Bayer Spotlights NemaStrike at #ASTACSS

Carrie Muehling

Bayer representatives at the 2018 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo wanted growers to take notice of NemaStrike technology as they make decisions for the 2019 growing season.

“We believe it’s going to provide a fantastic opportunity for growers to protect themselves against a pest that they were maybe underestimating – nematodes,” said Brent Craig, Seed Applied Solutions Marketing for NemaStrike with Bayer.

Craig said nematodes that come into contact with a seed or root that has been treated with NemaStrike will die before getting a chance to do much damage. In addition, NemaStrike technology provides 75 days of broad spectrum control, covering multiple generations of the pest that may exist within the same field.

“NemaStrike is the most efficacious product we’ve seen for nematodes,” said Kelli Brown, N.A. Seed Applied Solutions Product Manager for NemaStrike. “When you look at various competitive products across the board, we’re going to reduce populations of nematodes significantly further and for longer periods of time than any other product.”

Brown said nematodes are microscopic roundworms, and they are the most ubiquitous species on the planet. She said nematode pressure will be higher in some years than in others, which is why a broader seed treatment portfolio including fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and biologicals is important to consider. NemaStrike technology is available in Bayer-treated corn, soybean and cotton seed for the 2019 growing season.

Interview with Brent Craig, Seed Applied Solutions Marketing, NemaStrike –
Interview with Brent Craig, Bayer

Interview with Kelli Brown, N.A. Seed Applied Solutions Product Manager, NemaStrike –
Interview with Kelli Brown, Bayer

Bayer at ASTACSS18 Photo Album

2018 ASTA CSS Photo Album

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Audio, Bayer

WEDA Names 2018 Dealer of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

The Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA) has presented its prestigious 2018 Merit Award to Harley Adams of Concordia Tractor, Inc. (CTI), as the 2018 Dealer of the Year. Pictured here, Wally Butler, (left) President of the Board of Directors, Western Equipment Dealers Association presents Adams with the award.

As a true mark of excellence, the annual WEDA Dealer of the Year award recognizes exceptional performance and outstanding community service that is an inspiration to our industry. By presenting this annual award, WEDA honors an individual dealer for their leadership within the industry, high business standards and tireless efforts to improve their communities and the world around them

CTI has been a WEDA member for 52 years, and Adams served as president in 2005. He started his long career in the equipment industry with John Deere Company, Kansas City in 1972 and was promoted to Territory Manager in March 1973 at the age of 22, becoming the youngest ever appointed to that job.

“Harley Adams is a well-deserved recipient of this award,” said John Schmeiser, CEO, WEDA. “Harley and his team have set the standard for service excellence and world-class customer experience.”

The award was presented to Adams at WEDA’s 2018 annual dealer conference which was held in Scottsdale, Arizona, December 5-7, 2018.
Learn more about Adams’ outstanding career from WEDA.

Equipment

Farm Bill Poised for Passage

Cindy Zimmerman

The Senate voted 87-13 yesterday to pass the 2018 Farm Bill approved by the conference committee this week and the House is expected to do so soon.

“We think the farm bill’s in very good shape,” said President Trump as he sat down with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), just before getting into a spat with them over border wall funding. “That will be quite bipartisan and it will happen pretty soon.”

Audio – President Trump comments on farm bill

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (TX-11) released a video yesterday highlighting the wins in the 2018 Farm Bill conference report for rural America and calling on his colleagues to pass the legislation.

“Over five months of negotiations—now is the time to do it, and I hope to persuade my Republican colleagues that that’s the case,” says Conaway. “Once this is all said and done, I will be one happy camper.”


AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Farm Bill, Video

Precision Ag Bytes 12/12

Carrie Muehling

  • Reinke’s new RPM Connect™ main control panel helps growers stay one step ahead through remote control technology. Its main panel offers basic controls without a touchscreen – reducing the overall cost of the device. Connect is built on the Reinke Advanced Plus platform and requires RC10 hardware and a ReinCloud® subscription for full functionality. Accessed by any smart device, ReinCloud, allows growers to remotely monitor and control pivots, manage multiple systems from one dashboard and receive notifications when there’s a change in a system’s status.
  • Benson Hill Biosystems, a crop improvement company unlocking the natural diversity of plants, and Novozymes, a leader in enzymes and microbial technologies, have entered into a research and commercial license agreement for use of Benson Hill’s editing portfolio across Novozymes’ business segments.
  • The Partnership for Ag Resource Management has released an updated and recently 4R-approved Phosphorus Loss Reduction Handbook for Agronomists. The Handbook serves as a communication tool for sales agronomists, Certified Crop Advisors and others to learn and engage with grower customers on water quality issues and methods to reduce phosphorus, agrichemical and soil movement from fields.
  • Raven Industries, Inc. announced that it has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of AgSync, Inc., an ag logistics software company headquartered in Wakarusa, Ind. The cash transaction is expected to close on January 1, 2019. The acquisition will align under the company’s Applied Technology division and greatly enhance its Slingshot® platform by delivering a seamless logistics solution for ag retailers, custom applicators and enterprise farms.
AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

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