Victrato® Registration Expected This Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Syngenta’s Dale Ireland and Katie Jaeger

Registration is expected in 2025 for Syngenta’s new seed treatment for soybeans and cotton called Victrato®.

“This will be the first product that’s federally labeled for Red Crown Rot as a seed treatment,” said Seedcare Technical Product Lead Dale Ireland at last week’s Commodity Classic. “This will set a new level of protection against early season foliar diseases as well as sudden death syndrome, so it’s really an exciting innovation and it’s going to set a new new standard.”

Katie Jaeger, Seedcare Product Lead, says registration this year means a full commercial launch in 2026 at the latest. “We’re preparing for a 2025 launch of the product, registration-dependent,” says Jaeger. “Worst case scenario, we’ll have it for 2026, but at this time we’re still preparing to have it in the market in the 2025 season.”

Learn more in these interviews from Classic.

Dale Ireland, Seedcare Technical Product Lead, Syngenta
Classic 25 - Dale Ireland, Syngenta Seedcare 3:49

Katie Jaeger, Seedcare Product Lead, Syngenta
Classic 25 - Katie Jaeger, Syngenta Seedcare 3:16

2025 Commodity Classic Photo Album

AgWired Precision, Audio, Commodity Classic, Cotton, Soybean, Syngenta

Industry Ag News 3/7

Carrie Muehling

  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins praised President Donald J. Trump’s action to make adjustments to tariffs imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico that fall under his historic United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in addition to a reduction of tariffs on potash, a key ingredient in fertilizers that farmers depend on.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation and Alabama Farmers Federation presented Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) with the Outstanding New Member of Congress Award. This award recognizes a member of Congress who is in, or has recently completed, their first term and has already proven to be a reliable partner for agriculture.
  • A letter signed by nearly 9,000 corn growers and advocates from 47 states was sent to House and Senate leadership calling for action to remove an obsolete federal policy that prevents the sale of fuel with 15 percent ethanol blends, often referred to as E15, during the summer months.
  • Building upon the stewardship of forefathers who were ahead of their time, Benjamin and Shannon Ellis have crafted a conservation legacy amid farming in the environmentally sensitive and highly regulated Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The American Soybean Association presented the Ellises with the 2025 National Conservation Legacy Award during the annual ASA Awards Celebration event at Commodity Classic in Denver.
  • CNH announces a key leadership transition in its Human Resources function. Effective May 1, 2025, Francesco Tutino will assume the role of Chief Human Resources Officer, joining the Company’s Global Leadership Team. His future base will be at the Company’s North American headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, USA.
  • Farm Journal has expanded its reach to serve audiences with the launch of Farm Journal TV, a video streaming service dedicated to agriculture. Farm Journal TV debuted at Commodity Classic in Denver, giving attendees a firsthand look at what the service offers.
  • National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members passed an action item at NASDA’s Winter Policy Conference supporting the United Nations’ resolution declaring 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
  • The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will recognize Greg Krissek, CEO Emeritus of Kansas Corn, and Don Nikodim, the retired Executive Vice President of the Missouri Pork Association (MPA) with the Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence.
  • Kevin Kuper, an experienced executive leader with 25 years of experience in the Farm Credit System, has joined Farm Credit Mid-America’s executive leadership team as chief credit officer. Kuper will lead the credit function for the financial cooperative, overseeing sound credit processes and decisions are made across all loan portfolios while mitigating risk, managing credit quality, and adhering to regulatory compliance.
  • After an exceptional 43-year career in the cooperative system, Jeff Troike has announced his retirement which will officially take effect on August 31, 2025. A steadfast advocate for agriculture and a visionary leader in agribusiness, Troike leaves behind a legacy of innovation, servant leadership, and unwavering commitment to farmer-members. Troike’s leadership culminated in the historic 2024 merger of Ceres Solutions and Co-Alliance, forming Keystone Cooperative. In his current role as Executive Vice President, he has continued to influence policy and strategic initiatives to benefit cooperative members and the broader agricultural industry.
  • The National Association of Wheat Growers welcomes Anthony Peña as the new Policy Manager. Anthony brings valuable experience from his nearly three-year tenure as Government Relations Manager at the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.
  • The National Association of Wheat Growers welcomed its new officer team at Commodity Classic 2025 in Denver, CO. These officers will begin their one-year terms, continuing NAWG’s mission to promote the needs of our nation’s wheat growers. Pat Clements of Kentucky will serve as President, Jamie Kress of Idaho will serve as Vice President, Nathan Keane of Montana will serve as Treasurer, and Chris Tanner of Kansas will serve as Secretary. Keeff Felty of Oklahoma will take on the role of Past President.
  • The World Food Prize Foundation announced that Sydney Maras has joined its staff as a Senior Manager I, Communications.
  • March is National Peanut Month, a time to celebrate one of America’s favorite foods! The Georgia peanut industry kicked off the celebration by hosting the 2025 Georgia PB&J Day in Atlanta, Georgia. During the event, the Georgia Peanut Commission and Peanut Proud donated 7,200 jars of peanut butter to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
    • Zimfo Bytes

    BioLumic Launches 1st Commercial Light-Activated Seed Traits

    Cindy Zimmerman

    BioLumic, the world’s only company programming seed traits with light, has launched its first commercial Trait Activation System at Gro Alliance’s seed production facility in Cuba City, Wisconsin. This milestone brings the BioLumic proprietary light-based Genetic Expression Trait (xTrait™) technology to the global seed industry, enabling new opportunities for enhanced crop performance.

    BioLumic’s trait activation system treats inbred corn lines at Gro Alliance’s Seed Production HQ

    With this launch, BioLumic delivers a breakthrough in crop science—introducing a novel, natural approach to trait innovation that is faster, more scalable, and more cost-effective than traditional biotech traits. For the first time, seed companies can integrate light-programmed traits that enhance genetic expression into elite inbreds and hybrids, unlocking a new frontier in crop improvement without the constraints of genetic modification.

    Following third-party field validation and demonstration of trans-generational trait inheritance to hybrid progeny, BioLumic light-activated traits are now being integrated into a broad portfolio of partner inbred corn lines. Multiple seed companies are licensing this novel technology, with commercial hybrid traits anticipated for the 2026 planting season.

    “This launch represents a major step forward for seed companies seeking a new category of traits – traits that enhance natural genetic expression rather than altering the genome,” said Steve Sibulkin, CEO of BioLumic. “We’re delivering an entirely new way to program crop traits and accelerate breeding cycles—traits that are fast, economical, and scalable.”

    Learn more in this interview with Sibulkin.
    Interview with Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic CEO 8:45

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Corn, Precision Agriculture, Soybean, Technology

    A Mile High 2025 Commodity Classic

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Commodity Classic 2025The 2025 Commodity Classic attendance was surprisingly close to a record. The last number I heard on my way home was 11,368 but it could have grown higher on the last day. Last year was a record at 11,530. Some of us were a little concerned about weather but it was mostly very nice. A storm system moved in on Monday afternoon but besides wind and a little rain, the snow went south of us.

    We have a virtual newsroom for Classic on our AgNewsWire website. It has the link to photos I took as well as interviews and other audio like the remarks from our new Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. I want to thank Syngenta once again for making it possible to attend and get some work done! I wish I could have visited with everyone who sent me invites for booth visits or other activities. Once upon a time we could have Cindy, me and several of our freelancers attend and we were able to do much more.

    A very useful tool has been our photo albums that we have in our Flickr account. There are 19 Classics in the collection which you can find here. I’ve been to more shows than that but before we started ZimmComm we were in radio and didn’t have much use for photos. Things have sure changed over the years! And we are very grateful for all the opportunities we have had to assist companies and organization with their communications and marketing efforts over the years.

    Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, Syngenta

    Syngenta Offers Choices for Farmers

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The Commodity Classic trade show saw thousands of farmers visit once again this year to learn what’s new in agriculture, and despite the tough farm economy, Syngenta’s Eric Boeck says the mood was hopeful.

    “While farmers are facing some challenges and there’s very little margin for error for farmers, we realize that and we want to be there side by side with them helping them work through these challenging times,” said Boeck, Regional Director North America Seeds.

    One of the ways Syngenta helps farmers is by giving them choices. “Agriculture has consolidated over a period of time to some major players and what Syngenta does is provides choice in innovation, choice in technology, choice in genetics, choice in crop protection and seed care products for farmers and that choice drives competition,” Boeck said. “And so that’s a key part of our business strategy is to make sure we’re working with regulators and the industry associations to make sure farmers have access to that choice of innovation.”

    Boeck says the Syngenta pipeline is literally stacked with opportunities for farmers, like the two big announcements at Classic – the new Durastak Corn Trait for rootworm protection, and the new active ingredient PLINAZOLIN® technology, that can be used in insecticide products for cotton, vegetables, field corn, and more.

    Classic 25 - Eric Boeck, Syngenta Seeds 5:39

    2025 Commodity Classic Photo Album

    AgWired Precision, Audio, Commodity Classic, Syngenta

    Precision Ag News 3/5

    Carrie Muehling

  • The Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute issued a joint statement regarding the Trump administration’s announcement on tariffs on imports of Canadian goods.
  • American Seed Trade Association President & CEO Andy LaVigne issued a statement on the news of additional tariffs imposed between the United States and its trading partners.
  • Agtools, a leading provider of innovative software solutions for the food industry, announced the launch of its new tariff calculator. This powerful tool enables users to calculate tariffs across all commodities in real time and create scenarios that will impact supply, merchandising, and pricing.
  • The Davidson Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in agricultural engineering, was presented at Commodity Classic 2025, recognizing three groundbreaking innovations that are transforming modern farming. Now in its 8th year, the Davidson Prize—named after J.B. Davidson, the father of modern agricultural engineering—celebrates cutting-edge innovations that are shaping the future of agriculture. This award is a collaboration between ASABE and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers to recognize outstanding achievements in agricultural engineering. The 2025 Davidson Prize winners include:
    Bondioli & Pavesi, Inc. – E.D.I. (Electronic Data Interchange) Driveshaft – This groundbreaking technology improves power transmission efficiency while providing real-time monitoring and diagnostics, ensuring optimal performance in the field.
    PTx Trimble – OutRun – This cutting-edge solution enhances precision agriculture by providing advanced guidance and automation, improving efficiency, reducing operator fatigue, and maximizing yields.
    CNH America – IntelliSense™ Bale Automation & Large Square Baler Automation – This technology revolutionizes hay and forage harvesting by automating key baling functions, ensuring consistent bale quality, reducing operator workload, and optimizing productivity.
  • The National Association of Conservation Districts has released a report about the impacts of recent Executive Orders and funding freezes on America’s locally led conservation delivery system, including conservation districts and the producers and communities they serve. The report was informed by a survey the association distributed to conservation districts last month, which received over 350 responses from across 45 states and territories.
  • Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announced the launch of Yamaha Agriculture, Inc., a new company focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions that help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient in the face of scarcer resources and climate change. Through the strategic acquisitions of Robotics Plus and The Yield, Yamaha Agriculture will provide robotics solutions for spraying, weeding and other field operations, while leveraging advanced data analytics and AI to enable precision farming and data-driven decision making for growers of wine grapes, apples and other specialty crops in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
  • A new industry collaboration announced at Commodity Classic is set to drive large-scale water conservation efforts across the agricultural landscape. The National Sorghum Producers, Ducks Unlimited and Dairy Farmers of America have partnered to create an initiative aimed at improving resource efficiency while ensuring economic viability for producers.
  • Bushel, a leader in digital payments and workflow solutions for agriculture, is expanding its platform with enhanced financial tools for farmers and agribusinesses. Farmers and agribusinesses will gain access to a Bushel business account, offered by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bancorp, Inc.
  • Farmers Edge™ is expanding its laboratory services to the public, offering agribusinesses, retailers and farmers access to high-quality, technology-driven soil and plant tissue testing. With state-of-the-art labs in the U.S. and Canada, Farmers Edge Laboratories has conducted over 7 million soil tests for its proprietary customers—now, retailers and industry professionals can access those same accurate, high-speed, integrated, and insight-driven services to maximize their business offerings. With centralized testing in Des Moines, Iowa, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Farmers Edge Laboratories can quickly and efficiently provide breakdowns of macro and micronutrients, soil chemistry and structure, and organic matter and soil composition. This information enables farmers to reduce input waste, increase crop yield, and maximize return on investment.
  • Traction Ag Inc., a leading farm accounting and operations software solutions provider, announced its new automated billing capabilities with FS. This strategic integration enables seamless synchronization of FS bills directly into Traction Ag’s cloud-based platform, significantly reducing manual data entry and keeping farm records up to date. The integration addresses a critical pain point in farm management by eliminating manual data entry – a time-intensive process that has long challenged agricultural operations. Through this innovative solution, farmers can now automatically import, review and approve FS billing data within their accounting system, saving valuable time.
  • Beck’s is pleased to announce the acquisition of Gro Alliance’s corn seed production facility in Howe, Indiana, and its soybean seed production and corn drying facilities in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. This strategic acquisition reinforces Beck’s commitment to providing high-quality seed and exceptional service to farmers across its growing marketing area. The transaction closed on February 26, 2025.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Trump Says Tariffs May Require Adjustment Period

    Cindy Zimmerman

    In his address to Congress Tuesday, President Donald Trump said farmers may have to “bear with” him when it comes to tariffs on agricultural products, but he promises it will be worth it.

    “A new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer. I love the farmer. We’ll now be selling it to our home market in the U.S.A., because nobody is going to be able to compete with you,” said Trump, doubling down on a Truth Social post he made March 3 telling farmers to “have fun” selling products inside the United States.

    The president did admit it might take time to adjust. “The tariffs will go on agricultural product coming into America and our farmers starting on April 2nd, it may be a little bit of an adjustment period, we had that before when I made the deal with China, $50 billion of purchases and I said, just bear with me. And they did, they did. You really have to bear with me again and this will be even better,” said Trump. “So to our farmers, have a lot of fun. I love you, too.”

    Trump to farmers in address to Congress 1:23

    Audio, Exports, Farming, Trade

    AEM Gives Ag Market Update at #Classic15

    Cindy Zimmerman

    The agricultural equipment market is facing the same challenges the overall ag economy and a lot of it has to do with uncertainty, according to Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Senior Vice President Curt Blades.

    “That uncertainty is leading to people feeling a little bit uncomfortable about making capital equipment purchases, so until we get rid of that uncertainty, that’s just sort of the market we are at,” said Blades.

    The uncertainty includes the impact of the new administration’s tariff policy. Kip Eideberg with AEM’s Government Relations office addressed the issue of the 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada that were just implemented. “Tariffs are taxes on American companies, on American farmers, on American workers. They will drive up the cost of making equipment in the United States, they will make us less competitive in the global marketplace, and they are inflationary,” said Eideberg. “Canada is our largest market, so we are very concerned.”

    Eideberg said AEM is preparing a report on the impact of tariffs on the industry to be released later this month.

    Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) press conference – supply and demand, impact of tariff policy
    Curt Blades, Senior Vice President of Industry Sectors & Product Leadership; Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice President, Government & Industry Relations & Communications
    AEM press conference 15:22

    2025 Commodity Classic Photo Album

    AEM, Agribusiness, Audio, Commodity Classic, Equipment, Exports

    New Durastak Corn Trait Stack Approved by EPA

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Syngenta’s latest innovative corn trait stack for corn rootworm protection, Durastak™, has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and will be available in hybrids from both the Golden Harvest® and NK® brands, and through independent seed companies for the 2027 season.

    Drew Showalter, Head of Corn Portfolio Strategy for Syngenta, is at Commodity Classic this week to talk about this new development. “The new Durastak trait stack is going to deliver more rootworm protection, more roots, and what farmers care about most, more yield potential over our current offer, which is great for farmers that are battling a really, really tough pest that’s constantly evolving,” said Showalter. “We’ve added rootworm protection, we’ve added a mode of action to our stack, and yet we’ve reduced the complexity.”

    The new Durastak trait stack helps control damaging above- and below-ground pests with alternative modes of action for farmers to provide them a tool to delay insect resistance for long-term corn rootworm management. Durastak will also be delivered to the market in combination with Viptera® trait technology, the most effective above-ground insect control in the industry.

    Learn more in this interview from Commodity Classic.
    Classic 25 - Drew Showalter, Syngenta Corn Portfolio 6:04

    2025 Commodity Classic Photo Album

    Audio, Commodity Classic, Corn, Syngenta

    Syngenta Seeking Registration for New Active Ingredient

    Cindy Zimmerman

    Syngenta is seeking registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a new active ingredient, isocycloseram, to be trademarked as PLINAZOLIN® technology, that can be used in insecticide products for cotton, vegetables, field corn, tree fruit crops, cereals and more.

    Syngenta Technical Product Lead Kevin Langdon, Ph.D. talked about the new technology at Commodity Classic this week. “We’ll have four different crop protection brands and a seedcare brand as well,” said Landgdon. “One of the crop protection brands will play in the corn soil space targeting corn rootworm and the other three brands will be foliar-applied.”

    The brand names include Opello™ and Equento®.

    Equento®: an insecticide seed treatment intended for use in cereals and pulses that will manage wireworms and other early-season, below-ground pests and will offer compatibility with other seed treatments.
    Cereals ― White grub, wireworm
    Pulses ― Wireworm, suppression of seed corn maggot
    Opello™: a liquid, at-planting, soil-applied insecticide intended for use in field corn that will provide control of corn rootworm and other below-ground pests in a formulation designed to offer tank mix compatibility with starter fertilizers.
    Corn ― Corn rootworm, wireworm, white grub

    Langdon says the registration target is late 2025 for the 2026 crop.

    Learn more in this interview from Classic.
    Classic 25 - Kevin Langdon, Syngenta Technical Product Lead 2:05

    2025 Commodity Classic Photo Album

    Audio, Commodity Classic, Corn, Crop Protection, Insecticides, Syngenta