Farmers, the original environmentalists. Continuing the tradition and using good science to do so.
Syngenta today announced the launch of a new website, “Saving the Oasis,” featuring three short documentaries that tell the story of how atrazine helps modern farmers protect precious water and soil resources while aiding the environment and economy. The site also contains information about other Syngenta efforts that help farmers preserve water.
Category Archives: Syngenta
New Research On Benefits Of Atrazine
During the recent NAFB convention, AgriTalk recorded a panel discussion about new research on Atrazine. This herbicide, which has been on the market for more than 50 years is very beneficial from an economic and environmental standpoint in the production of corn, sorghum and sugar cane according to this new research.
I interviewed one of those researchers, Dr. Mike Owen, during the NAFB Trade Talk in the Syngenta booth. He says his role was to investigate the issue of herbicide resistance. He says the information basically reinforces what most people already knew about the impact of using glyphosate resistant crops with glyphosate to the exclusion of a lot of the other tools in the agricultural toolbox. He says farmers are still in denial about this issue. They need to diversity in weed management! You can find a number of links on this subject posted by Dr. Owen here.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Owen here: Interview with Dr. Mike Owen
According to a release from Syngenta (pdf) on this subject:
U.S. consumers and society benefit from atrazine and other triazine herbicides by up to $4.8 billion per year, due to increased yield as well as decreased producer costs and reduced soil erosion, according to new studies released today in Kansas City.
In addition, the U.S. economy benefits from atrazine and other triazine herbicides by as much as $22 billion over a five-year period. Benefits to farmers and consumers from the triazine herbicides include increased corn, sorghum and sugar cane crop yields, lower weed-control costs, significantly reduced soil erosion and less carbon released into the atmosphere. Atrazine and the triazine herbicides account for as many as 48,000 American jobs in corn production alone.
You can watch the AgriTalk program with all the researchers, as they share highlights of the new data, documenting atrazine’s impact on weed management, crop yields and jobs.
2011 NAFB Convention Photo Album
2011 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Kicks Off
Greetings from Toledo, Ohio and the 2011 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour!
The Conservation Technology Information Center annual tour is taking place in Northwest Ohio and focusing on the impact of agriculture on the Maumee River and Bay, as well as Lake Erie.
We started out the event with a boat tour of the river and bay and out into the lake to get a view from the water of what the issues are for agriculture in the area. I talked with Ron Olson (left) of The Mosaic Company and Rex Martin of Syngenta about the purpose of the tour and why their companies are involved with the event and CTIC.
Florida-based Mosaic, which is the world’s leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, is the sponsor of this year’s tour. “The industry has adopted the 4R stewardship campaign,” Ron said. “The right product at the right rate, at the right place at the right time – and this is part of getting that message out to the farmers and the fertilizer dealers who are users of our product.”
Listen to my interview with Ron here: Ron Olson, Mosaic
Rex is head of industry relations for Syngenta and chairman of the CTIC Board of Directors. “We do a good job of taking folks that need to learn about conservation technology and matching them with folks that need to know about conservation technology,” Rex says about CTIC. This year’s tour has record-breaking attendance and Rex says they have lots of great stops planned on Tuesday to find out more about innovative conservation practices in the area.
Listen to my interview with Rex here: Rex Martin, Syngenta
CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album
AgWired coverage of the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Field Tour is sponsored by AGROTAINSyngenta at Commodity Classic
Syngenta held a press conference at the recent Commodity Classic to discuss challenges growers have in the upcoming season and the Syngenta commitment to make their R&D investment “local” to the grower. Getting things started was Tracy Mader, head of product marketing for Syngenta Seeds. He asked the ag media how many new technologies they had heard about, seen or product launches they had encountered in the last twelve to twenty four months. I don’t keep count but there has been a lot. He calls it a golden age of opportunity for many growers not only because of commodity prices but also for available technologies. Syngenta had a full team on hand to talk with the media. I was able to record the press conference for your listening pleasure but didn’t have a chance to talk one on one at that time.
You can listen to and download the Syngenta press conference here: Syngenta Press Conference
2011 Commodity Classic Photo Album
USDA Deregulates Corn Amylase
Syngenta Seeds announced today it has received full deregulation from USDA for corn amylase (Event 3272), the first corn output trait designed to help ethanol industry become more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly.
Syngenta Seeds plans to sell corn containing Event 3272 under the “Enogen” seed brand. “Enogen corn is a breakthrough product that provides ethanol producers a proven means to create more value per gallon while offering targeted corn growers an opportunity to cultivate a premium specialty crop in a contracted, closed production system,” said David Morgan, president of Syngenta Seeds. “Also, Enogen corn can substantially reduce the energy and water consumed and the carbon emissions associated with ethanol production.”
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is happy with USDA’s decision.
“Corn amylase is the first processing output trait to be scrutinized by our regulatory system,” said NCGA president Bart Schott, a grower from North Dakota. “The potential importance of output traits to growers and industry will only increase as other output traits are developed.”
Corn amylase is approved in Japan, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Amylase was found to be safe for food and feed by the Food and Drug Administration in 2007.
A Mid-Winter’s Tale From Syngenta
One of the Syngenta Seeds bloggers (Rich Lee) has written a holiday poem that ties in the delivery of seed. Here’s an excerpt. You’ll need to go to Dirt on Seeds to read the whole thing.
It was the season before spring work; all is covered in snow,
‘tis the time we are frozen, when nothing will go.
The tractors are tucked, all snug in the shed,
in the hope that warm weather soon was ahead.
And dreaming of green crops and new record yields,
I could almost smell the dirt from freshly-plowed fields.
Read rest of poem
Status of Syngenta Seeds Product Launches
It was almost deja vu for me at the recent NAFB convention Trade Talk session because I interviewed Wayne Fithian, Syngenta Seeds, just like last year. However, since the topic is “what’s new” you’ll hear a new story.
Wayne says they’re very lucky to have three major launches this year including Agrisure Viptera, Aphid Management System and a first wave of drought tolerant corn with Agrisure Artesian. In my interview he will tell you the status of each of these product launches. You can listen to my interview with Wayne here: Syngenta Interview
Incidentally, Syngenta Seeds just announced that they have submitted a petition for the deregulation of its Event 5307*, a next-generation corn rootworm trait to USDA.
Syngenta’s Event 5307 expresses the eCry3.1Ab protein, which has demonstrated resistance to corn rootworm in Syngenta trials. This protein has a novel mode of action that binds differently in the gut of target insects than the protein in Syngenta’s Agrisure® RW corn rootworm trait. As such, once approved, the new event will provide Syngenta with the opportunity to create proprietary trait stacks with multiple modes of action against corn rootworms.
Introducing Agrisure Viptera for Pest Control
This year during Farm Progress, Syngenta launched the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack, its new breakthrough in pest control. Syngenta’s Grant Ozipko said that their customers are really excited about the product, and for good reason.
Syngenta customers who are participating in trials are seeing and experiencing a new level of control, the highest level of control soon to be available on the market according to Ozipko, as well as the broadest spectrum of control. Once Agrisure Viptera hits the market in time for the 2011 planting season, it will control 14 different pests including corn earworm, fall army worm, Western bean cut worm, and black cut worm, among others.
The protection is something Ozipko says growers are confident about when they plant the trait stack in their fields. “They’re going to have protection from planting all the way through harvest,” said Ozipko.
Ozipko continued, “At the end of the day, the grower is really driven by yield. We’re experiencing a 14 bushel benefit. Growers are excited about that 14 bushels per acre in the presence of corn earworm.”
This equates to about a half ton truck of grain on every acre and Ozipko said this is a pretty big yield loss if growers don’t control pests.
Regardless of environmental conditions, Agrisure Viptera is going to provide protection against pests. Many farmers in the Midwest suffered from excess moisture this growing season that can lead to mycotoxin or aflotoxin from pests that get into the corn ear. However, planting Agrisure Viptera can reduce damage from those pests, minimizing toxins and help the grower market his grain more effectively.
You can learn more about Agrisure Viptera at www.agrisureviptera.com and by listening to my interview with Grant Ozipko here. Introducing Agrisure Viptera for Pest Control
Check out our Farm Progress Photo Album.
Syngenta Seeds and John Deere Credit Team Up
Syngenta Seeds has teamed up with John Deere Credit to offer grower financing solutions through Farm PlanTM for the 2011 crop season. Qualified growers purchasing Garst®, Golden Harvest® and NK® brand seed products will be eligible to receive season-long financing, with attractive cash discounts, at competitive interest rates through Farm Plan.
Chuck Lee, head of Syngenta Seeds corn and soybean marketing, says they look forward to making financing an option for their customers. “At Syngenta, we are always looking for ways to help growers build a successful and profitable business,” he said.
“Farm Plan is a great fit with Syngenta because we serve the same customer, ” said Scott Cline, vice president of marketing at John Deere Credit. “Our strategic relationship with Syngenta is helping us achieve our goal of providing dependable solutions that help qualified producers get what they need when they need it.”
Qualified growers will have access to financing through Farm Plan this coming fall.
Syngenta Seeds Updates
VipCot™ cotton has gotten new EPA approval, and the Multi-Pest Complex will soon be ready to fight black and dingy cutworms in the Corn Belt, according to the latest news from Syngenta Seeds.
Syngenta Seeds just announced that EPA has approved a natural refuge option for its VipCot™ cotton technology.
VipCot* cotton contains the transgenic cotton events COT67B, which produces the Cry1Ab protein, and COT102, which features the novel Vip3A protein. Vip3A is the same protein found in Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera™ trait in corn and is a totally new mode of action in both cotton and corn. The natural refuge option for VipCot affects growers in 16 cotton producing states but does not apply to areas where pink bollworm is a key pest including Arizona, California, New Mexico, and some parts of Texas.
Syngenta Seeds also noted that the first signs of possible black cutworm and dingy cutworm infestations are being seen throughout the Corn Belt as agronomist moth traps have reported significant captures of black cutworm in Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. Growers are being urged to scout fields now to determine if treatments are necessary, but the arrival of the Agrisure Viptera 3111 multi-pest complex could make that obsolete.
“With Agrisure Viptera 3111, growers will be better able to manage these pests without worrying about costly spraying and scouting,” said Syngenta Seeds agronomy marketing manager Bruce Battles. Once the remaining key import market approvals are received, growers will have the option of planting seed with the new Agrisure Viptera™ 3111 trait stack to protect against black and dingy cutworm damage without scouting.
Syngenta Gets BIO Award for Feeding the World
Syngenta was honored this week at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention in Chicago with an award recognizing achievements in crop productivity innovations that help feed the world.
BIO annually honors companies in the categories of “Healing, Feeding and Fueling the World” based on a pre-conference poll of attendees. Syngenta was named the “Buzz of BIO” award winner in the “Feeding the World” category by attendees at this year’s BIO International Convention.
“The Buzz of BIO contest has been a popular part of our pre-convention activities. BIO International Convention attendees voted for their choices and Syngenta was the winner this year in the Feeding category. Congratulations,” said John Craighead, Managing Director of Investor Relations & Business Development, Biotechnology Industry Organization.
USDA Deregulates Syngenta Seeds Corn Trait
Syngenta Seeds is proud to announce it has received deregulation from USDA for the Agrisure Viptera trait.
The Agrisure Viptera trait will be combined with the Agrisure 3000GT trait stack to form the new Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack. The introduction of the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack continues the tradition of the Agrisure Corn Traits system — providing high-performance traits to growers looking for an alternative that delivers maximum productivity.
“U.S. agriculture benefits when growers have access to a broad array of trait choices,” said David Morgan, president at Syngenta Seeds. “With the Agrisure Viptera trait, Syngenta is offering growers a totally new choice for insect control in a breakthrough product. Vip3A, a new mode of action for corn insect control discovered by Syngenta, makes this unprecedented level of control possible and it is a platform on which we will continue to build.”
The Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack has demonstrated unsurpassed multi-pest control of 14 yield- and quality-robbing insects. The Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack is able to provide the broadest spectrum of above-ground insect control because of Vip3A, the industry‘s first non-Cry (non-crystalline) insect control protein. Vip3A has demonstrated highly effective control of the multi-pest complex, including corn earworm, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, black cutworm, dingy cutworm, stalk borer and sugarcane borer, among others.
I interviewed Agrisure Marketing Manager Tracy Mader last fall about the trait prior to the regulatory approval. You can also find out more on the Syngenta Seeds Agrisure traits website.
Spring Planting Advice
It’s spring planting time and in this week’s program you’ll hear some ideas and suggestions for row crop farmers. I interviewed Syngenta Crop Protection Technical Support Representative, Michael Leetch this morning.
He’s based in Iowa and says there are areas that still have up to five percent of their corn left standing. Couple that with a very wet start to the spring and there are challenges out there. He thinks the big issue is “timeliness.” Soil preparation is behind due to the winter and early spring challenges and that includes using a pre-plant, soil active herbicide which he’s a big proponent of. He’s afraid there will be some very loose soil out there that never fully froze due to early snow cover. However, we’ve had some good weather all of the sudden that’s helping dry things out.
We also discussed topics like insect pressure and nematodes in corn fields. I asked about post-emergence weed control and he brought up the issue of glyphosate resistance. He says there’s no way post-emergence weed control is going to be enough so that’s why pre-emerge is so important and when you factor resistance in it might be time to look at a conventional herbicide that has an alternative mode of activity.
Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, Novus International, and Leica Geosytems for their support.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
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Syngenta Announces New Sustainaiblity Team
Syngenta made two announcements during Commodity Classic last week - a new sustainability team and that their water optimization technology is on track. I spoke with Terry Stone who is heading the new sustainability team as well as Tracy Mader, Project Marketing Head who is working with the team developing the water optimization technologies.
I asked Stone to tell me what the mission of the new sustainability team was and he explained, “Our focus is helping growers produce more from less and to realize where they’re at in terms of not just how much they are producing but now much energy, water, soil loss and other impacts they are having from production.”
There is a lot of talk now about how the world will need to feed nine billion people in the next 30 years so I asked Stone how sustainability and world food production go hand in hand. “Farmers are the original stewards of the land and when you think about land, you have to think about soil and the soil is the farmer’s bread and butter,” explained Stone. “They’ve been very careful about the health of their soil and the more healthy the soil, the more productive it will be.”
Water optimization also goes hand-in-hand with sustainability and Mader gave me an update on their technology that is close to market. “Our water optimization technology is on track and has made several technical milestones. We plan to introduce this technology in the 2011 planting season for growers in the plains and the Western cornbelt of the United States.”
Nebraska and California are the two most irrigated states and Syngenta did research in both of these states as well as other regions. However, they are developing the technology to both work during drought conditions and during optimal conditions.
“We are really committed to two guiding principals,” said Mader. “Number one to help the plant maximize its yield based on the available water and number two, when growing conditions are ideal, that the technology doesn’t offer any yield penalty. And our initial hybrids will meet both of these criteria.”
Listen below to my back-to-back interviews with Terry Stone and Tracy Mader.
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Tracy Mader Promoted At Syngenta Seeds
Congrats to Tracy Mader who was just promoted to head of Product Marketing for Syngenta Seeds corn and soybean products.
In this new role, Mader will be responsible for the corn, soybean and other field crops portfolio, including traits, genetics, seed care and other relevant technology, and will oversee late stage product development, product launches and product lifecycle management.
Mader most recently served as the Agrisure marketing manager, responsible for branding, launching and marketing of Agrisure® corn traits. Mader joined Syngenta in 1995 as an employee of predecessor company Ciba. He brings a wealth of marketing experience and knowledge to the product marketing role, having had various positions within Syngenta throughout the U.S. He has an agricultural economics degree from Kansas State University.
Syngenta Resistance Fighters
The term “resistance fighter” was coined in World War II to describe the underground guerrilla movement that actively fought against Nazi occupation, particularly in Yugoslavia, Poland and France. Today, resistance fighters are targeting a different enemy in the ground – glyphosate-resistant weeds.
I talked with one of Syngenta’s Resistance Fighters of the Year at the National Farm Machinery Show. Paul Barchenger of Hutchinson, Minnesota was honored by Syngenta this year, along with Jeremy Kichler of Oglethorpe, Georgia. Both were recognized for exceptional leadership and advocate proactive management practices in the battle against glyphosate-resistant weeds.
“We have confirmed resistance in giant ragweed to glyphosate, started around 2004,” Paul told me. “We’ve been able to keep it isolated to a couple of townships in my geography, but it is growing.” He says that Syngenta is working to create awareness among growers and retailers that resistance can happen and they need to watch out for it.
Listen to my interview with Paul from NFMS here:
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Lee Greenwood at National Farm Machinery Show
AgWired continuing coverage at the National Farm Machinery Show sponsored by:
2010 National Farm Machinery Show Photo Album
Syngenta sponsors the Championship Tractor Pull at the National Farm Machinery Show, which kicks off each year to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” This year it kicked off to Lee Greenwood performing his signature song live at the arena and on Thursday morning he was in the Syngenta booth, signing CDs for fans and helping Syngenta kick off a new campaign called “Weeding Out Hunger.”
“This is a very important event for the tractor pull and for Syngenta, there’s a great cause here and that’s feeding America,” Lee told me in a real quick interview as he was signing autographs. You can here more from Lee on today’s AgriTalk from the NFMS.
I learned more about the campaign, which is associated with Halex GT herbicide, from Carroll Moseley with Syngenta Crop Protection. “We directly affect and feed the population by controlling weeds in corn, this is a product for glyphosate-tolerant corn,” he said. “What better way to relate it to another direct way to impact people more needy than others than to have this Weeding Out Hunger campaign where we are contributing to feeding America affiliates across the United States.”
Find out more about the campaign at WeedingOutHunger.com.
Listen to back-to-back interviews with Lee and Carroll in the player below and here’s a little video from the Syngenta booth.
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What’s New With Syngenta Seeds
I learned what’s new with Syngenta Seeds from Wayne Fithian at the recent NAFB Trade Talk. He says that because of biotechnology the pace of new products is becoming more rapid. According to Wayne, they’re in the final stages of regulatory approval of their Agrisure Viptera for corn which they hope to have available for planting in 2010. Following that they’ll have “water optimization” which is an improved drought tolerance trait. And the list goes on and on.
You can listen to my interview with Wayne below:
See NAFB and NAMA Trends photos here.
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Syngenta Seeds Thinks Like a Farmer
When Syngenta Seeds considers new products to bring to market, they think like a farmer.
“They’re our primary customer at the end of the day and we can have the greatest technologies, the greatest genetics but if we don’t understand their business and the challenges they face, it could all be wasted,” said Agronomy Marketing Manager Bruce Battles at a recent ag media day at Syngenta Seeds new headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn.
Bruce says they use their seed innovations to meet grower needs and one example is the aphid management system they are preparing to launch in the next year. “In this example, we have taken genetics and taken a trait and put it with the genetics for controlling aphids. But, we’ve also taken our expertise from our seed care group in using a product like Cruiser as a seed treatment to help suppress aphid pressure,” he said.
Find out more about the Syngenta AMS, launching in 2010, here. Listen to or download my interview with Bruce in the audio player below.
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Syngenta Seeds Developing Water Optimized Hybrids
Coming soon to a field near you from Syngenta Seeds – corn with water optimization traits.
Syngenta is going beyond drought-resistant corn to introduce water optimization traits, which will reduce the amount of moisture needed to optimize yield and minimize yield loss in drought conditions, as well as reduce water use in average years. Business Lead Corn Product Manager Wayne Fithian says this trait will help farmers be more productive and more sustainable. “Part of it is helping farmers do a better job of managing their environment,” Wayne said during a recent media day at the new Syngenta Seeds headquarters in Minnesota. “Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn’t rain and farmers get caught in this yo-yo of yields connected to rainfall. So if we can break that relationship and help farmers increase yield potential in times when Mother Nature doesn’t give them all the rain they want, then that would be a great thing.”
Wayne says water-optimized hybrids are expected to be available in 2011 through Garst, Golden Harvest and NK brand seeds. Listen to an interview with Wayne below.
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