BASF Products Fight Soybean Disease

Carrie Muehling

Growers who are fighting soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) or nematodes in their fields may want to take a look at ILeVO – the only product that provides effective protection against both diseases – according to Melissa Chu, Product Manager, BASF Soybean Seed Treatment Portfolio.

“A disease like sudden death syndrome can cause extensive yield loss, especially when foliar symptoms appear, but actually it is a disease that begins below ground, so foliar symptoms don’t always appear,” said Chu. “Even when they don’t ILeVO still provides protection and a yield benefit. In addition, ILeVO is also an excellent nematicide and nematodes can cause a lot of yield loss without any visual symptoms above ground. So by using a product like ILeVO, you are protecting yield protection from two really critical yield robbers.”

SDS foliar symptoms are noticeable in the field, depending on severity, and the disease can also affect the roots of the plants. Chu said seven years of testing show great yield benefits with ILeVO – over 4.5 bushels per acre on average. Chu was at the 2018 ASTA CCS and Seed Expo in Chicago.

Interview with Melissa Chu discussing Obvius Plus and ILeVO – Interview with Melissa Chu, BASF

You can watch the interview with Melissa in the video below:


BASF at 2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo

2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo photos

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, BASF

Presidion Ag Announces Another Patent Allowance

Cindy Zimmerman

Presidion Ag is pleased to announce that the technology supporting their product Phosgain™ has received notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark office.

Phosgain makes phosphate more available to the plant through a high level of ion exchange capacity and is a highly concentrated formula with a more powerful solvent-based polymer solution than the traditional water-based products commercially available. Phosgain is based on the PenXcel™Technology that does not leave a dry substrate wet or soft like water-based formulations.

“Most Phosphate efficiency products currently available are water based and the exchange capacity is diluted due to the presence of water in the formula, which only adds to the operational challenges on a dry substrate such as Urea or Phosphate” said Ray Perkins, President of Presidion Ag. Phosgain can be used easily on a MAP, DAP, phosphate blends or with urea.

Last month, Presidion Ag announced a patent allowance for their product Neon Laser(TM) for anhydrous ammonia.

The developer of the technologies is Eco World Research and Development Group, LLC, and president David McKnight says there are numerous additional active ingredients and combinations being developed and tested within this intellectual property and .

“We anticipate several additional patents being granted in the very near future that will continue to support Presidion’s rapidly growing product offering which is supported by strong Intellectual Properties,” said McKnight.

Phosgain is available in all international markets through innovarag.com. For further information regarding the US market, please contact Tom Stanton at 712-301-2549 or Ben Thompson at 651-233-7101.

AgWired Precision, Farming, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

CoverCress Developing Cash Cover Crop

Cindy Zimmerman

CoverCress Inc. is developing a new crop, called CoverCress®, based on the native plant pennycress.

The company, formerly named Arvegenix Inc., says CoverCress is a new winter oilseed cash crop designed to provide winter and early spring soil cover between corn harvest and soybean planting, while producing an oilseed crop. CoverCress oil and protein meal are similar to that of canola.

“As the company has advanced from its 2013 beginnings, when it was focused on native pennycress, to now develop a brand new crop producing grain quality like canola, it was time to update the name to reflect this change,” said CoverCress CEO Jerry Steiner.

CoverCress held a press event at last week’s ASTA CSS and Seed Expo to introduce the new company name and the potential of the new crop, expected to go commercial next year.

ASTACSS18 CoverCress press conference

ASTACSS18 Interview with CoverCress CEO Jerry Steiner

2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo

ASTA, Audio, cover crops

Bayer Opens 2018 Seed Expo

Carrie Muehling

Bayer had a presence at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS & Seed Expo in Chicago, including Mike Lewis, who represents the company on the ASTA Board of Directors. Lewis said it is important for companies like Bayer to come together with others in the industry with a unified voice as they face new opportunities, as well as new challenges. Those in attendance heard from Leticia Gonçalves, U.S. Country Head for Bayer CropScience.

“I explained to the group what is our new vision and mission with Bayer CropScience now that we brought Monsanto and Bayer together into a new crop science division,” said Gonçalves. “I basically talked about our mission of shaping agriculture, benefitting growers, consumers and the planet, and out three strategic pillars, which are accelerated innovation, sustainability and digital transformation.”

Gonçalves shared plans to partner with groups like ASTA to make sure companies combine their capabilities to bring more value to the market.

Listen to Cindy’s interview here: Interviews with Mike Lewis and Leticia Gonçalves, Bayer

Bayer at 2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo photos

2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo photos

ASTA, Audio, Bayer

Animal Ag Bites 12/10

Carrie Muehling

  • Debuting at the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Ga., the Latin American Poultry Summit will exclusively feature leading industry experts who will address technical topics covering live production and processing issues of greatest priority to Latin American poultry and egg professionals. Sponsored by the International Poultry Expo – part of IPPE, WATT Global Media and the Latin American Poultry Association, the summit is a one-and-a-half-day program scheduled from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, and 8 a.m.–12 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
  • U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the government of Morocco has agreed to allow imports of U.S. beef and beef products into Morocco. 2018 is the first year that U.S. beef and poultry exporters have access to Morocco’s market under the terms of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement. Morocco opened its market to U.S. poultry in August 2018.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Kevin Kester issued the following statement in response to the announcement that U.S. beef gained new market access in Morocco: “Open markets are the lifeblood of the U.S. cattle and beef industry. New access to Morocco is welcome news for producers and we are excited that Moroccan consumers can now enjoy high-quality U.S. beef. NCBA is grateful for the leadership President Trump, Ambassador Lighthizer, and Ambassador Doud have shown on this issue. We look forward to working with them to continue tearing down trade barriers for U.S. beef in markets around the world.”
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) is releasing a seventh video in a series highlighting environmental stewardship on poultry and egg farms. The video features one of USPOULTRY’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Saranac, Mich., the largest egg producer in Michigan. The video can be viewed on USPOULTRY’s YouTube channel.
AgWired Animal, Animal Bites

ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Success

Cindy Zimmerman

Last week was the 73rd year for American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2018 & Seed Expo and like this year it was full of changes for the industry.

Besides having several new company names, ASTA changed the layout of the trade show so that all the booths were located on the same expo floor. “We’re always trying to improve the experience of the members who attend the expo,” said ASTA Chair Jerry Flint of Corteva Agriscience, one of those new company names in the industry.

There were 21 new exhibitors at the expo this year and more than 2300 attendees. Flint says they also added a new seed treatment educational tour at the expo. “Over 80 people went around and visited a number of the different vendors and the feedback that we received was extremely good,” said Flint.

An expanded general session this year allowed for a panel on “Majors after the Mergers” with the four major companies discussing this year’s changes. “We thought that it was a very candid conversation they had,” said ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne. “We had a number of questions and they were able to have dialogue back and forth – we thought the session went very well.”

In these interviews, Flint and LaVigne talk about ASTA’s long range strategic planning for the industry, a look back at 2018 and a look ahead at 2019.

ASTACSS18 Interview with ASTA Chair Jerry Flint, Corteva Agriscience

ASTACSS18 interview with Andy LaVigne, ASTA CEO

2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Photo Album

ASTA CSS Virtual Newsroom

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, Seed

CropTrak Continues Expansion

Chuck Zimmerman

CropTrak, a leading global SaaS platform utilized by Agribusiness and Food Companies for compliance data capture and reporting, has hired Stewart Dainty as Director, Key Accounts.

An Iowa native, Dainty is based out of Des Moines and brings 25 years of agricultural industry experience in data and engineering analytics technology to CropTrak. He began his career with a degree in Finance (Analytics) from Iowa State University and most of his career has been spent working on improvements to agricultural processes, designs, and information.

Dainty has held both sales and leadership roles with companies such as John Deere and Proagrica and has developed a strong background in multi-dimensional data sciences, which helps to understand how CropTrak’s solutions can best be delivered to each unique client.

To learn more about the new CropTrak enterprise accounts team and how they can help you maximize efficiencies and provide further insights within your Agriculture-related business, send a note to Hello@CropTrak.com.

AgWired Precision, CropTrak, Precision Agriculture

#ASTACSS Student Video Award Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

Kevin Faulk (left) receives award from Kerry Grossweiler, BASF

Iowa State University PhD candidate Kevin Falk received the grand prize this year in the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) second annual “Better Seed, Better Life” student video contest during the CSS 2018 & Seed Expo in Chicago this week. The award was presented to him by Kerry Grossweiler of BASF, which sponsors the ASTA Communications Committee.

The contest is held in conjunction with the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) and the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of American and Soil Science Society of America (Tri-Societies). The 2018 contest theme was “Rumor Has It” and was open to university students who were asked to create videos to help set the record straight on a common misconception or myth associated with the seed industry and/or plant science. Second and third place winners were Kshitij Khatri, University of Florida, and Nathalia Penna Cruzato, Texas A&M University.

Kevin is currently a PhD candidate at Iowa State University focusing on soybean breeding. He holds a master’s in plant breeding from the University of Manitoba and worked in canola breeding programs at Monsanto and Bayer for five years prior to returning to pursue his PhD at Iowa State. He is one of five PhD students in the Singh soybean breeding and plant phenomics group. His PhD work focuses around harnessing technology to develop high throughput phenotyping platforms to advance plant breeding. He enjoys playing hockey, kitesurfing, videography, and exploring new technology. Kevin is set to graduate in the coming months and is interested in science, agriculture and using social media to connect and communicate with the public.

Learn more about Kevin in this interview and watch his award-winning video below – ASTACSS18 Interview with student video award winner Kevin Falk, ISU


2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Photo Album

ASTA CSS Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, Plant Breeding, Seed, Video

USDA Under Secretary Ibach at #ASTACSS

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach spoke to attendees at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2018 and Seed Expo during a Plant Breeding Innovation session, toured the trade show, and met with media on Thursday in Chicago.

Ibach discussed the importance of innovation in plant breeding, as well as coming regulations for GMO labeling, and the current global trade situation. He said the GMO labeling rules should be released in the very near future. “We’re hoping we have that done before the end of the year because that’s an important timeline,” he said.

Listen to and download audio here:
ASTACSS18 USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach remarks at Plant Breeding session

ASTACSS18 USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach press conference

2018 ASTA CSS and Seed Expo Photo Album

Find more content from #ASTACSS here:
ASTA CSS Virtual Newsroom

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, USDA

Zimfo Bytes 12/7

Carrie Muehling

  • The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announces its 2019 officers as well as directors elected to the AEM Board of Directors and AG and CE Sector Boards at its recent annual business meeting.
  • Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of three producers and three industry representatives to serve on the Peanut Standards Board.
  • The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is pleased to announce that California-based advanced renewable fuels company Aemetis, Inc. has joined RFA as a member.
  • American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, announces the promotion of Nick Herman to vice president of development.
  • The Yield Lab announces Jim Tobin and Kieran Gartlan as new Managing Directors at the Yield Lab. Jim will join the North American based Yield Lab accelerator out of St. Louis, and Kieran will join the Latin American accelerator, opening the Sao Paulo – Brazil operation.
  • Nomination meetings to fill three positions on the Georgia Peanut Commission Board of Directors will be held Dec. 10 in Ocilla, Vienna and Americus. The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation will conduct the meetings during which peanut producers will nominate peers to represent the Peanut Commission’s Districts 2, 4 and 5. The terms of the commission members who currently represent these districts expire Dec. 31, 2018.
  • The next AGree Discussion Series Event will be a panel discussion on Blockchain Applications for Agriculture on Tuesday, Dec.11, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Zimfo Bytes