a sticker is pumped into an air stream generated by a gasoline-powered blower. This fluid stream can propel the carrier mixture up to 20 feet, making this dispenser suitable for most tree/vine configurations.

The dispensing equipment utilizes an insulated reservoir for the bug/vermiculite mixture and a 12 volt motor to move a metering plate. The insulated reservoir is large enough to hold a number of containers of ice-substitute products so that the beneficials are kept cool. Mites and insects remain inactive in the vermiculite carrier mixture when the temperature is maintained in the mid-60 degree Fahrenheit range. This technique insures that the beneficial organisms and vermiculite carrier maintain the proper distribution. It is important to keep mites inactive, for example, because once active, they tend to move to the outside edges of their container. Their movement would change the concentration of mites per unit volume of carrier material, resulting in an uneven pattern of distribution of beneficial mites across a field.

A metering plate measures a specific amount of mixture that is dropped into a water/sticker/air stream. The water or sticker facilitates adhesion of the beneficials onto the crop foliage. Water is used for most insects and mites, while a sticker can be used for insect eggs. All of the equipment components mount on a typical tractor tool bar. Tractor speed can vary up to seven or more miles per hour. The equipment is also mountable on an ATV.

AgAttack dispensers were first used in strawberries in 1996. Since then, cotton, melons and other row crops have been treated. The AgAttack equipment is based upon the research work by Dr. Ken Giles and his team from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of California-Davis.

AgAttack is committed to creating solutions for distributing beneficials for all crops. The company has worked with researchers, insectaries, PCAs, entomologists, and growers to develop its products. Company president, Warren Sargent says: “Our entire focus is on creating dispensing solutions for releasing beneficials. We don’t raise or sell bugs, nor do we consult. We work with growers and their suppliers in order to provide an optimal solution.” AgAttack is based in Visalia, California.


 

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