According to the President and CEO of BASF Plant Science Dr. Hans Kast, the future is in the genes for agriculture. Kast gave ag journalists an overview of that future in Germany last week.
“Plant biotechnology will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapidly growing population continues to have a sufficient supply of high quality food,” said Kast.
BASF Plant Science’s research activities focus on solutions for effective agriculture, healthier nutrition and plants for use as renewable resources. BASF Plant Science is an international Research and Technology “Verbund” with eight sites in Europe and North America.
The Monsanto World Headquarters is now 40,000 square feet bigger. The global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products has completed construction of a new data center in Missouri.
Monsanto Company has announced it has completed construction of a new data center on the west side of its World Headquarters campus in Creve Coeur, Mo. The $21 million, 40,000 square-foot building will provide for the company’s growing global data and computation needs. The new center houses Monsanto’s vast computing network that supports areas of the business from analyzing data collected for molecular breeding to processing a customer’s seed order information.
“The data center is an integral part of our business, both in delivering high quality products for the farm and for improving the customer experience,” said Mark Showers, chief information officer for Monsanto. “Every day Monsanto scientists analyze terabytes of data collected from laboratories, field trials, and breeding stations around the world. This requires considerable speed and technology to quickly and accurately process such massive amounts of data into manageable, digestible information that we can use to make important business decisions like which drought-tolerant gene will be advanced to the next phase of the product pipeline.” (more…)
Merging the latest in seed technology with resistance management is the key Syngenta wants to give to farmers so they can fully maximize their productivity. I grabbed Craig Abell with Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Brands NK Seeds Steve Pig to talk about how the two sects work together to give farmers the most out each bushel and acre.
Listen to Craig and Steve here:
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Farmers wanting to payback all those pesky little pests that challenge them in the field can at the Monsanto display. Well, sort of. Blue flashing lights and ringing buzzer sounded after each whacking spree. The game lured the largest line in the exhibit when I stopped in to check it out. Visitors could also check out a mountain display of seeds, play a Price-Is-Right style plinko game and see live benefits of RoundUp Ready.
“See the next decade of biotechnology products.” That’s what Monsanto says its Technology Showcase Tour: The Road Map to Success will demonstrate to farmers in Progress City, IL. The gene optimization, desired trait characteristics and advanced product development that Monsanto promotes with its products is all on display in a live side-by-side comparison of crops with Monsanto products and crops without. The Tour demonstrates how Monsanto works with gene traits to not only protect crops from bugs and weeds, but to “propel yields into the next decade.” Monsanto says its products help match demand with innovative technology, making it possible to meet global feed markets, global food markets and global biofuel markets.
The Tour spelled out how the hybrid system works using female and male parents, which are crossed to produce seed with hybird characteristics. Monsanto displayed these new elite commercial hybrids that it says look bigger and have more yield potential. Researchers are mining corn hybrids not just from the U.S., but from Argentina and Brazil. Representatives say that enables researchers to bring new combinations of genes that benefit growers. They offer new breeding tools that lets scientists pick the valuable gene out of a Brazilian corn line that might be super heat tolerant or a gene from an Argentinian corn line that might have great disease resistance and bring those genes together in a special combination that helps farmers. Monsanto says their tool for breeding is fundamentally changing the yield production for corn production.
Monsanto demonstrated the same ideals in its soybean products. The company says it has found a way to use the RoundUp Ready gene in a place in the soybean chromosome that’s “super hot for yield.” Data shows about a 7 to 11% increase in soybean breeding terms. Monsanto say that’s close to the gain that would be expected from 10 years of breeding. Researchers say there is a huge yield potential embroiled in this product that will provide growers with that “step-change they need to meet that great need for soybean products and the pressure for competition with corn for ethanol.
The pipeline also demonstrates work transforming soybean crops capable of producing oil that is Monsanto claims is virtually identical to olive oil. Oil that is lower in saturated fat and free of harmful trans fats. Monsanto has a million and a half acres dedicated to this demonstration of the first large-scale, identity-preserved value-added gene traits in soybeans.
I spoke briefly with Soybean Trait Manager Gary Elmore about the myriad of technology Monsanto is demonstrating. You can listen to Gary briefly run through what’s going on at the Monsanto Road Map to Success Tour here:
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Dow AgroSciences says it’s planning for the future of biotechnology. But, the company is quick to point out a host of innovative technologies available now for improving crop yields. Dow AgroSciences says its Herculex family of traits offers the broadest protection when comes to safeguarding crops against most insects, both above ground and below ground, in corn. Representatives add that its 2,4-D trait offers a robust performance and excellent tolerance. Traits & Germplasm Licensing Leader Ben Kaehler says the plan is to bring out what the company feels will provide the best insect protection, by having Herculex Extra, with the best opportunity to control weeds with a herbicide tolerant trait to give growers the best opportunity to have maximum yields, clean fields and make a lot of money using Dow AgroSciences products and traits.
Representatives point out that weed resistance is a growing issue with three glycocene resistant weeds in Missouri and a projection of two officially-declared resistant weeds in Illinois by the end of the year. But, Dow AgroSciences says its new brand platform Technology for Traits, which includes SureStart, Sonic, and Durango DMA have all been designed and will be positioned for RoundUp Ready crops primarily RoundUp Ready corn and soybeans. Technology for Traits is built upon a system meant to maintain glycocen as a management tool for a long time because farmers value it for its simplicity, economic costs and effectiveness. Dow AgroSciences says it wants to help farmers maximize their yield.
The Herculex family of traits and the Technology for Traits are just some of what Dow AgroSciences is demonstrating to farmers. Ben briefly explained the various product demonstrations on display at the 2007 Farm Progress Show.
Listen to Ben Kaehler here:
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Dow AgroSciences hasn’t set up camp at the Farm Progress Show in ten years. But, this year, the company says it has some exciting new technology to present and couldn’t skip out on offering farmers in Progress City a first-hand look. Dow AgroSciences Global Corn Business Leader Tom Wiltrout kicked off a press conference introducing the company’s Herbicide Tolerant Traits technology, which has been under development for 2 to 3 years. Tom says the the traits have already been introduced in corn. He adds that Dow AgroSciences has also overcome limitations for the 2,4-D herbicide, allowing farmers to capitalize on what he calls the most affordable Broadleaf Weed control you can get.
Listen to Tom Wiltrout here:
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Here’s some more blogs you might want to check out.
The Scoop: This is the blog of the Pork Checkoff. Thanks to Teresa Roof (one of the pork bloggers) for bringing it to my attention.
GMO Africa: He lives in Seattle and his name is James Njoroge. James specializes in agricultural biotechnology. He’s trained in mass communication and technical writing. He believes that “public understanding of science and technology is the cornerstone of economic development.”
I have mentioned that the Biotechnology Industry Organization has embraced the use of new media tools for their current BIO 2007 taking place in Boston. Today their PR firm sent out an email that started out, “Bloggers, If you were unable to attend the BIO convention in Boston, you can still cover this event. . . “ Now how cool is it that they’re reaching out to the “bloggers?” They even mention a couple of them like Pharmalot and Patent Baristas. Stephen Albainy-Jenei who writes Patent Baristas looks like he got the gig to be the official BIO Blogger on their BIO Voice. Now there’s someone I’d like to meet since I haven’t run into too many who do what I do.
I’m not sure who it is that sent me this but the keynote speaker at BIO 2007 today was Michael J. Fox. You can watch a short video clip of his speech on YouTube.
So it looks like new media reporting has hit the biotech arena in a big way. I remember being told by the BIO staff last year that I was the only blogger on site. I guess times have changed.
Well I’m going to miss BIO 2007. But here’s some interesting notes.
They have a blog now. Can you imagine an organization like BIO having a blog? Last year at their convention I was basically the only person there blogging it. Now they have their own.
Oh, and here’s another interesting thing they’re doing. An online Flickr photo album and they’re encouraging others to upload their photos and tag them with BIO2007. What a great idea. If you can’t be there then how about a photo? Why not let your members or customers see what you’re doing? Depend on someone else to do it for you? Never!
On Thursday at Green Week I finally had a chance to wander around some of the pavilions and booths. I started with the agricultural area first and walked right into a biobased products section. I’m not sure what the exact definition of “bio” is around the world or if it actually is different in different countries. I say this because this display was of organic dairy products and that doesn’t fit into my definition of bio-based products. In fact, I would say that true organic production implies to me that bio-type products weren’t used in the making of these items.
I did also notice that Greenpeace had a booth in this area. At the time I went through no one was stopping to visit with them.
If you had asked me a week ago what Bio-PDO is I wouldn’t have a clue. However, after helping distribute a news release for Pioneer this morning I now know that it’s a bio product made from corn and like a lot of biotechnology, it’s helping us reduce our dependence on oil while helping American farmers.
Commercial production of Bio-PDO™ from corn sugar is a significant milestone for agriculture and for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, according to company officials. Pioneer is a subsidiary of DuPont which today announced DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC, an equally-owned joint venture of DuPont and Tate & Lyle, the first commercial shipments of Bio-PDO™, from its $100 million facility here in Eastern Tennessee.. According to Pioneer President Dean Oestreich (oos-trick), Bio-PDO™ is a totally new corn-based product that can be used to make a variety of consumer products replacing petroleum-based propanediol.
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One of the big announcements here at the show on opening day was from Bunge and Dupont who have a biotech alliance. Basically they’ve created a new brand, “Treus.” This is being done to “reflect their expansion of the companies’ soy collaboration beyond food and nutrition products to include industrial applications, biofuels and other opportunities.”
Low linolenic soybean oil produced from Pioneer® brand soybean varieties, and previously marketed as NUTRIUM Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, will now be marketed as TREUS™ Low Linolenic Soybean Oil.
I interviewed Troy Hobbs, Business Manager, Bunge/Dupont Biotech Alliance. He describes the changes in more detail and what this means for producers. Troy is pictured on the left of the Treus sign. On the right is Jason Klootwyk, Bunge, Asst. Commercial Manager, Grain Division.
You can listen to my interview with Troy here: Troy Hobbs Interview (3 min MP3) Note: I wasn’t using my regular recorder but the audio is acceptable.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization welcomes Jeffrey A. Joseph who will become the organization’s vice president of communications beginning on September 6.
“I am very pleased that Jeff has accepted our offer to join the BIO team,” Greenwood said. “Jeff’s passion and skill as a communicator will provide tremendous leadership for our public relations staff. Joseph is presently the Vice President of Communications and Strategic Relations at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
In 2005, Joseph was named PR Professional of the Year in the Nonprofit/Association category by PR News. Joseph also was named to PR Week’s “In-House A List” and to Dealerscope Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40 In The Consumer Electronics Industry” in 2003.
Here’s one on Australian researchers developing drought tolerant wheat. We might need some of this here in the midwest unless we get some rain soon.
Victorian scientists have identified new drought resistant wheat lines that could mean millions of extra dollars in farmers’ pockets, Minister for Innovation John Brumby announced today at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Melbourne. Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientists based in Horsham, within the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC, have identified bread wheat lines that yield up to 20 per cent more grain than current varieties, under drought stressed conditions.
“Wheat is Australia’s largest crop, with Victorian wheat exports valued at $384 million in 2004-05,” Mr Brumby said. “However Australian wheat is grown under rainfed conditions and a lack of rainfall frequently reduces the crop yield. “With at least half of Australia’s wheat production area subject to drought every year, these new lines could earn Australian wheat farmers an additional $270 million a year.
I think this looks like a tasty morsel. Cod is an excellent fish. These biotech researchers in Australia though seem to have gotten off the track a little bit don’t you think? I’ve tried to keep this a very clean site and stay away from the “s” word but this story is too good to pass up.
Victorian scientists have revealed the once thought monogamous Australian fish, the Murray cod could be playing the field. Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, said while Murray cod were commonly believed to be monogamous, a study of the fish larvae genes has shown that some cod were polygamous with pairings of two females and one male discovered in several captive spawnings.
Announcing the surprising findings today at the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Melbourne today, Mr Brumby said scientists from Department of Primary Industries (DPI) had made the discovery. “The more we know about the Murray cod, including its sex life, the better we will be able to manage the population levels as well as develop its export potential,” Mr Brumby said.
Oh my gosh. I had no idea. Fascinating. How is biotechnology involved? The “the study is just one component of a larger project which is utilising advanced gene marker and reproduction technologies to enable the development of selective breeding programs for the production of bigger, more colourful and healthier cod for aquaculture purposes.”
There’s a big biotechnology conference going on in Australia this week. I was invited to attend but have to be in Kansas City and then on to Norway. Darn the luck, eh?
But that doesn’t mean I can’t let you know what’s happening down under. Here’s an interesting story. Victorian scientists are using leading biotechnology to take the sneeze out of the chief culprit of hayfever – ryegrass – which afflicts 1.8 million Australians and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, today announced the findings to mark the start of the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Melbourne.
Mr Brumby said the researchers at Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) had developed a new variety of ryegrass, which does not cause the sneezing and itchy eyes of hay fever. “Through the use of innovative biotechnology, relief is now in sight for sufferers and businesses alike across the world,” Mr Brumby said.
Alleluia! I would love to leave my Zyrtec behind. I’m sure many of you would too. How about John’s title? Minister of Innovation. I like that. I also like the fact that they’re sending me great pictures to go along with the information. I’ve got more to post later today.
Oh, and by the way, did I mention I wish I could be there to take these pictures myself?
Speaking of podcasting. We were speaking about podcasting here in the office just now (really). Here’s an update to Monsanto’s Conversations About Plant Biotechnology. This very well done production now has a “total number of video segments with growers to more than 35 and representing nine of the 21 countries that grew biotech crops in 2005.” They’ve also updated the website.
The site now provides a state-of-the-art online video player, cutting-edge video distribution system, and more flexible, simpler navigation. The changes will make it easier and faster for visitors to view videos with growers and experts about the benefits of GM crops.
I thought it would be appropriate to make my last post from Syngenta Media Day include an interview with Mary-Dell Chilton. Mary-Dell says she’s way past retirement age but still gets in early each day to get to work. Why? Because she thinks it’s exciting and important.
In my interview with her she talks about the turning point in the development of what we now know as biotechnology. She also thinks that the safety of the food made from the products developed by Syngenta is completely safe. She says the testing is rigorous for example.
You can listen to my interview with the first Executive Director of this facility here: Mary-Dell Chilton Interview (5 min MP3)
The Farm Progress Show is underway and the weather is beautiful. Chuck and Laura will be contributing to the photo album this week.
Aggie Lancer
Laura McNamara interviewed Aggie-Lance creator and founder, Mark Jewell.
They talk about the new company and what Mark's trying to do which includes providing an online opportunity for companies to connect with free lancers.
According to the President and CEO of BASF Plant Science Dr. Hans Kast, the future is in the genes for agriculture. Kast gave ag journalists an overview of that future in Germany last week.
The Monsanto World Headquarters is now 40,000 square feet bigger. The global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products has completed construction of a 
Merging the latest in seed technology with resistance management is the key Syngenta wants to give to farmers so they can fully maximize their productivity. I grabbed Craig Abell with Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Brands NK Seeds Steve Pig to talk about how the two sects work together to give farmers the most out each bushel and acre. 
Farmers wanting to payback all those pesky little pests that challenge them in the field can at the Monsanto display. Well, sort of. Blue flashing lights and ringing buzzer sounded after each whacking spree. The game lured the largest line in the exhibit when I stopped in to check it out. Visitors could also check out a mountain display of seeds, play a Price-Is-Right style plinko game and see live benefits of RoundUp Ready.
“See the next decade of biotechnology products.” That’s what Monsanto says its Technology Showcase Tour: The Road Map to Success will demonstrate to farmers in Progress City, IL. The gene optimization, desired trait characteristics and advanced product development that Monsanto promotes with its products is all on display in a live side-by-side comparison of crops with Monsanto products and crops without. The Tour demonstrates how Monsanto works with gene traits to not only protect crops from bugs and weeds, but to “propel yields into the next decade.” Monsanto says its products help match demand with innovative technology, making it possible to meet global feed markets, global food markets and global biofuel markets.
The Tour spelled out how the hybrid system works using female and male parents, which are crossed to produce seed with hybird characteristics. Monsanto displayed these new elite commercial hybrids that it says look bigger and have more yield potential. Researchers are mining corn hybrids not just from the U.S., but from Argentina and Brazil. Representatives say that enables researchers to bring new combinations of genes that benefit growers. They offer new breeding tools that lets scientists pick the valuable gene out of a Brazilian corn line that might be super heat tolerant or a gene from an Argentinian corn line that might have great disease resistance and bring those genes together in a special combination that helps farmers. Monsanto says their tool for breeding is fundamentally changing the yield production for corn production.
The pipeline also demonstrates work transforming soybean crops capable of producing oil that is Monsanto claims is virtually identical to olive oil. Oil that is lower in saturated fat and free of harmful trans fats. Monsanto has a million and a half acres dedicated to this demonstration of the first large-scale, identity-preserved value-added gene traits in soybeans. 
Dow AgroSciences says it’s planning for the future of biotechnology. But, the company is quick to point out a host of innovative technologies available now for improving crop yields. Dow AgroSciences says its Herculex family of traits offers the broadest protection when comes to safeguarding crops against most insects, both above ground and below ground, in corn. Representatives add that its 2,4-D trait offers a robust performance and excellent tolerance. Traits & Germplasm Licensing Leader Ben Kaehler says the plan is to bring out what the company feels will provide the best insect protection, 
by having Herculex Extra, with the best opportunity to control weeds with a herbicide tolerant trait to give growers the best opportunity to have maximum yields, clean fields and make a lot of money using Dow AgroSciences products and traits.
Technology for Traits is built upon a system meant to maintain glycocen as a management tool for a long time because farmers value it for its simplicity, economic costs and effectiveness. Dow AgroSciences says it wants to help farmers maximize their yield.
Well I’m going to miss 
On Thursday at Green Week I finally had a chance to wander around some of the pavilions and booths. I started with the agricultural area first and walked right into a biobased products section. I’m not sure what the exact definition of “bio” is around the world or if it actually is different in different countries. I say this because this display was of organic dairy products and that doesn’t fit into my definition of bio-based products. In fact, I would say that true organic production implies to me that bio-type products weren’t used in the making of these items.
If you had asked me a week ago what Bio-PDO is I wouldn’t have a clue. However, after helping 
One of the big announcements here at the show on opening day was from 
The 
I guess the 
They had a great looking trade show and program. You can find a message from the Premier of Victoria, Hon Steve Bracks MP, 
I have to thank Wendy Lewis with 
I think this looks like a tasty morsel. Cod is an excellent fish. These biotech researchers in Australia though seem to have gotten off the track a little bit don’t you think? I’ve tried to keep this a very clean site and stay away from the “s” word but this story is too good to pass up.
There’s a big biotechnology conference going on in Australia this week. I was invited to attend but have to be in Kansas City and then on to Norway. Darn the luck, eh?
Victorian scientists are using leading biotechnology to take the sneeze out of the chief culprit of hayfever – ryegrass – which afflicts 1.8 million Australians and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, today announced the findings to mark the start of the 
of ryegrass, which does not cause the sneezing and itchy eyes of hay fever. “Through the use of innovative biotechnology, relief is now in sight for sufferers and businesses alike across the world,” Mr Brumby said.
Speaking of podcasting. We were speaking about podcasting here in the office just now (really). Here’s an update to Monsanto’s 
I thought it would be appropriate to make my last post from Syngenta Media Day include an interview with Mary-Dell Chilton. Mary-Dell says she’s way past retirement age but still gets in early each day to get to work. Why? Because she thinks it’s exciting and important.
Laura McNamara interviewed Aggie-Lance creator and founder, Mark Jewell.
