Category Archives: Seed

Syngenta Builds on Garst® Seed Legacy

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Even as the Syngenta-owned Garst and Golden Harvest® brands are being launched under the revised Golden Harvest brand, Syngenta intends to uphold the quality, reliability and legacy that have become synonymous with the Garst brand and the Garst Seed Advisor.

“Roswell Garst’s commitment to customers – to be a trusted advisor in addition to a seed dealer – is the very essence of what the Syngenta Seed Advisor network embodies,” said Lori Thomas, customer marketing manager for the dealer channel commercial unit for Syngenta in North America. “Even though the Garst name won’t have the same market presence, the integrity, tradition and history of the company will continue to live on.” Thomas and her husband, Mike, were Garst Seed Advisors for 10 years.

golden-harvestFounded as Garst & Thomas Hi-Bred Corn Company in 1930, the Garst brand has a rich history of bringing many innovative corn solutions to market, from developing herbicide-tolerant hybrids, including the first IMI-corn, to offering European Corn Borer (Bt) control and herbicide tolerance together in one corn hybrid, to transcending borders and taking the new technology to farmers in other countries, including the former Soviet Union.

Since Syngenta acquired the Garst brand in 2004, the company has focused on building a diverse genetic portfolio, using the genetics from the Garst, Golden Harvest and NK® brand breeding programs and incorporating the market-leading line-up of Agrisure® traits. Earlier this year, Syngenta announced the decision to rebrand the existing Garst and Golden Harvest corn seed brands and launch a unified Golden Harvest brand stemmed from ongoing efforts to strengthen and grow the network of Syngenta Seed Advisors.

A new logo and numbering system for Golden Harvest hybrids will be in place for summer 2013 trials and the 2014 planting season. “The new logo brings elements from the Garst legacy as well as the Golden Harvest legacy,” Lori says, stressing that growers who have counted on Garst seed to maximize their yields will still have access to the same high-quality genetics under the Golden Harvest name through their Syngenta Seed Advisor.

Listen to or download my interview with Lori here: Interview with Lori Thomas

Keeping Seed Treatments Where They Belong

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becker-haleYou’ve spent some good money to treat those seeds before you plant them in the ground. But the dust that forms when the treated seeds rub together and rub off those expensive treatments is more than a loss of protection and an irritant for workers – it’s like money blowing away in the wind. Charlie Hale, marketing strategy and support lead for Becker Underwood says that’s why having the right polymer is so important.

“You might think of the polymers as glues that glue those solids on to the seed surface, but they are also designed these days to help fill in the spaces between the particles to make the seed smoother,” cutting down on that friction that creates that dust. Charlie adds that Becker Underwood’s new Flo Rite® 1706 plantability polymer does all that and gives you more uniform plant distribution out in the field. He also points out that losing protection for that seed also means a loss in yield potential. “With
today’s prices for grain, we lose significant amounts of money, just because we haven’t kept that protection on the seed.”

Charlie says Becker Underwood has two formulations for legumes, two for corn and another one on the way for cotton. He says this is the third generation of the Flo Rite products for soybeans and corn, so his company has some experience to bring to the table. They’ve got it down to producing almost no dust, no matter how aggressively it gets rubbed.

He cautions that growers who think they can cut down on dust really aren’t gaining anything. “Yeah, [a half rate] does [cut down on dust]. But you still are losing protection.” You want to put on and keep on everything that you’ve invested. And he thinks the latest Flo Rite polymer will be near zero dust. “You get pretty close to that.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Charlie here: Charlie Hale, Becker Underwood marketing and support lead

Becker Underwood media tour photo album

VAULT HP Fixes More Nitrogen for Soybeans

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becker-berndtOne of the biggest concerns for any ag operation is getting the most out of your inputs. During the recent tour of BASF‘s newly acquired Becker Underwood St.Joseph, Mo. seed facility, Russ Berndt, product manager for legumes and northern crops for Becker Underwood, talked about the symbiotic relationship soybeans have with the living organism rhizobia, a soil bacteria that fixes nitrogen for soybean plants. While the rhizobia are naturally occurring, they’re not always the right kind for soybeans to get the most out of the nitrogen relationship. That’s where Becker Underwood’s VAULT HP and its compounds come in.

“One of them is a compound that stimulates the rhizobia so that they send signals to the plant to produce more [nitrogen-producing] nodules sites,” adding that another component is INTEGRAL, a biological fungicide that gives more protection for the plants. Russ says that while inoculant technology is not necessarily new, VAULT HP’s approach differs from the old days of the dusty black powders. Liquid concentrations allow more rhizobia to be in each treatment. “It’s now very convenient. Growers can have it put on their seed when they’re getting other seed treatments put on. They’re put on at a very low rate so the treater can put on multiple products. And the concentrations are high so the grower is getting a high count rhizobia along with all the other components of VAULT HP,” he says.

Russ goes on to say that not only are growers ensured a maximum nodulation on those roots with a surefire nitrogen fixer, they get a living biological in INTERGRAL that grows on the roots surface to provide protection throughout the season. It all adds up to a better bottom line.

“What we see as far as return on investment is growers are going to get a 5-to-1 or better return half the time and over 70 percent of the time, get at least a 2-to-1 return.”

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Russ here: Russ Berndt, Becker Underwood product manager for legumes

Becker Underwood media tour photo album

New Monsanto – Dupont Pioneer Licensing Agreement

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MonsantoMonsanto and Dupont Pioneer announced today “a series of technology licensing agreements.” These agreements will expand the range of seed products they can offer farmers. The agreements include a multi-year, royalty-bearing license for Monsanto’s next-generation soybean technologies in the United States and Canada.

I spoke with Lisa Safarian, Monsanto, US Row Crops lead, to get some details.

Dupont PioneerSome of the details include:

Through these agreements, DuPont Pioneer will be able to offer Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans as early as 2014, and Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ glyphosate and dicamba tolerant soybeans as early as 2015, pending regulatory approvals.

DuPont Pioneer also will receive regulatory data rights for the soybean and corn traits previously licensed from Monsanto, enabling it to create a wide array of stacked trait combinations using traits or genetics from DuPont Pioneer or others. Monsanto will receive access to certain DuPont Pioneer disease resistance and corn defoliation patents.

There are quite a few dollars involved in the agreement that include four annual fixed royalty payments from 2014 to 2017 totaling $802 million for trait technology, associated data, and soybean lines to support commercial introduction. Additionally, beginning in 2018, DuPont Pioneer will pay royalties on a per unit basis of Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield® and Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ for the life of the agreement for continued technology access, subject to annual minimum payments through 2023 totaling $950 million.

Additionally, the companies agreed to dismiss their respective antitrust and first-generation Roundup Ready® soybean patent lawsuits pending in U.S. federal court in St. Louis.

You can listen to my interview with Lisa here: Interview with Lisa Safarian

Precise Disk Drills from New Holland

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New Holland Sheldon GerspacherJust how important is it to plant seeds precisely as you’d like to? Very important. That’s why New Holland has come out with a new series of disk drills.

Whether seeding into summerfallow or stubble, New Holland’s new P2000 Series disk drills slice through crop residue to ensure precise, uniform seed placement with very low soil disturbance. Both the new P2080 disk drill (with tow-between or tow-behind air cart) and P2085 disk drill (with a mounted seed tank), offer exceptional seed placement accuracy.

Sheldon Gerspacher, New Holland Seeding Products Marketing Manager, is seen here with the P2080 on display at Commodity Classic. He says these new disk drills allow a farmer to place the seed at the exact depth and down pressure they choose to ensure quick seedling emergence. He also says that through their customer driven design process they learned what features a farmer wants before they ever started manufacturing the product.

Listen to my interview with Sheldon here to learn about more of the features of these new products: Interview with Sheldon Gerspacher

2013 Commodity Classic Photo Album

ASTA Seed Treatment Guide

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ASTA Seed Treatment GuideA guide to seed treatment stewardship is a new project by the American Seed Trade Association along with a collaboration of seed companies, researchers and organizations like CropLife America, National Corn Growers Association and Farm Bureau. Growers will soon find “The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship” online.

I spoke with Andy Lavigne, ASTA President/CEO, during Commodity Classic about this project which is very timely since growers are getting ready to get back out in the field. The guide will answer questions like, “How can I protect my treated seeds; What environmental factors should I consider when planting treated seeds; Am I following state and federal regulations for treated seed and What should I do with unused treated seed?”

Right now growers have an incentive to visit and sign up for notifications at www.seed-treatment-guide.com. Two lucky people will win a $500 cash prize!

Listen to my interview with Andy here: Interview with Andy Lavigne

2013 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Beck’s Hybrids Shares Positive Outlook for 2013

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classic-13-jamie-165-editedIf you you missed the Beck’s Hybrids booth during last week’s Commodity Classic, then you weren’t looking hard enough. They were the ones raffling off the beautiful 2012 Limited Edition Camero Panther for the charity We Care for Orphans. And when I spoke with Ashly Fischer, Marketing Associate & Show Coordinator for Beck’s Hybrids, they had almost met their goal of raising $100,000 for the charity.

Ashley also shared how excited they were to be at Commodity Classic and the products and servies they can provide for growers across the country, even in these trying times.

“This is our second year here at Commodity Classic and we are just absolutely thrilled to be a part of this. There is so many farmers that come. We want to be here to support the associations because that is our audience and our customers. We want to be here supporting.”

“One of the big questions out there is seed supply and it has been a big question since last fall. Beck’s Hybrid is in a great position. We are a family owned company. We are actually the largest family owned company and Sonny and Scott Beck planned for an unfortunate year and we have a great seed supply. We currently have record sales. We are up 15% in corn sales and right now we have some great products available.”

Listen to my interview with Ashley here: Interview with Ashley Fischer

2013 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Bayer CropScience Announces Balance GT Soybeans

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Eric Peters Bayer CropScience Balance GTWe recently knew it as FG72 Soybeans. Now it is Balance GT Soybeans! Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies announced the new soybean performance system during the annual Ag Issues Forum here in Kissimmee.

To learn more about it I got perspectives and information from both sides by visiting with Lauren August, MS Technologies Brand Manager, and Eric Peters, Soybean Herbicide Product Manager, seen doing an interview here in the poster session. Lauren says you’ll be able to learn a lot more about Balance GT Soybeans on their new website. MS Technologies is responsible for the soybean trait side of the collaboration. The product is a dual herbicide tolerant trait stack featuring tolerance to both glyphosate and isoxaflutole. Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies intend to broadly license Balance GT soybeans. Balance GT soybeans will be available in high-yielding genetics in many maturity groups in the US in 2015, pending regulatory approvals.

Balance GT SoybeansEric says that this will give growers an option to rotate chemistries with excellent residual for both grass and broad leaf weeds.

When growing Balance GT soybeans, growers will have the flexibility to use both glyphosate and isoxaflutole during burndown, pre- or post-emergence to achieve broad spectrum weed control of both grasses and broadleaf weeds. Rotating crops, herbicide modes of action and herbicide tolerant traits are good stewardship practices, and three of the best ways growers can achieve effective weed resistance management.

You can listen to my interview with Lauren and Eric here: Interview on new Balance GT Soybean

2013 Bayer CropScience Ag issues Forum Photo Album

Pioneer Announces New T-Series Soybeans

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Dupont PioneerDupont Pioneer held a press conference this morning to announce a new series of Pioneer brand soybeans – the T Series (pdf). I participated in the call so you can listen to what was said including opening comments from Don Schafer, soybean marketing manager, and Dr. Jessie Alt, research scientist. It looks like there will be new product available throughout the soybean growing regions. The new soybean line also included a new product numbering system (pdf) similar to that of Pioneer corn products.

A new series of Pioneer® brand soybean products, developed through the innovative DuPont Pioneer Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT™) process, will bring soybean growers across North America a broad range of high yielding varieties. The new line of soybean products – named the T Series – includes 39 new products and will be introduced in this year.

Signaling an exciting new era in soybean production, the T Series supports soybean growers committed to seeking the right product for the right acre on their soybean fields. Available in seven maturity groups, T Series products represent the largest number of soybean varieties advanced in a single year by Pioneer. The new T Series varieties succeed the popular Pioneer Y Series soybeans introduced several years ago.

“The next generation T Series soybean products provides growers a total package that helps them gain the most from every acre,” says Don Schafer, DuPont Pioneer senior marketing manager – soybeans. “A step change from earlier offerings, the T Series is a direct result of the AYT system that allows Pioneer soybean breeders to maximize yield potential, agronomic traits and resistance to yield-robbing pests.”

Listen to Don describe this new product launch here: Don Schafer Remarks

Listen to Jessie talk about the AYT system here: Jessie Alt Remarks

You can also listen to and/or download the full press conference call here: Pioneer T-Series Press Call

Harvest Masters Unveiled New Mirus Software at ASTA

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asta-mirusJust last month at the ASTA Seed Expo in Chicago, Harvest Masters by Juniper Systems, announced the release of their new harvest data collection software system they call Mirus.

Cindy spoke with Allen Wilson, Ag Marketing Manager for Harvest Masters, during the event. Allen shared how the two year long process to develop this software resulted in a brand new generation. Not simply a new addition to the previous version.

“The Mirus software that we just released works with our harvest data collection for research combines. It’s a Windows based platform. We have been using Windows mobile, but this is a Windows so it will be running on tablets, Windows XP and Windows 7 & 8. We are in that Windows environment. It is a next generation software to work with our hardware that we previously put out. This is a lot more flexible and easy to use. The operators are now able to see four different screens at one time about their system statues and yield levels. A lot more information available for the operators.”

“The feedback we got back from our beta testers, which were about 20 people that have run our previous software, all said it’s intuitive, it’s easy to use and they don’t have to go struggling through a bunch of different screen to find the information they need or settings to change. It’s a precision piece of equipment so they have to be monitoring it and watching to see if there are changes occurring. It was really over-whelming to hear these people that have used our software say we have made a step forward.”

You can find more information about the release of this new software on a previous post on sister site Precision Pays.

Listen to Cindy’s complete interview with Allen here: Interview with Allen Wilson

Check out photos from ASTA here:
ASTA-CSS Photo Album

Acceleron Seed Treatment Interviews

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Monsanto AcceleronHere is the next installment from Monsanto’s series of videos with farmers using Acceleron Seed Treatment products. In it you’ll see dealer Mike Rentschler and farmer Richard Bilstein of Atkinson, Neb.

Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products are the only seed treatments designed to help maximize performance potential in Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans. Learn more about how Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products can get your Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans off to a strong start.

Slick Planting with Seed SLIK

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SeedSLIK GraphiteWinter is a time when farmers can look forward to spring planting, especially if stuck inside due to a winter blizzard! This next installment in our series of interviews about Superior Graphite agricultural products will get you looking ahead. In this post we’ll look at a product line called Seed SLIK. I spoke once again with Barry Lee, Product Manager, Coatings & Lubricants. We focused on Seed SLIK Graphite and Seed SLIK Talc. It is common practice to mix a seed lubricant with seeds for planting to make sure skips don’t happen where a seed does not get planted where it should. That can affect yield. Besides the seed benefit, these products are also beneficial to the machinery itself.

Graphite seed flow lubricants, are made from high quality powdered graphite powders from environmentally safe, natural mineral, and will not hurt seeds, or plantings as they grow. Small seeds benefit from the addition of graphite, allowing them to slide easily off the planter plates.

SeedSLIK TalcSeed SLIK Talc provides similar benefits and features as the Graphite product but has an added benefit of not affecting optical sensors, although it is susceptible to moisture. Barry says the best of both worlds is a blended Seed SLIK product which contains both graphite and talc.

Seed SLIK™ has the highest quality powdered seed flow lubricants available on the market. Talc powder is an environmentally safe, natural mineral, that will not hurt seeds or plantings as they grow. Talc seed flow lubricants are used in mechanical plate and vacuum planters for increased lubricity and wear protection. Talc is a good alternative to graphite for planters with new electronic seed meters that sometimes give false readings with graphite. Small seeds benefit from the addition of talc allowing them to slide easily off the planter plates.

You can get more information on these products on the Slip Plate website or connect with the company on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Listen to my interview with Barry here: Interview with Barry Lee

Acceleron Seed Treatment Interviews

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Monsanto AcceleronMonsanto has created a series of videos with farmers using their products like this one. In it you’ll see Kevin Stoll, farmer in Carrollton, MO, along with dealer Dennis Hensiek, talk about using Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products. We’ll have more to share when we get them.

Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products are the only seed treatments designed to help maximize performance potential in Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans. Learn more about how Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products can get your Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans off to a strong start.

Asgrow 4P System and agSeedSelect

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During the 2012 NAFB Convention I spoke with Dan Kurdys, Asgrow Brand Manager. In a challenging year he says they had great harvest results with a greater than four bushel advantage over their competition. He attributes that to their “diverse germplasm pool, Genuity Roundup Ready trait and defensive and agronomic traits that are available to purchase.” Dan says they’ve developed the Asgrow 4P System, Plan, Plant, Protect and Perform, to give growers an edge in the soybean growing process.

Looking ahead to 2013 farmers can find the right Asgrow seed by using their agSeedSelect tool. This is available for your mobile device, either Apple iOS or Android.

No need to search through hundreds of pages to find the right seed for your field. agSeedSelect lets you create, store, email and print a seed guide tailored to your specific geography and crops. Featuring videos by our agronomists, the app provides detailed information on top products from Asgrow, DEKALB and Deltapine.

You can listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Kurdys

BASF Builds on Becker Underwood History

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In 1982, two friends named Roger Underwood and Jeff Becker started a little company that bore their names with a single product. Several acquisitions and 30 years later, Becker Underwood is a global leader in the development and commercialization of seed-applied biological products and is now part of the BASF Crop Protection family.

“It’s been quite a ride particularly over the last ten years,” said Peter Innes, who has been Chairman and CEO of Becker Underwood and now will be Global Senior Advisor to the BASF Crop Protection division with the acquisition. “We have a major strength in our technical expertise, in our innovation, we like to bring new and different products to the market.”

Peter says the acquisition will help bring those products to new markets, such as India and China. He talks about that and more in this interview from the ASTA 2012 CSS and Seed Expo last week: Interview with Peter Innes

Effective January 1, 2013, most businesses of Becker Underwood will join the newly established global business unit “Functional Crop Care” under BASF’s Crop Protection division, headed by Dr. Jürgen Huff, Senior Vice President. “With this new global business unit we want to offer farmers a complete and holistic portfolio consisting of seed treatment products, complemented by Becker Underwood’s biologicals portfolio,” said Jürgen. “In addition we’re going to add a part of the business which we call “Innovation Beyond Crop Protection” – projects and products aimed at water management and better nutrient management for plants.”

Jürgen has been with BASF since 1995 and was actually involved in leading a polymer laboratory when he joined the company. “We are very excited with the new Becker Underwood team to bring new great things to the market,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Jürgen here: Interview with Jürgen Huff


ASTA-CSS Photo Album

BASF on Becker Underwood Acquisition

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The acquisition of Becker Underwood by BASF brings together two market leaders in the areas of innovation, crop protection, seed and biological technology, which means a broader range of products for growers to increase yields.

BASF VP US Crop Protection Paul Rea says Becker Underwood technology is complementary to BASF’s existing product portfolio and raises the bar for plant health as a means of increasing yield. “Obviously we have a great foundation with Headline, Headline AMP and Priaxor,” Paul said at last week’s ASTA CSS 2012 and Seed Expo. “The addition of the Becker Underwood portfolio should allow us to look at combining technologies and push that limit even further by using traditional, biological and seed treatment technology to get more from each acre.”

Paul talks more about the acquisition in this interview: Interview with Paul Rea, BASF

BASF Canada Crop Protection Director Scott Kay says the acquisition of Becker Underwood is important for growers in North America. “It’s a great synergy because our pipelines do not overlap so it’s a brand new portfolio for us,” said Scott. “Whether it’s the inoculants or biologicals, they all have a place and it goes along with helping farmers get the most out of every acre and to manage risk throughout the season.”

Learn more from Scott here: Interview with Scott Kay, BASF


ASTA-CSS Photo Album

Bayer Announces Bee Care Center at ASTA

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The seed may be first, but bees are still important when it comes to agricultural production and Bayer CropScience was pleased to announce plans for a new North American Bee Care Center during last week’s American Seed Trade Association expo. The company plans to break ground in February 2013 on the center which will serve as a gathering place for researchers, bee experts, students and other visitors to meet regularly with leading Bayer scientists.

Bayer Seed Growth Lead Brad May says the Bayer Bee Care Center is dedicated to promoting and protecting bee health for everyone. “This bee health care center is to help talk to beekeepers,” he said. “We want to be able to look at the diseases and the varroa mite and everything about bee health because agriculture is our lives and bees are agriculture.”

Brad says they always have a lot to talk about at the ASTA 2012 CSS and Seed Expo. “Everything starts with the seed,” he said. “We have the seed, the seed growth products, application equipment that goes with the seed, colors and coatings, we’re just a strong supplier.”

Attendees at the expo this year showed a lot of interest in Poncho/VOTiVO seed treatment for insect and nematode protection and the On Demand™ application technology. Brad tells a story about one of his first users of the On Demand system who didn’t get to use it much himself because his 17-year-old daughter treated everything. “It’s all touch screen, you’re just moving 15 gallon kegs, it’s a closed system,” Brad related, adding that the new system led his client’s daughter to develop a new interest in agriculture!

Interview with Brad May


ASTA-CSS Photo Album

Enlist E3 Soybean Brand Announced at ASTA

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Developing new technologies to deal with herbicide resistant weeds is a major directive for agricultural crop protection companies, and a big announcement in that arena was made this week at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2012 and Seed Expo by one of the event’s major strategic partners, Dow AgroSciences.

In collaboration with M.S. Technologies, Dow unveiled Enlist E3™ soybeans as the brand name for the industry’s first-ever, three-gene herbicide tolerant soybean to provide tolerance to 2,4-D product, glyphosate, and glufosinate. The technology was submitted for regulatory approval in August 2011 and is anticipated to be launched in 2015 pending U.S. and import country approvals.

“Enlist E3 soybeans will set the new standard for weed control and yield performance in soybeans,” said Lauren August, M.S. Technologies. “This first-ever three-gene stack event has been packaged in high-yielding elite germplasm from M.S. Technologies which, when combined, will allow growers to maximize per acre profits.”

I talked with Damon Palmer, Enlist weed control system commercial lead for Dow, at the ASTA Seed Expo. “It’s going to be really important that we maximize the tools that farmers have to control weeds and so those three herbicide tolerances will provide farmers flexibility and tools into the future to manage weeds,” he said. Enlist E3 soybeans will be brought to market in high-yielding varieties, widely available in multiple brands. “The business objective is to broadly license this throughout the industry,” said Damon, noting that they were able to meet with many companies interested in the technology at that ASTA 2012 Expo.

Damon says involvement in ASTA is important to Dow from both a business and policy perspective. “This is a high technology business and so it’s really important that we’re together and we can push forward policies that advance the seed industry,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Damon here: Interview with Damon Palmer

ASTA-CSS Photo Album

CropLife Foundation Previews Study at ASTA Expo

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CropLife Foundation (CLF) is publishing a comprehensive report next year on “The Role of Precision Seed Protection in Modern Crop Production” and preliminary findings of the report were presented today at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Corn & Sorghum Seed Research Conference 2012 & Seed Expo.

CLF chairman of the board Jay Vroom says the report outlines the benefits of using pesticides for sustainable crop production.

“Precision seed protection, as part of an integrated pest management system and when combined responsibly with other crop protection products, makes it possible for U.S. farmers to grow more resilient crops that can withstand harsh climate conditions and provide consumers more healthy and nutritious food choices,” said Vroom. “CLF looks forward to the publication of this report in the spring and sharing important findings on the benefits of precision seed protection for modern agriculture.”

Read more about it from CLF and listen to my interview with Jay here: Interview with Jay Vroom

ASTA-CSS Photo Album

ASTA Looking Toward the Future

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The American Seed Trade Association is looking ahead to the future of the seed industry and developing a new long range plan.

“We’ve always had a five year strategic plan which gives us direction for where we want the association to go and it was time to refresh that,” said ASTA immediate past chairman Mike Gumina of DuPont Pioneer. To do that, they got input from membership across the board and identified several key issues to address. “The areas that were identified by the membership were: intellectual property rights protection, having our impact on domestic policy as it influences the seed business, state and local issues that influence the seed business, our international programs and our communication programs,” Mike said.

Under the communications banner, Mike says they are really reaching out to a number of audiences including ag media and grower organizations, as well as general media and government. “Getting the story out on seed, the importance of seed, the value of seed, the value of technology and the value of the productivity it brings to all of humanity is really an important message to get out,” he said.

Also important to the future is people and Mike says DuPont Pioneer has started a program to bring young industry professionals to ASTA events so they can get a broader view of the industry. “It’s an opportunity for them to see the broader picture of what’s going on in the seed industry, to understand how ASTA is engaged in policy setting and helping to eliminate issues that are creating barriers to business success in the industry,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Mike here: Interview with Mike Gumina

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