Syngenta wasn’t the only company on hand at their Learning Centers program in Milford, IA. So was John Deere and their Central Insecticide System.
Here’s Ron DeFauw, John Deere Seeding Group, talking about a brand new way to apply Force Insecticide. Think of the box version of wine that you put in your refrigerator and you’ll have a pretty good idea what the new box formulation of this corn rootworm control product looks like. Ron says the product will be available this fall and that you should see your John Deere dealer for more information.
He says benefits of Syngenta’s Force CS include the fact that there’s no worry over getting granulated product or dust on your hands and the boxes are lightweight and easy to load and move. Another benefit comes after you’ve applied the product through your John Deere NT equipment. The boxes don’t have to be returned to the dealer. You can easily dispose of them.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this new product at next week’s John Deere product launch and I’ll be there to bring it all to you here.
You can listen to my interview with Ron here: learning-centers-defauw.mp3
Or you can download the interview using this link: 
Ron DeFauw Interview (2 min MP3)
Last week Pfizer made two announcements involving their 
Pierre says that Pfizer also announced a reward for the 3 millionth enrollment in the SelectVAC program. Pfizer will mark the milestone by awarding that producer with a year’s worth of free SelectVAC products for their entire herd (up to a maximum of $5,000 in value). 
We talked a lot about corn at the Syngenta Learning Center program in Iowa but soybeans were also a major topic of discussion. One of the presenters was Gene Kassmeyer, Head of Soybeans, Syngenta Seeds.
Growers attending the Syngenta Learning Center in Milford, IA might have wished they could drive this car but they were content to grow the fuel that’s powering it around the track this season. The #17 Rahal Letterman show car was accompanied by Al Jentz, 
Al says that although he felt like he was preaching to the choir his presentation allowed corn growers to learn more about EPIC’s promotional activities and ask questions.
The latest in renewable energy vehicles from Ford joins Missouri Governor Matt Blunt’s official fleet. Ford has produced just 20 of its hybrid-electric, flex-fuel Escapes that can run on E85 fuel and Ford Manager Tony Reinhart handed Blunt the keys to one of these rare vehicles. Blunt says the specially-equipped Escape will help promote his Missouri Renewable Fuel Standard, which outlines that all fuel sold in the state will have to contain 10% percent ethanol by January of 2008. The Governor pointed out that Missouri is the fourth state to have such a requirement. The hybrid, flex-fuel also meets Blunt’s executive order that requires at least 70% of new vehicles purchased by the state to be flex-fuel vehicles.
One of the more entertaining presenters at today’s Syngenta Learning Center in Milford, IA was Dr. Fred Below. He’s a professor of crop physiology at the University of Illinois.
The Syngenta Learning Center in Milford, IA was located on a farm just south of town. The owner of that farm is Bruce Johnson.