ZimmCast 682 – The Latest from Syngenta

Chuck Zimmerman

ZimmCastHello and welcome to the ZimmCast.

Since Syngenta was at all the fall meetings I attended and they had many stories to tell I thought I’d share some of them in this week’s episode. We really appreciate Syngenta’s support which helps make what we do at ZimmComm possible. So let’s get started.

At the NAFB Trade Talk we heard about Syngenta’s sustainability efforts from Caydee Savinelli and Steven Wall.

Next, it was on to the Farm Journal MILK Business Conference where Enogen was in the spotlight to help dairy producers. Describing this are Todd Lunde, Ted Koehler, Liz Novotny, Katie Edmunds and from Penn State, Dr. Alexander Hristov.

Last but not least, Syngenta was a major sponsor at the ASTA CSS & Seed Trade Expo where I spoke with Eric Boeck and Mary Kay Thatcher.

So that’s the ZimmCast for this week. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for listening.

Listen to the ZimmCast here:
ZimmCast 682 - The Latest from Syngenta (40:53)

Want to sponsor the ZimmCast? Just let me know and we can talk through ideas for your company. I’m AgriBlogger on Twitter or just email me at chuck@zimmcomm.biz.

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Agribusiness, Audio, Syngenta, ZimmCast

Happy holidays from Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute

Chuck Zimmerman

It is that time of the year when we start receiving Christmas and holiday greetings from our friends. I always like to share some of them and the first one for this year is from the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. Executive Director Peter G. McCornick has this special message.


Happy holidays from all of us at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI)!

As we continue to navigate through this global pandemic, the mission of DWFI—to secure more nutritious food with less stress on our scarce water resources—is more relevant and urgent than ever. We must expand and accelerate efforts to produce more nutritious food with less water; catalyze the development and deployment of solutions to the next generation of producers, water managers and entrepreneurs; strengthen water and food systems to adapt to water-related shocks; and reverse the wide-spread trend of water quality degradation.

This past year required us all to find ways to adapt to constraints on how we work and highlighted the importance of our network of committed partners. Students, faculty fellows, university leaders, producers, water managers and other stakeholders—both here and around the world—have developed creative ways to adjust to the challenges brought on by the re-occurring waves of the pandemic.

Despite the challenges and constraints, it has been a productive year, which would not have been possible on our own. I’d like to thank our staff, partners, donors, grant funders, Faculty Fellows, students, supporters and board of directors for your tireless efforts this past year. We look forward to developing more productive and resilient water for food systems and, sooner than later, getting to do so in person.

We wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a new year filled with health and happiness.

You can find their Annual Report here.

Video, Water for Food

Benson Hill Harvests 1st Commercial Ultra-High Protein Soybeans

Cindy Zimmerman

Benson HillBenson Hill is celebrating the 2021 harvest of its proprietary soybean varieties, including the first commercial plantings of its Ultra-High Protein (UHP) soybeans and so far results from the field show the advantage of the company’s closed-loop supply chain and crop performance.

“The insights we have gained through this harvest demonstrate the combined power of CropOS® with our integrated supply chain. Thanks to the diligent efforts of our team members and farmer partners, we are particularly pleased with the data acquisition results, which have exceeded our expectations. This work is serving to further strengthen our prediction and simulation capabilities, which inform our product pipeline, field production efforts, and future revenues,” said Matt Crisp, Chief Executive Officer of Benson Hill. “It’s also clear from our progress on contracting 2022 acreage that we are well positioned to help meet growing farmer and market interest in our offerings.”

Benson Hill partners with farmers to optimize expression of protein and other quality traits and to improve sustainability practices on the farm. Contracting acres for 2022 is well underway and commitments have already exceeded the 70,000 acres planted and harvested in 2021. Many returning farmers have increased their acreage commitments, and new farmers seeking to plant Benson Hill’s innovative soybean varieties that can provide value-added consumer market opportunities.

“Growing with Benson Hill has changed the way I measure success. Working to optimize my crop for quality traits gives me access to growing consumer markets with new opportunities for profitability on my farm,” said Ben Thompson, B&A Thompson Grain Farm, Seymour, Indiana. “Benson Hill wants to make an impact on the health and sustainability of our food system. I like that, and I like that they treat me like a real partner to help achieve it.”

Farming, Harvest, Soybean, Technology

Verdesian Life Sciences Offers Media Day Opportunity

Cindy Zimmerman

The Nutrient Use Efficiency People™ at Verdesian Life Sciences are planning an exclusive media event next month to share more about the innovation and technology helping to drive in-field biostimulant use and the company’s SEED+ portfolio.

On January 12 at 10 a.m. central standard time, Verdesian will host a one-hour media webinar to provide details on the SEED+ planter box technology that is making biostimulant adoption easy and affordable for farmers to implement into their cropping systems. SEED+ is a proprietary technology that packs the nutritional punch crops need to support seedling vigor, emergence, and improved tolerance to the effects of abiotic stress – all of which improves crop yield and quality.

To learn more about the day and register, visit the link below:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JoB5j0PsTeu-aOxISrOdPw

“We are so excited to share with key media partners the innovative technology of SEED+,” says Joe Vaillancourt, Product Line Manager at Verdesian. “We are confident you will come away understanding why.”

We had a chance to chat with Vaillancourt at the recent NAFB Trade Talk about what is new with Verdesian, including nutrient use efficiency, SEED+™ planter technologies, and new partnership with Truterra.
Interview with Joe Vaillancourt, Verdesian (3:06)

Audio, Media, Seed, Technology, Verdesian

Precision Ag News 12/15

Carrie Muehling

  • Results are in for World Ag Expo’s® 2022 Top-10 New Products Competition. The winners will be showcased February 8-10, 2022 during the World Ag Expo® in Tulare, California.
  • Sakata Seed America has officially signed an agreement finalizing the sale of its carrot breeding program to long-standing corporate partner, Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc., or IFSI.
  • Heliae® Agriculture announced Dr. Karl Wyant, VP of Ag Science, was named as one of the Agricultural Retailers Association’s (ARA) Rising Stars at the 2021 ARA Conference & Expo in San Antonio, Texas. The Rising Star Award recognizes emerging leaders in agricultural retail and their dynamic contributions to the industry.
  • Adam Robert Kramer of Patch Grove, Wis., was named this year’s recipient of the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award. The American Society of Agronomy administers the award. Learn more at https://www.agronomy.org/awards.
  • Case IH has announced a partnership with MacDon Industries Ltd. to manufacture co-branded draper headers designed for Case IH Axial-Flow® combines. The new line of draper headers will be available to order in early 2022 at Case IH Dealers on a worldwide basis, with the exception of South America.
  • Peanut growers can maximize their crops’ full yield potential with the newly registered Trebuset® Peanuts seed treatment fungicide from Syngenta, which sets a higher standard for early-season suppression of peanut diseases. Trebuset Peanuts is a pre-mixed formulation of five active ingredients found in the Apron®, Maxim®, Dynasty®, Miravis® and Vibrance® fungicide brands.
  • Zyter has introduced an Internet of Things (IoT)-based solution that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help farmers and agronomists make smarter, more informed crop management decisions. The solution is live as part of the FarmGrid™ Precision Agriculture Solution at the Grand Farm showcase facility near Fargo, N.D.
  • AgSensor Solutions has been formed by a collaboration of three established firms. The partners in the new venture are: AGD Consulting, LogiSync, and Tallgrass Technology Partners.
  • SCS Global Services announces it has achieved “Best Verification Company” in Environmental Finance’s 2021 Annual Market Rankings, a peer-voted market survey. This award signifies the company’s dedication to rigorous validation and verification of offset projects, so that its clients can deliver high-quality verified carbon credits to the global markets.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

Duromide + NBPT Increases Nitrogen Protection Efficiency

Chuck Zimmerman

Koch Agronomics AnvolDr. Greg Schwab, Koch Agronomic Services, says there has never been a better time for growers to utilize nitrogen stabilizers. I spoke with him about why this is as and we also talked about a peer-reviewed article that concludes that the ingredients in ANVOL, a Koch nitrogen stabilizer, significantly reduces ammonia volatilization loss from urea – up to 33%.

You can listen to my interview with Greg here: Interview with Dr. Greg Schwab (4:37)

As input supply chain issues tighten budgets, growers will need to capitalize on their nitrogen investment by protecting what they apply to their fields. A recent peer-reviewed article concludes Duromide + NBPT reduces ammonia volatilization loss from urea by up to 33 percent compared to NBPT alone. Developed by Koch Agronomic Services (Koch), Duromide is found in ANVOL® nitrogen stabilizer, working in tandem with NBPT to increase nitrogen protection efficiency.

“Peer-reviewed articles are the gold standard of research when it comes to a new technology,” said Dr. Greg Schwab, vice president of agronomy and innovation at Koch. “Between the amount of data required and the review process, it generally takes 2-3 years to achieve this accomplishment. Koch is proud to have this published research to showcase the superior performance of Duromide, the active ingredient in ANVOL, compared to stabilizers that rely on the older NBPT technology.”

Koch’s ANVOL is a unique solution to address ammonia volatilization with the dual-active ingredients of Duromide and NBPT. With optimal amounts of two active ingredients working in tandem, ANVOL provides a longer duration of protection from nitrogen loss through volatilization. This extended window of protection provides a higher return on investment for growers while reducing environmental impact.

You can find the full news release here. (.doc)

Agribusiness, Audio, Fertilizer, Koch Agronomic Services, Soil

Ag Retailers Conclude Annual Meeting

Cindy Zimmerman

*Post updated with interview*

New ARA chair Ian McGregor (left) with outgoing chair Rod Wells

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) concluded its annual Conference & Expo this week after recognizing rising stars, installing a new chairman, and honoring industry leaders.

Listen in here for a wrap-up interview with Daren Coppock, ARA President/CEO: Interview with Daren Coppock (11:27)

Ian McGregor of The McGregor Company was installed as chairman of the association during the closing session of the conference. He succeeds Rod Wells with GROWMARK Inc., in the role and will serve a two-year term.

ARA also honored another McGregor with the Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award for his legacy of leadership of The McGregor Company. Alex McGregor received ARA’s highest individual honor to celebrate his steadfast contributions to ARA initiatives and his fundamental role in advancing ag retail.

ARA recognized Anne Yargus Sheehy and Meg Yargus Steward of AGI Fertilizer Systems with the ARA Distinguished Service Award and Valley Ag was named ARA Retailer of the Year.

Finally, ARA recognized a group of emerging leaders as part of its Rising Stars professional development program, sponsored by Atticus.

ag retailers, ARA, Audio

Animal Ag News 12/13

Carrie Muehling

  • As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to support dairy farmers and rural communities, today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened signup for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program and expanded the program to allow dairy producers to better protect their operations by enrolling supplemental production. This signup period – which runs from Dec. 13, 2021 to Feb. 18, 2022 – enables producers to get coverage through this important safety-net program for another year as well as get additional assistance through the new Supplemental DMC.
  • “BEEF Strong” by Amanda Radke is now available online and can be purchased individually or as part of a complete five-book set. As a special bonus, $1 from each book sold in the first month of the launch will be donated to the South Dakota Junior Beef Ambassador Scholarship Fund.
  • The National Pork Industry Foundation, a nonprofit research and educational organization led by pork industry leaders and managed by the National Pork Producers Council, launched the Neil Dierks Scholarship to honor NPPC’s long-time CEO, who is retiring at the end of the year. The $5,000 scholarship will be given annually to a college student pursuing a graduate degree at a land grant university in a field related to the pork industry.
  • The U.S. House voted to pass two NCBA-supported pieces of legislation that are critical to providing producers with greater transparency in the cattle markets. The House voted 418-9 to advance H.R. 5290, introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA). This legislation, which was supported by Ranking Member Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) and unanimously approved by the Committee, would extend authorization for livestock mandatory reporting (LMR) through September 30, 2022. By an overwhelming vote of 411-13, the House also passed the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021.
  • CattleFax is mourning the loss of Topper Thorpe of Gila, N.M., who passed away on Dec. 1, 2021. Thorpe moved to Denver in 1968 to work for CattleFax as one of the first two employees of the startup company. He worked as CattleFax’s General Manager/CEO for more than 30 years, during which time CattleFax grew to become the nation’s premier market information, analysis, research, and education service owned by cattle producers and feeders.
  • USPOULTRY recently hosted poultry industry professionals in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2021 Poultry Processor Workshop. A wealth of information and practical instruction was provided by the speakers and covered topics on increased line speeds as they correspond to processing efficiencies and food safety, breast myopathies, Campylobacter interventions, gas and electrical stunning, plant automation and more.
AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

NK Field Forged Performs Well in 2021

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta Seeds has just released new data from the 2021 harvest on performance of the NK Field Forged Series™.

“Considering all that farmers had to be challenged with this year, from drought to flood, to corn rootworm to tar spot, we performed really well,” said Jim Shertzer, NK Seed marketing head, at last month’s NAFB Trade Talk.

The Field Forged Series is a lineup of corn hybrids and soybean varieties that combines proven performers and elite newcomers. This line of products maximizes profit potential through a diverse genetic toolbox designed to help growers tackle various field challenges and conditions ― and it’s delivering on that promise in the field.

Jim Shertzer, NK Seed marketing head – NK Seeds 2021 performance and Field Forged Series corn and soybeans for 2022
Interview with Jim Shertzer, Syngenta (2:31)

Audio, Corn, Seed, Soybean, Syngenta

Industry Ag News 12/10

Carrie Muehling

  • AgButler debuts a collegiate ambassador program to give back to students who serve daily as advocates for the agricultural industry. The gig economy platform is in the connections business and serves as a solution to the rural labor shortage in America. Ambassadors will be tasked with helping connect laborers and employers within the app using their own personal network.
  • Kubota Tractor Corporation announced the appointment of Mr. Shingo Hanada as the new President and CEO of Kubota Tractor Corporation and Kubota North America, based in Grapevine, Texas, effective January 1, 2022.
  • Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc. announced Sara Waggoner as the new office manager. She is based in the Camdenton, Mo. office and will replace Sandi Schmitt, who is retiring at the end of this year but continuing to work part-time.
  • American Agri-Women presented Sara Wyant of Missouri the “American Agri-Women Journalism Award” at their recent convention in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • American Agri-Women presented the LEAVEN Award, its highest honor for members, to Janell Reid of Colorado Agri-Women at its 2021 National Convention held recently in Phoenix, Arizona.
  • Syngenta Group has appointed Feroz Sheikh as Chief Information and Digital Officer, effective January 1, 2022. Sheikh, based in Basel, will join the extended Syngenta Group leadership team and report to the CEO. He is currently the head of digital engineering and data science at Syngenta.
  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers President Dennis Slater received The Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE) in a special presentation held Wednesday during Expo! Expo!, IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Farmer-leaders of the soy checkoff elected Ralph Lott from Seneca Falls, New York, as 2022 Chair and 10 other farmer-leaders to serve on the Executive Committee at the United Soybean Board meeting Dec. 7-9 in St. Charles, Missouri.
  • OBP recently selected the three winners for its Rural Spirit Awards. These awards recognize the unsung heroes of rural America who are instilling hope, solving problems and committing to stepping up to meet the needs of their communities. Each award winner received a $2,000 donation for the nonprofit organization of their choice.
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