Monsanto continues to grow its seed business. This time with De Ruiter Seeds. Monsanto Company announced today that it has completed its proposed acquisition of De Ruiter Seeds Group B.V., a Dutch-holding company that owns and operates De Ruiter Seeds, for EUR546 million in cash, or approximately $850 million at current exchange rates, less net debt. Monsanto will start to …
Ceres First to Brand Bioenergy Seeds
As technology unleashes more and more energy possibilities from more and more crops, it can get a little confusing as to which plants can do what. Ceres, Inc. plans to clarify bio-friendly seeds with its new bioenergy seed brand. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. plans to market its agricultural seeds and traits under the trade name Blade Energy Crops in …
Kruger Rewards Customer Promoter
This is a concept I like. Have a contest to reward someone who’s out there being your company evangelist. What do you think? Should we run something like this for AgWired? What would be a good prize? Weigh wagons brimmed with harvested seed as Jerry Smith told fellow growers at the local elevator how Kruger Seeds consistently ranks at the …
Still More Than a Number at Wyffels Hybrids
Continuing the theme of their customers being “more than a number” Wyffels Hybrids was on display at Commodity Classic. With the help of Stewart Doan we got an interview with Kim Jones. Kim says that the company is unique and independent offering a full range of traits in their hybrids, proprietary genetics packages and personal service. She says that because …
Kip and the Bean Stalk
A sample from Kip Cullers’ world record soybean yield was on display in a trophy case at Pioneer’s Commodity Classic trade show booth and it certainly received a lot of well-deserved attention. Kip’s record in 2007, you may recall, was an astonishing 154 bushels per acre. Pioneer and BASF are two of the companies Kip credits with helping him break …
Hybrids Play Major Role in Corn on Corn Yield
Besides hearing from a researcher and a farmer we also heard from Commodity Classic Learning Center sponsor Bruce Battles, Agronomy Marketing Manager, Syngenta Seeds. The subject was Maximizing Yield in Continuous Corn. Bruce says the company is investing a lot of time and money in testing their hybrid specific recommendations to increase the percentage of success their customers have. When …
Manage Residue When Planting Corn on Corn
I think growers appreciate hearing from other growers, even if they also sell Garst Seed. At the Commodity Classic Learning Center session on Maximizing Yield in Continuous Corn, north central Iowa grower Mike Missman talked about his experience with corn on corn. When I spoke with him prior to his presentation he said that the first consideration would be Garst …
BASF Seed Treatment Portfolio
Craig Lindholm is marketing manager for seed treatments with the US Crop Protection division at BASF. He has some 28 years of experience in the seed treatment business and his enthusiasm for the technology was evident during his presentation to the media at the BASF Science Behind Seed Treatments symposium at the 2008 Commodity Classic in Nashville. Craig did a …
Seed Treatment Revolution
Gary Munkvold is associate professor and Seed Science Endowed chair in the Iowa State University Department of Plant Pathology. His message at the BASF seed treatment symposium was that there is a seed treatment revolution taking place today. “Take a look at some of the things that have happened just in the last few years that have dramatically changed in …
Getting Science on the Seed
Dr. Dirk Voeste from BASF Crop Protection Headquarters in Germany enlightened the media at Commodity Classic on the process of getting science on the seed at BASF. According to Dirk, BASF seed treatment means protection plus vitality. He discussed the BASF concept of the German word “Verbund.” “Verbund is not translated,” he explained. “It means really the linkage of expertises …