Syngenta Offers Better Yield as the Better Deal

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta’s theme at the Farm Progress Show last week was Better Yield is the Better Deal, which technical development lead Dean Grossnickle explains is putting the right products on that acre to maximize yield, maximize performance and maximize that return on investment.

“So it all starts with that weed control platform, putting down a product that is going to the control the weeds and preserve yield,” said Grossnickle.”The biggest thing is trying to maximize that ROI with a good solid agronomic program and get with your agronomist because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every grower. Each grower is unique. Each acre is unique. So find the the best program that works for that farmer that grower in that situation.”

Grossnickle says even if it costs more, growers may want to consider using multiple complementary products, like a corn herbicide and a corn fungicide, for maximum yield protection.

FPS24 - Interview with Dean Grossnickle, Syngenta 3:37

2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show, Fungicide, Herbicide, Syngenta

GHX 2.0 with Cropwise AI Offers Answers

Cindy Zimmerman

At Farm Progress Show last week, Golden Harvest/GHX celebrated the launch of the GHX™ 2.0 app with new Cropwise™ AI, which gives users the ability to ask and get answers to the toughest product and agronomic questions while simplifying the way they manage data, according to Justin Welch, Syngenta Seeds, Head of Decision Ag.

“Two years ago we were here in Boone, Iowa and we launched GHX 1.0 and we’re back here now launching GHX 2.O,” said Welch. “The feedback we got over the last two years was would you tell us more about your products inside of the application. And so now we have a GPT address line where someone can ask anything about our products and it will tell you all about Golden Harvest directly inside the app.”

Learn more in this interview.
FPS24 - Interview with Justin Welch, Syngenta Seeds 2:58

2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

AgWired Precision, AI, Audio, Golden Harvest, Seed, Syngenta

Alliance Seeks to Control Weeds, Not Farming

Cindy Zimmerman

L-R: Martha Smith, Bayer; farmer Dave Struthers; Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness; and farmer Kevin Ross

The Modern Ag Alliance, led by Bayer, was launched earlier this year to advocate for farmers’ access to safe and effective pesticides. The coalition of over 85 agricultural groups supports science-based regulation and labeling of crop protection tools that are essential for food production and sustainability and their rallying cry is “Control Weeds Not Farming.”

Bayer sponsored a panel at Farm Progress Show to highlight the alliance and its purpose. Martha Smith, Bayer VP of Stakeholder Relations, says the alliance includes many state ag groups working on specific legislation in their areas. “There’s been legislation that has been filed in a few states, including here in Iowa and down South in Missouri and out West in Idaho. And the alliance has been supporting the efforts of those legislators to again protect farmers access to crop protection tools,” said Smith.

Iowa farmer Kevin Ross, former president of the National Corn Growers Association, says if farmers lose an important crop protection tool like glyphosate, the impact goes beyond the farm. “There are certainly other chemistries out there right now that people use to control weeds, but if you start taking away one, especially one that’s proven safe and one that again has been around 50 years, if we started reducing the amount of tools that a farmer needs, I think we have major problems ahead from a production standpoint,” said Ross. “That trickles down to industries and costs other consumers down into other economies as well.”

Others on the panel included Iowa farmer Dave Struthers, and Ben Gleason, executive director of the Iowa Agribusiness Association, one of the Alliance members. Listen to their discussion and interviews with Smith, Ross, and Gleason below.

Panel discussion – Martha Smith, Bayer; Kevin Ross, Iowa farmer; Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness Assoc., Dave Struthers, Iowa farmer
FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance panel 16:35
Interview with Martha Smith, Bayer
FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Martha Smith, Bayer 5:14
Interview with Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness Assoc.
FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Ben Gleason, Iowa Agribusiness 6:19
Interview with Kevin Ross, Iowa farmers
FPS24 - Modern Ag Alliance Kevin Ross, farmer 5:44

2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Corn, Crop Protection, Farm Progress Show

Future is Bright for Syngenta Seeds

Cindy Zimmerman

The head of North America Seeds for Syngenta is pleased with the latest innovations in their brand offerings and looking forward to future advancements.

“We’re really looking forward to 2025 and 2026 being a really innovative year set of years for Syngenta,” said Erik Boeck during an interview at Farm Progress Show this week. “We introduced a new worm stack in the marketplace to control worms. And if you’re in the northern corn belt, you know those little green bugs can be a real pain in the butt. And we’re launching new seed care products. So the future’s bright.”

Syngenta brands GHX, Golden Harvest, NK, Duracade Viptera, and Enogen all had something new to talk about with farmers at the show this week. You can find interviews with many of their representatives here in the FPS virtual newsroom.

FPS24 - Interview with Eric Boeck, Syngenta Seeds 6:28

2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Audio, Farm Progress Show, Seed, Syngenta

Precision Ag News 8/28

Carrie Muehling

  • In an effort to identify and celebrate global trailblazers working in food and agriculture, the World Food Prize Foundation has launched its first-ever Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP) List. This year’s TAP awardees come from 20 countries on six continents, represent a range of ages and work in varied fields, from farming to animal and crop science, agtech, nutrition, education, advocacy and more. The full list is available to view on the World Food Prize Foundation website.
  • The Seed Association of the Americas (SAA), in collaboration with the Argentine Seed Association (ASA), is hosting the 9th Seed Congress of the Americas Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With the motto “Promoting the Seed Business in the Americas,” this congress will focus primarily on trade and regulatory issues.
  • Verbio is showcasing its technology and competencies in creating green energy and organic fertilizers at this year`s Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The company, which is a subsidiary of Europe`s leading biofuels and bioenergy producer Verbio SE, is demonstrating how to make renewable natural gas from ag residues to visitors. Verbio just recently had announced the launch of ethanol production in addition to RNG production at its Nevada, Iowa, location. Operating as a full biorefinery, the plant has installed a total capacity to produce 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol per year and 2.3 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas (RNG). It is the first plant of its kind in North America.
  • European-based Fresh Inset is introducing Vidre+ Complex, breakthrough technology that unlocks the full potential of 1-MCP application across the entire supply chain, to the United States. Vidre+ is revolutionizing the supply chain seamlessly without any reorganization of current operating practices, by making every existing type of fresh produce packaging and label functional and adaptable into a smart version with adjustable protection against the negative effects of ethylene.
  • Solinftec, a global leader in artificial intelligence solutions and sustainable agricultural practices, has announced its newest development in the field of agricultural robotics: the docking station. Announced at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, the launch of this new development will allow Solix Ag Robotics to operate 100 percent autonomously throughout the season, without the need for a manual refill.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories. Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban contexts.
  • Salford unveiled its groundbreaking Precision Row Crop Cultivator at the Farm Progress Show 2024 in Boone, IA. The Precision Row Crop Cultivator integrates cutting-edge camera and wand guidance systems, which allow for precise alignment and operation at speeds of up to 12 mph—more than twice as fast as traditional cultivators. This significant leap in speed and technology is designed to maximize productivity while minimizing crop damage, offering organic growers the ability to reduce the number of machines needed throughout the growing season.
  • Praxidyn‘s Mixmate continues to set the standard for fast, easy, and safe chemical mixing, and now, with the launch of the new Fusion Skid, system setup is more straightforward than ever. Designed for versatility, the Fusion Skid is perfect for large batches and can easily be converted for drone applications. Whether you are setting up a spray tender trailer, a stationary mixing system, or a drone trailer, the Fusion Skid makes the process seamless. Just connect the incoming water and chemical lines and you’re ready to go.
  • ClearLeaf, a company with proven success in formulating non-toxic agricultural products to protect important crops, announced a strategic partnership with Summit Agro International (SAI), a global provider of agricultural solutions. After nearly three years of joint testing with ClearLeaf on a variety of pathogens in crops of commercial importance, Summit Agro International has acquired exclusive rights for the market development and distribution of ClearLeaf’s flagship product, GotaBlanca, in Japan and South Korea.
  • CropX Ltd., a global leader in digital agriculture solutions, and CNH Industrial N.V, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery and technology, announce a new application programming interface (API) connection between the CropX agronomic farm management system and Case IH and New Holland Agriculture equipment. This integration automates the transfer of data from CNH machinery to CropX for data visualization, record-keeping, planning, and variable-rate applications.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Syngenta Excited For New SCN Seed Treatment

    Cindy Zimmerman

    At Farm Progress Show this week, Syngenta was promoting its highly anticipated seed treatment for soybeans and cotton using TYMIRIUM® technology, called Victrato.

    With approval by EPA for registration anticipated by the 2025 growing season, the new seed treatment will introduce targeted technology to stop nematodes, Sudden Death Syndrome, and Cotton Root Rot without harming beneficial organisms.

    “Its wheelhouse is really in these heavy pressure situations. Where we have heavy nematode pressure and also heavy SCS because of the potency of the molecule,” said Katie Jaeger, Syngenta Seedcare product lead. “It’s bringing a highest level of intrinsic activity that we’ve seen before. When facing these type of past early season and so it’ll with that bring a new level of protection to our customer base.”

    FPS24 - Interview with Katie Jaeger, Syngenta 3:37

    Jaeger moderated a panel on the new chemistry at the show, which included ISU nematologist Dr. Greg Tylka, Syngenta research scienties Jeff Simmons, and Syngenta Seedcare technical product lead Dale Ireland.

    “Victrato will protect against adults, juveniles, and eggs from multiple nematode species, including Soybean Cyst, root-knot, reniform, lance, and lesion,” said Ireland. “The high intrinsic activity will also help defend against Fusarium virguliforme, the causal organism of SDS, while providing early-season suppression of foliar diseases, such as frogeye leaf spot, target spot, and Septoria brown spot.”

    FPS24 - Syngenta VIP presentation 32:33

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Cotton, Farm Progress Show, Soybean, Syngenta, Technology

    Day 2 of the 2024 Farm Progress Show

    Chuck Zimmerman

    2024 Farm Progress ShowWe got a beautiful sunrise this morning of day two of the Farm Progress Show. The temperature is cool and it’s just a great start for the day.

    Yesterday I think I did almost 20 interviews and a lot of photos. This morning I’ll add close to 10 more before I head home to ZimmComm World Headquarters. Let’s hope for on time flights!

    All content will be published in a virtual ag newsroom on AgNewsWire.com and we’ll also be posting interviews here on AgWired over the next week. Hope you like what you see and here.

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Farm Progress Show

    Opening Day for 2024 Farm Progress Show

    Chuck Zimmerman

    2024 Farm Progress ShowThe Show is on. Temperatures have moderated and it looks like a great day for attendees. I didn’t get a good sunrise photo but the lightning display was amazing. I don’t know if we’ll have some showers but the breeze feels very comfortable.

    I’m heading out for a morning of interviews with our major sponsor, Syngenta. Then the afternoon is full with lots more. It’s going to be a busy day. I’m moving a little slower than normal after a 6 hour delay on my connection to Des Moines and then all rental cars were unavailable. Or at least it was taking 2-3 people to get cars and bring them in from some off site location. It took me an extra hour and a half to get a car and got in to my hotel at midnight last night. The hazards of travel is happening more than I can remember.

    So, I’ll see you soon.

    2024 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

    Farm Progress Show

    Ayrstone® Announces Higher-speed AyrMesh® HubDuo

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Ayrstone® announces availability of a new higher-speed AyrMesh® Hub – the AyrMesh® HubDuo.

    Thousands of farmers and ranchers across the United States and Canada have already discovered how easy it is to have an outdoor WiFi network on their property with Ayrstone AyrMesh products. The new AyrMesh HubDuo is the first Hub to use dual-band technology to deliver very high-speed outdoor WiFi to nearby devices, and standard high-speed WiFi at longer distances. Like the AyrMesh Hub2x2, using MIMO the AyrMesh HubDuo can provide broadband-class WiFi to hundreds or even thousands of acres of property. In addition, it also has a 5.8 GHz. signal to provide extremely high-speed WiFi – up to 100 Mbps – at short range. The transmit power of the HubDuo can also be adjusted significantly, allowing units to be placed much closer together than the existing AyrMesh Hubs.

    “We have been talking to our customers, and they told us that they wanted two things: more speed from the AyrMesh Hubs and to place the Hubs closer together than the one-mile minimum spacing for our existing Hubs,” said Bill Moffitt, President of Ayrstone Productivity. “The new HubDuo combines much faster WiFi speed and the ability to work in smaller, more intensive operations like dairies and nurseries, but still having the same long range AyrMesh users expect. It’s ideal for security, professional, and leisure activities in a rural setting.”

    The AyrMesh HubDuo is available now at the Ayrstone store – https://ayrstone.com.

    Learn more in this interview with Moffitt.
    Ayrstone president Bill Moffitt 2:21

    AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Internet, Precision Agriculture

    Animal Ag News 8/26

    Carrie Muehling

  • The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) will begin accepting nominations for the fourth Cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders. Nominations are due November 17. The 16-month leadership program blends in-person and virtual working sessions to focus on four areas of development: critical thinking, leadership development, connecting and relating skills, and operational excellence. Members of the program work together on applied-learning, small-group capstone projects, which will incorporate topics of interest in animal agriculture.
  • A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has once again confirmed the value of livestock grazing as a tool to protect western rangelands from devastating wildfire. The Public Lands Council (PLC), which represents ranchers who hold federal grazing permits, hailed this research as more proof of the important role livestock grazing plays in protecting our natural resources.
  • The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) hosted the 3rd 2024 triannual trilateral meeting with its North American counterparts, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas (CNOG) on the sidelines of the Canadian Beef Industry Conference this week. The trilateral meeting gives an opportunity for leadership to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing beef producers across Canada, United States and Mexico. Topics at this year’s trilateral focused on trade policy, the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC) in 2026 and international engagement on antimicrobial resistance.
  • The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) worked with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and other stakeholders to develop movement decision criteria guidance addressing unique scenarios that would arise for federal lands grazers in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. A 5-minute video describes the project and resources and can be viewed on the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply (SSWS) and Secure Beef Supply (SBS) websites under the Public Land Grazing pages. This has resulted from a multi-year cooperative project funded by a grant from the USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP).
  • Registration is now open for CattleCon 2025, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 4-6. This annual event is “where the beef industry meets” to conduct business, attend educational sessions, experience engaging speakers and enjoy family fun.
  • Coined “the father of instrument grading,” Glen Dolezal has left an indelible mark on the meat science industry and beef community as a whole. For his contributions and industry leadership, Dolezal was honored with the 2024 Industry Achievement Award at Certified Angus Beef’s Feeding Quality Forum.
  • Grande Cheese Company, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of fine Italian Cheeses and specialty whey and lactose products, announced a new partnership with the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program. Collaborating with these leading agricultural entities brings a farmer-led approach to environmental sustainability that generates industry data, information and on-farm best practice recommendations.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative announced two new additions to its sustainability team. The new team members will support Edge’s Climate-Smart project in partnership with Farmers for Sustainable Food. Kris Betts has joined the organization as the senior contract officer. Marti Viste will assist farmers with enrollment through data collection and analysis.
  • The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is excited to announce that registration for Dairy Forum 2025 is now open. More than 1,000 leaders from the world’s leading dairy companies will convene in San Antonio, Texas in January 2025 to do business, exchange ideas, drive innovation, and cultivate meaningful connections. For 40 years, dairy executives have convened each winter at Dairy Forum to push the limits of innovation, collaboration, and excellence to chart a course toward LIMITLESS success for the industry. Dairy Forum is the industry’s most anticipated conference of the year.
  • Halter’s virtual fencing technology is now available to U.S. ranchers and dairy farmers. From its origins in New Zealand, Halter has become the world’s leading virtual fence company in revenue and volume of collars sold and is positioned to deliver its technology to the U.S. market.
  • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) unveiled a new Strategic Investment Program, “Young Pork Advocates,” for young individuals ages 18-22. This initiative expands on NPPC’s Strategic Investment Program and aims to empower young advocates within the pork industry.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites