BASF Ecotoxicology

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Christoph KunastOkay, so if Dr. Speakman was excited about fungi, Dr. Christoph Kunast is simply buggy about insects.

Kunast’s job with BASF is ecotoxoxicology, which he explains “is the science of side effects of chemicals against living organisms.”

“What we must ensure for registration purposes is that these side effects are acceptable,” said Kunast. What that means is politically driven to some extent, he says, and can be some what of a moving target as the criteria keeps getting more stringent.

Dr. Kunast spent some time talking about Colony Collapse Disorder and its effects on his honey bee friends and what might be causing it. He also showed us his little hissing cockroach friend – a short video we’ll post here soon.

Listen to Dr. Kunast’s opening monologue about ecotoxicology here:
basf-kunast.mp3

Post Update: Here’s that video.

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels

BASF, Environment, International

BASF Fungi Guy

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF John-Bryan SpeakmanThis is a guy who really loves fungi.

Mycologist Dr. John-Bryan Speakman is a research scientist with BASF Fungicide Research and you wouldn’t believe how excited he can get talking about fungi. But some of them are really very pretty. I never knew there were so many different types of fungi with so many colors and shapes and sizes. We thought BASF could start a new business making paperweights and jewelry out of them!

BASF Fungi“The mycologists estimate there are about 1.6 million fungal species,” says Speakman. “To date we have identified about 85,000 of these. There are about 8,000 plant pathogenic fungi in the world.” And can you guess what plant is the most impacted by fungi? It is actually grass – some 160 fungi can create problems for turfgrass and golf courses.

BASF StargateDr. Speakman also demonstrated BASF’s new Stargate method of applying test compounds to plants. “It enables us to reduce the amount of compound being sprayed,” Speakman said. It also runs by computer to reduce human exposure to unknown compounds. I shot a little video of that which is being edited and we should be able to post here before too long.

Listen my interview with Dr. Speakman here:
basf-speakman.mp3

Post Update: Here’s that video.

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels

BASF, International, Research

Pioneer Known in Ukraine

Chuck Zimmerman

Jurii MikhailovSince our sponsor for coverage of this year’s IFAJ Congress is Pioneer I couldn’t help but post a picture of Jurii Mikhailov, Univest Media, Ukraine. Jurii was sporting his Pioneer t-shirt during our first full day of activities.

We’ve had a chance to spend some time talking with Jurii and like with all the participants there’s lots we can learn from our counterparts in other countries around the world. This is one of the great benefits of being active with IFAJ. I wish more U. S. ag journalists would take advantage of this great resource.


IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by: Pioneer-HiBred

IFAJ, Pioneer

IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism

Chuck Zimmerman

Alltech AwardsA main sponsor for the IFAJ Congress here in Japan is Alltech. One of their representatives traveling with us is Billy Frey. He was onstage presenting the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Awards. Cindy was there while I was working in another location at the time so I’m not sure who is on stage with Billy here. Maybe somebody can leave a comment and identify him.

The recipients are Goran Djakovic of Serbia, Clemmie Gleeson of Great Britain, Jiri Masek of the Czech Republic and Karli Flinta-Murphy of Canada. The Award supports their participation here at the Congress.

“We are fortunate to have such talented young journalists in our member countries,” says IFAJ President David Markey of Ireland . “All the recipients are poised to become leaders in their guilds and in the federation.” The travel scholarship recognizes the leadership potential of young members from countries belonging to the federation. It encourages their involvement in the international organization by sponsoring them to attend the federation’s annual congress, where they will meet the world’s top agricultural journalists.

The winners were nominated by their respective guilds and chosen by an international selection committee comprising Owen Roberts of Canada (chair), Hans Siemes of The Netherlands and Dana Vecerova of the Czech Republic .


IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by: Pioneer-HiBred

IFAJ, Pioneer

Back Online in Sendai

Chuck Zimmerman

Rice SeedlingI’m back online here in Sendai, Japan on Thursday morning. It’s a beautiful day here. Cindy and I elected not to tour today. We were so exhausted by the time we got in last night that we needed some time to relax. Most of our IFAJ group is out on one of 4 different tours. They’re going overnight and won’t be back until late tomorrow night. We just couldn’t do it since we need internet access and time to work and none of that is taken into consideration in the schedule.

Besides posting here on AgWired we’re working on posts for about 4 other websites like Domestic Fuel, World Dairy Diary, Corn Commentary and Precision Pays.

The rice plants you see pictured are from our last stop yesterday at a research facility. I’ll have more on that in a later post. Thanks to Kurt Lawton for the hand. The photo album is up to date now so feel free to browse.


IFAJ Congress 2007 Photo Album

AgWired coverage of IFAJ 2007 is sponsored by: Pioneer-HiBred

IFAJ, Pioneer

Prescreening Process for BASF

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Franz RohlMaking new compounds for crop protection is no overnight process and we got to learn a little bit about how it is done during our visit to the BASF research facility in Limburgerhof, Germany last week.

Our first stop at the research facility was prescreening, where Dr. Franz Rohl explained some of the steps they take in looking at the potential for various compounds.

“The laboratory is the first place to test unknown chemicals for biological activity to find out if they have herbicide, fungicide or insecticidal activity that is of interest for our chemists,” said Rohl.

But Rohl says only one out of 140,000 of the compounds they test end up going on to the farm fields.

Listen my interview with Dr. Rohl here:
basf-rohl.mp3

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels

Audio, BASF, International, Research

Future is in the Genes

Cindy Zimmerman

BASF Hans KastAccording to the President and CEO of BASF Plant Science Dr. Hans Kast, the future is in the genes for agriculture. Kast gave ag journalists an overview of that future in Germany last week.

“Plant biotechnology will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapidly growing population continues to have a sufficient supply of high quality food,” said Kast.

BASF Plant Science’s research activities focus on solutions for effective agriculture, healthier nutrition and plants for use as renewable resources. BASF Plant Science is an international Research and Technology “Verbund” with eight sites in Europe and North America.

BASF, Biotech, International

Last BASF Execs Interview

Cindy Zimmerman

Finally we have “escaped” from our non-stop tour activities here in Japan so maybe I can clear out all my interviews from Germany and Brussels, which seems like it was a month ago.

BASF Markus HeldtThe last of our interviews with BASF executives was Markus Heldt, who is group vice president for BASF North American Ag Chem. In this photo, he is being interviewed by Wayne Wenzel with Farm Journal/Top Producer as Dan Muys with Quarry Communications looks on.

Heldt tells us a little bit more about Headline and its use against soybean rust, especially with increased acreage of soybeans in the southeast now for biofuels production.

“I think the overall hike in the commodity prices – corn, soybeans, wheat – has helped farmers to focus on yield and the willingness to invest in fungicides,” says Heldt. “So that environment is clearly favorable for our business for the foreseeable short term future for the agriculture in North America.”

As for the future of Headline, Heldt sees significant growth potential. “In what we call the traditional crops, especially wheat with higher price, still significant growth potential. And if you look at corn, we have less than 10 percent of the available acreage treated, so there’s about 90 percent growth potential.”

Heldt also talks about Pristine fungicide and ramped up efforts to market products for specialty crop producers.

Listen my interview with Markus here:
basf-markus.mp3

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels

BASF, Corn, International, Soybean

Consumers Tempted by Tender Beef

Laura McNamara

ElancoThe beef industry isn’t just asking “Where’s the beef?” anymore, but “How’s your beef?” Elanco Animal Health says research shows consumers spend more for tender and tasty beef.

Consumers tell us that tenderness and taste are two of the most important attributes when they are evaluating their beef eating experience. They want tender beef and are willing to pay for it.

That was the message Dr. Keith Belk, professor at Colorado State University’s Center for Red Meat Quality and Safety, delivered to agricultural editors and other participants at a Sensory Evaluation Briefing and Wet Lab held at Iowa State University. The training session was hosted by Elanco Animal Health as part of its continuing effort to educate beef producers on the importance of tenderness of the beef they produce.

Tenderness is an important aspect of beef palatability that ultimately drives consumer satisfaction. The Beef Checkoff’s 2005 National Beef Tenderness Survey shows the industry has made improvements since the 1999 study, but there still are inconsistencies and a need for improvement.

A key factor in beef tenderness is the aging process. Most experts agree beef becomes more tender when it is aged about 21 days. However, according to a number of meat industry experts – including the University of Minnesota Extension department – most of the beef offered for sale as retail cuts in the supermarket is aged five to seven days. Rarely is beef in the retail case aged more than 10 to 14 days.

Aging isn’t the only factor driving beef tenderness. “Quality grades and marbling itself have become extremely important,” says Belk. “Prime and upper two-thirds of Choice-branded beef are in high demand and are returning larger profits back through the production chain. That’s the signal consumers
are sending to us. An excellent example of that is the success that Certified Angus Beef LLC® (CAB®) is experiencing.”
Read More

Ag Groups, Beef, Elanco, Food

Zimfo Bites

Melissa Sandfort

  • The 30th edition of Husker Harvest Days featured cattle with information from the comprehensive IGENITY profile. Mike Hynek, Goldrush Genetics, Guide Rock, Neb., displayed two Balancer bulls at the show, promoting his herd’s genetics and the use of DNA technology. The comprehensive IGENITY profile includes analyses for economically important traits such as tenderness potential, fat thickness, ribeye area, yield grade, hot carcass weight, quality grade and marbling, as well as a diagnostic test for identifying cattle persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD). This information allows every segment of the production chain to make more confident selection, management and marketing decisions. Hynek plans to use this information to add marketability to his cattle and to make more confident selection and breeding decisions. Hynek says, “With IGENITY, I can learn more about the actual genetic potential each individual using DNA and then combine that information with visual evaluation and EPDs to help avoid some costly mistakes and help the industry produce a more consistent end product. For the beef industry to survive, we have to produce a more consistent, tender product, and DNA technology is one way to help us do that.”
  • Burger King pledged to offer healthier fast-food items for children under 12, with plans to sell and market flame-broiled Chicken Tenders and apples cut to resemble thick-cut french fries. Called BK Fresh Apple Fries, the red apples are cut to resemble french fries and are served in the same containers as fries, but they are not fried and are served skinless and cold. The 2.4-ounce serving of Apple Fries will have 35 calories, the company said. A small serving of Burger King french fries has 230 calories and 13 grams of fat, according to Burger King’s Web site. Burger King will use U.S. grown apples that are cut and packaged in a sterile environment and subjected to a pre-wash that contains lemon to keep them from turning brown, said Burger King spokesman Keva Silversmith.
  • Soybean rust has been found in South Carolina. Clemson University Plant Pathologist John Mueller says a glitch in the testing sentinel plots also may have given the disease a few days head start. Rust was found on 25 of 25 leaves sampled from maturity Group V soybeans in a sentinel plot just outside of Estill, S.C., which is about 50 miles northwest of Savannah, Ga. These beans were sampled on Sept. 11, and the degree of infection is typical of a very severe outbreak of rust, according to Mueller. The plot had been sampled on a weekly basis up to Aug. 20. Then due to logistical problems the plot was not sampled for two weeks. This 20-day gap obviously was enough for rust to go from being not detectable to severe levels. Based on the severity of rust at the Estill site, Mueller says it is likely other fields were also exposed to rust in this area. Therefore, application of a fungicide containing a triazole is warranted in southeastern South Carolina, including areas normally referred to as the Savannah River Valley plus the areas just south of the Santee river. Mueller stresses that fungicides may not be applied after 50 percent of the soybeans in a field reach growth stage R-6.
  • A two-day Certified Crop Advisor program will be conducted at the University of Missouri-Delta Research Center in Portageville, Mo., Nov. 19-20. Separate classes will be taught in Soil Fertility, Pest Management, Soil and Water, and Crop Production with four CEUs pending per course. Classes will begin at 8 a.m. each day. Registration will be $25 per course or $75 for all four. The fee will include lunch. For more details, contact Gene Stevens (573-379-5431, stevensw@missouri.edu) or Anthony Ohmes (573-683-6129, ohmesg@missouri.edu).
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