The Impact of Expiring Biotech Patents

Melissa Sandfort

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”With harvest over what are your winter plans?”

Our poll results: Thirty-one percent said feed and care for animals; twenty-five percent said paperwork!; twenty-five percent also said catch up on sleep; nineteen percent said repair existing equipment; no one responded research/buy new equipment.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What will expiring biotech patents mean for agriculture?” This issue has been building for a few years now as the patent for the first generation of Roundup soybeans is set to expire in 2014. Let us know what you think.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll

Call for Golden ARC Award Entries

Melissa Sandfort

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) has issued a “call for entries” for the 2013 Golden ARC awards. The annual competition includes 36 categories for agricultural public relations activities conducted in full or partially in the year 2012.

Entries in the 2013 Golden ARC awards are due to contest headquarters on or before Jan. 31, 2013 at 5 p.m. Early entries postmarked by Dec. 31, 2012 will receive a $25 discount per entry.

The Golden ARC awards contest honors the stellar work created by professionals in the agricultural industry.

Categories fall into two divisions – Campaigns and Tactics. A student category is also available, free to student ARC members. The 36 categories reflect the broad scope of public relations and public affairs activities today, including campaigns and a range of tactics, from traditional media releases to social media. The Golden ARC de Excellence award for the best all-around entry in the campaigns division will also be awarded.

The winners will receive their honors at the ARC annual meeting, March 20-22, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK.

Agribusiness, ARC, Public Relations

Back To The Future With Dr. Lyons At Global 500

Jamie Johansen

Global 500 has official kicked off with opening remarks by Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. He shared his thoughts on the future of farming and proudly compared farmers and ranchers to heroes.

“Don’t just think it, ink it,” advised Dr. Lyons while asking us to write down five things he wanted to get us to do. Dream. Dare. Desire. Decide Dedicate. He also shared he has never milked a cow, so maybe someone would like to volunteer to teach him.

Alltech is on the cutting edge when it comes to the future of agriculture. Dr. Lyons listed six rules for producers to keep in mind when thinking about the future of their herds.

#1. Start with your land.
#2. Learn to understand the rumen.
#3. Feed the rumen nitrogen and carbohydrates.
#4. Focus on fertility.
#5. Watch out for mycotoxins.
#6. Only feed your minerals in the Bioflex form.

Listen to Dr. Lyons complete presentation here: Dr. Pearse Lyons - GLobal 500

2012 Global 500 Photo Album

Alltech, Audio, Beef, Dairy, Education, Events

Incoming NAAA President on Membership

Chuck Zimmerman

The incoming President of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, Dana Ness, Ag-Air Inc., Chester, MT, talked with me about membership. He’s pretty excited to be taking on the job of President at the first of the year. When it comes to membership in the organization he says “Membership is my voice in Washington.” That’s very important when there are regulatory challenges to the industry as we see right now.

Personally, Dana says that he was raised in the agriculture industry and has always been a member. He says NAAA was the only voice out there and has always been there for him. Besides legislative representation Dana says that NAAA also provides important training via the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System (PAASS) program and opportunities for members to make sure their equipment is in top shape via Operation S.A.F.E. Fly-Ins. He sees a bright future for aspiring ag aviators who would like become professionals and highly encourages them to contact the organization and perhaps apply for one of the NAAA/BASF scholarships.

You can listen to my interview with Dana here: Interview with Dana Ness

2012 NAAA Convention Photo Album

Ag Groups, Audio, NAAA

ASTA Update on The Accord at Seed Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

Patents for the very first ag biotech “events,” as they are called, will be expiring and becoming “generic” in 2015. This creates opportunities for growers and the seed industry, but also creates challenges that must be addressed – and that is the purpose of “The Accord”.

American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Vice President for Science and International Affairs Bernice Slutsky presided over an update for seed industry representatives today at the ASTA CSS 2012 & Seed Expo. “The Accord is a framework that we developed to provide a mechanism for that transition from proprietary biotech events to off-patent or generic biotech events,” Bernice explained. “The real driver for us developing the Accord was that even though these events are going off patent, they are still highly regulated worldwide.”

So, the immediate goal was to develop a framework to assure that the necessary regulatory authorizations for the events are maintained, and most importantly, that commodity trade can continue unhindered.

Bernice explains more about how the Accord was developed in cooperation with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and what it means for farmers in this interview: Interview with Bernice Slutsky

The first part of the Accord, called the Generic Event Marketability and Access Agreement (GEMAA), was opened up for the first signatures on October 31.

John Schoenecker of vegetable seed company H.M. Clause, who is second vice chair for ASTA and part of the negotiating group for the Accord, says they have now gotten the initial signatories in place to put the GEMAA into effect and ASTA is moving forward with providing information to other interested parties. “Feedback has been good, lots of questions of course,” he said about reaction to the Accord from ASTA membership. “Their seed association has worked very hard in their interests to craft an agreement that will give opportunities to the industry and fulfill the industry’s responsibility for stewardship.” He encourages companies, farmers, organizations and other interested parties to find out more about the Accord and how it impacts them. A website has been developed for that purpose – agaccord.org.

Listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Schoenecker
ASTA-CSS Photo Album

ASTA, Audio, Biotech, Farming, Seed

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • Biopreparáty, spol. s r.o. and Gowan Company, LLC recently signed a commercial agreement for exclusive distribution of Polyversum.
  • Nominations for NAMA Agribusiness Leader and Agri-Marketeer of the Year are now open. Visit nama.org and click “Awards” to find nomination forms.
  • CME Group announced it has completed its acquisition of the Kansas City Board of Trade.
  • Migl Feed and Grain will join the J. R. Simplot Company’s Grower Solutions network.
Zimfo Bytes

AgWired App Android Update

Chuck Zimmerman

Hey AgWired Android owning fans. The AgWired App has been updated for the latest versions of Android.

I’ve got in on my Motorola Droid Razr and it works just fine. Do you have it yet. Join the thousands of others who can retrieve not only AgWired news at the touch of a button but also news from energy.agwired.com, PrecisionPays.com and WorldDairyDiary.com. You can also follow us on Twitter within the app too.

Here’s where you can get the app now (or update your device). AgWired App Android

Apps

BASF & Becker Underwood Join Forces at Seed Expo

Cindy Zimmerman

It was just last week that BASF finalized the deal that brought Becker Underwood into The Chemical Company’s fold, just in time for them to hold a press briefing at the American Seed Trade Association CSS 2012 and Seed Expo to outline their plans for the future.

Left to right, we heard from Scott Kay, BASF Canada Business Director; Peter Innes, Becker Underwood Chairman and CEO; Paul Rea, BASF VP US Crop Protection; and Jurgen Huff, BASF Senior VP Functional Crop Care. They discussed what the acquisition means for the companies involved, for the future of crop protection, and for farmers and their ability to feed a growing population.

Rea says the intent of the acquisition is to offer farmers more innovation than ever before. “It’s another great example of how BASF is committed to bringing the broadest and most successful range of products that growers need,” he said. “Becker Underwood has a great reputation in the market place and real expertise in seed treatment and biological technologies.”

Kay noted that the acquisition strengthens the BASF portfolio for North American growers. “We want to make it simpler for farmers to farm,” said Kay. “You’ll see that in the formulations that we’ll bring and tools that we’ll offer to help make their life easier.”

Innes explained that Becker Underwood’s main expertise is functional polymers and biologicals. “Over the last 2-3 years we have brought these two fundamental technology platforms together to create a combination of biological-based products with polymer technology to provide all in one solutions,” said Innes, who has accepted a position with BASF as Global Senior Advisor to the Crop Protection division.

The future for Becker Underwood within BASF is in the newly created Functional Crop Care unit, which will integrate the companies’ plant health, seed treatment and biological platforms. “BASF has had a couple of contacts with the biologicals arena, but with the acquisition we are now in a completely different league as far as product portfolio,” said Huff.

The press conference is nearly an hour long and contains several references to slides, but it’s a great backgrounder for this new chapter in the lives of two companies committed to helping increase agricultural productivity. I will be posting individual interviews with each participant but you can get the whole press conference here: BASF-Becker Underwood
ASTA-CSS Photo Album

ASTA, Audio, BASF, Seed

International Seed Federation President on Issues

Cindy Zimmerman

Tim Johnson of Illinois Foundation Seeds is currently serving aS president of the International Seed Federation (ISF).

“The International Seed Federation has 80 countries that are involved,” Tim said. “What we do is promote movement of seed, protection of intellectual property (IP) rights, and support of companies moving seed globally.”

IP was a big focus during a Chinese-American seed symposium that took place prior to the start of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2012 and Seed Expo in Chicago this week, and Tim says it’s an important global issue when it comes to seed trade. “It’s really important that there’s good intellectual property right laws in countries so that companies will not only invest in those countries but move their technologies, products, germplasm, into (them),” he said. “So we want to promote that in China and help them understand.”

Tim also talked about the signing of the MOU with China and The Accord in this interview: Interview with Tim Johnson


ASTA-CSS Photo Album

ASTA, Audio, International, Seed