A new feature this year at the ASTA CSS & Seed Expo was a Seed Treatment Education Tour in the expo. Groups of attendees visited ten different booths in rotation where they heard a ten minute presentation from each company. I caught one of the groups in the Bayer booth. Doing the presentation is Greg Ginisty, SeedGrowth Product Manager. You … Read More
BASF Launches Vault® IP Plus and Obvius® Plus
BASF has expanded its soybean seed treatment portfolio with the launch of Vault® IP Plus seed treatment and Obvius® Plus fungicide seed treatment, recently registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both products will be commercially available in September 2019. I spoke with BASF’s Justin Clark to learn more about these products. With the launch of Vault IP Plus seed … Read More
Major Seed Companies after the Mergers
The past two years have seen major changes in the agricultural seed industry and some of the traditional companies have different names and different players. That’s why the “Majors after the Mergers” panel was a big hit at the ASTA 2018 CSS and Seed Expo this week. Dan Basse, Ag Resource, moderated the panel which consisted of Jim Collins, Corteva; … Read More
ASTA Talks Seed and Trade at #NAFB18
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) team attended the NAFB Trade Talk last week and discussed what their name is all about – seed and trade. ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne says trade is critical for the seed industry and acceptance of new plant breeding methods is important on a global scale, so the recent signing of the International Statement on … Read More
#Harvest18 Reminders from ASTA
As #Harvest18 gets into full swing, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) reminds farmers about the importance of taking precautions to keep any treated seed from entering the grain supply. “Seed treatments provide farmers with an economical means of protecting seeds and seedlings against early-season insect pests and diseases—resulting in stronger and more uniform stands, healthier plants and higher crop … Read More
ILeVO Seed Treatment in BASF Portfolio
One of the new products to join the BASF portfolio is ILeVO® seed treatment which offers effective protection against sudden death syndrome (SDS) and soybean cyst nematode (SCN), two of the top pests in soybean production. On hand at the Farm Progress Show to talk about ILeVO was Jeremiah Mullock, BASF Product Development Manager, so he sat down with Chuck … Read More
Bayer Fluency Agency Advanced for Sustainability
Bayer Fluency Agent Advanced, which was introduced in 2017, helped more farmers plant more sustainably this year than ever before. Bayer developed Fluency Agent Advanced to replace standard seed lubricants made of talc, graphite or a talc-graphite blend for corn and soybean seeds. In addition to improving planter performance, Fluency Agent Advanced helps reduce the amount of total dust released … Read More
ASTA Requests Seed Exemption on Chinese Tariffs List
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is requesting that seeds for sowing be exempted from the proposed list of supplemental retaliatory tariffs on China. “While we support the administration’s push for stronger intellectual property protection and enforcement globally, at the end of the day, the majority of these proposed tariffs will be levied on seeds owned by small and medium … Read More
ASTA Outlines Seed Industry Priorities for Farm Bill
The 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee is holding its first public meeting today in Washington and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has notified committee members of key provisions important to the seed industry within the legislation. In a recent letter to Conferees, ASTA highlighted priorities within the Conservation, Trade, Research, Horticulture and Crop Insurance titles. ASTA CEO Andy LaVigne … Read More
ASTA Responds to EU Ruling on Gene Editing
The European Union Court of Justice ruled this week that gene edited crops should be treated the same genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The court ruled that “organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs within the meaning of the GMO Directive,” however it does not apply to gene-editing techniques which “have conventionally been used and have a long safety record.” The American … Read More