Genetic Yield Tech Part Of Deltapine Class Of 15

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Cotton, Monsanto

deltapineA new root-knot nematode-resistant variety and a full-season variety named after a legendary performer, both offering yield potential better than existing commercial lines, join the Deltapine® Class of 15 as the brand celebrates 100 years of breeding innovations.

Monsanto also presented what is expected to be the next big innovation in cotton – the first triple-stacked herbicide trait technology to be in five Deltapine varieties, pending regulatory approvals. The announcements were made at the Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) Summit in Nashville, Tenn., where some 140 farmers gathered for briefings on important topics related to cotton production.

The Deltapine NPE program has resulted in commercialization of many of the top-planted cotton varieties across the Belt. Only variety candidates that are proven by NPE farmers to have better yield, quality and performance than current commercial offerings will be commercialized.

“Since 1915, when the breeding program for Deltapine was initiated, the most important, production-improving innovations in cotton have come in Deltapine varieties,” said Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton products manager at Monsanto. “In 2015, Deltapine will celebrate its 100th anniversary as a leading cotton brand for farmers in the United States, one that has changed the face of U.S. cotton for the better. The Class of 15 represents how far we’ve come in terms of genetic advancements and fulfilling our commitment to the success of cotton farmers and the industry.”

Biotech Advocate at ASTA CSS

Cindy ZimmermanASTA, Audio, biotechnology

asta-css-14-foltaHearing food and health “celebrities” spread misinformation about agriculture really annoys plant molecular and cellular biology professor Dr. Kevin Folta, who spoke at the CSS 2014 and Seed Expo this week in Chicago.

Folta, who has a blog where he calls himself “a scientist in a scientifically illiterate nation at a time when we need science the most,” took the Food Babe to task on social media after she made an appearance on his home turf at the University of Florida. “She misinformed our students, said stuff that was just not true, she made chemistry and safe food additives look bad,” he said. “It was a promotion for her and really an unfortunate one because I really believe her heart’s in the right place but she gave our students bad information – and not on my watch.”

Folta was prepared to challenge her at the forum where she spoke, but since she did not take questions as expected, he did a blog post to refute her and he stresses the importance of food being a social debate. “Dr. Oz has an audience of five million people every day, I have an audience of a dozen,” he said. “We have to amplify our message by getting more of us involved.”

[wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-kevin.MP3″ text=”Interview with Kevin Folta, University of Florida professor”]


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

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Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

Research on Corn Yield Needs

John DavisCorn, Research

kstatecornResearchers from Kansas State and Purdue universities say that it takes more than just high nitrogen uptake levels for corn to hit its maximum yield potential. This news release from Kansas State says the work found that nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus uptake needs to be in the proper ratio.

This is one of the main findings of a comprehensive review of corn research in the United States and worldwide over the past 100 years by cropping systems specialists, Ignacio Ciampitti of Kansas State University, and Tony Vyn of Purdue University.

“The highest corn yields, if there are no other limiting factors, are when nitrogen and potassium uptake is in a 1-to-1 ratio and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake is in a 5-to-1 ratio,” Ciampitti said. “Having the right nutrient balance within the plants is more important to increasing yields than just applying extra nitrogen.”

Those nutrient uptake ratios are measured in aboveground portions of the corn plant soon after physiological maturity is reached, he added. The ratios will be different at other stages of growth.

Corn takes up a higher percentage of its potassium (K) earlier in its life than nitrogen (N). By the flowering stage of development, corn has absorbed about 80 to 90 percent of its total seasonal K amount, but only 50 to 60 percent of its total seasonal N uptake, Ciampitti said.

As a result, as the season progresses, the N:K ratio in the plant gradually gets larger. At maturity, high-yielding corn has a ratio of about 1-to-1.

The research also found that the nitrogen:phosphorus (P) ratio was also an important factor to consider, as is an integrated approach to improving corn yields.

Koch Aquires Mendel Biologicals Business

Cindy ZimmermanAgribusiness, agronomy, biologicals

kochA subsidiary of Koch Agronomic Services (KAS) has purchased the biological research and development business of Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.

“As global population increases so does food demand, and growers are challenged to produce more crops to meet the need,” said Bill Boycott, KAS vice president of biologicals. “The Mendel team has expertise in understanding how plant processes, such as photosynthesis, stress tolerance and nutrient use efficiency, impact crop yields. By integrating Mendel’s research expertise with our commercialization capabilities, we will offer customers a new line of naturally derived products.”

mendelMendel’s biological research and development team focuses on biological crop solutions which increase crop yield potential through the use of naturally derived products. The acquisition establishes a new biological platform for KAS, furthering its commitment to develop innovative technologies that satisfy evolving needs of the agricultural industry. The business will operate as Mendel Biological Solutions and will continue to be based in Hayward, Calif.

Cotton Council to Hold STAX/Farm Bill Webinars

John DavisAgribusiness, Cotton, Farm Bill, webinar

cottoncouncil1Cotton growers will get some more information on insurance rates , county yields and information regarding farm programs, when the National Cotton Council (NCC) holds some webinars. This NCC news release says one set of webinars are set for Wednesday, December 17 – one designed for the Southeast region from 9-11 a.m. CST (10 a.m.-noon EST) and one for the Mid-South region from 2-4 p.m. CST. Another two webinars are scheduled for Thursday, December 18 from 9-11 a.m. CST for the Southwest region and noon-2 p.m. MST (11 a.m.-1 p.m. PST) for the Western region.

NCC President/CEO Mark Lange said cotton producers, other cotton industry members and agribusiness personnel unable to attend any of the NCC’s 25 workshops that were just completed across the Cotton Belt or those who want additional information are encouraged to participate in one of the webinar sessions.

To participate in the webinars, call the conference number (800-377-8846) and enter the participant code (55634947#) on your phone in order to receive the webinar audio. To view the webinar slides, login at https://cotton.adobeconnect.com/stax/. Once at the web address, the default option is to enter as a guest. Type your name into the box and select the button “Enter Room.” If you have any questions, contact the NCC at 901-274-9030.

UC Davis Holds Seed Business 101 Course at CSS

Cindy ZimmermanASTA, Education, seed

asta-css-ucdavisThe UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center completed another successful session of the Seed Business 101 course focused on field crops in conjunction with the American Seed Trade Association CSS 2014 and Seed Expo in Chicago last week.

Seed Business 101 is a one week course designed to expose participants to the five functional areas of a seed company (R&D, production, operations, sales and marketing and administration). By creating a virtual seed company and case studies for each functional area, the course content is delivered in a very interactive way. During each of the 4 case studies, participants assume a different functional responsibility within the company. The course gives employees that are new to the seed industry a broad understanding of the major aspects of a seed company’s operations and cross-departmental knowledge of best practices for profitability.


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

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Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

Bayer CropScience has EPA Approval for ILeVO®

Leah GuffeyASTA, Audio, Bayer CropScience, Soybeans

asta-css-bayer-ilevoBayer CropScience announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved its application for the registration of ILeVO®, the only seed treatment that protects the root system against infections caused by the Sudden Death Syndrome fungus and has activity against dangerous nematodes in the seed zone.

Business to business strategy manager of seed growth, John Carlson says, “This is a big deal not only for Bayer but for soybean growers across the midwest. We are about ready to give them an option that they have been looking for for about forty years.”

Soybean growers across the country are constantly looking for ways to protect their crops from the fungus that causes Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and nematodes, specifically the Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) – two of the top five soybean yield robbing pests. In 2014 environmental conditions were such that growers experienced higher than normal pressure from SDS. Until now, there was no seed treatment available to protect soybean plants against both SDS and nematodes.

You can hear my interview with John Carlson here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-bayer-carlson.mp3″ text=”Interview with John Carlson, Bayer Crop Science”]


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by
Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products

Trimble Obtains Exemption to Operate UAS

Jamie JohansenAerial Imagery, Agribusiness, Trimble, UAS, UAV

trimbleTrimble announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted an exemption that will allow the company to conduct commercial operation of its Trimble® UX5 Aerial Imaging Solution in the U.S. The exemption was granted pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which authorizes the FAA to grant exemptions from FAA rules limiting commercial operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pending the adoption of permanent rules. Section 333 exemptions are intended to “provide a pathway for civil operators who desire safe and legal entry”1 into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS).

The Trimble UX5 is an unmanned fixed-wing aircraft targeted at the surveying, agriculture, oil & gas, mining, construction, environmental industries. The system autonomously captures a series of high-resolution images during flight, which is typically up to 50 minutes covering as much as 2.3 square kilometers (approximately 1 square mile) when flying 120 meters (approximately 400 feet) above the ground. Using Trimble Business Center Aerial Photogrammetry software, images are used to easily generate 2D and 3D deliverables such as orthomosaic images, three-dimensional point clouds and contour maps. The Trimble UX5 enables the collection of large amounts of data, often faster than traditional surveying or mapping technologies.

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DuPont Pioneer Releases New Corn Hybrids for 2015

John DavisAgribusiness, Corn, Dupont Pioneer

dupontpioneerCorn growers will have some more choices as DuPont Pioneer has released some new corn hybrids for 2015. This company news release says these locally advanced and tested products are designed to deliver yield consistency and help improve grower profitability in the coming season.

“A grower’s seed decision is central to achieving whole-farm profitability,” said Ryan French, DuPont Pioneer senior corn marketing manager. “Our sales representatives and local field staff are committed to working closely with growers to build a seed plan that brings together the right combination of genetics and traits to complement their management practices and overall operational goals.”

The 2015 line-up includes 48 new corn products ranging from 70 to 121 comparative relative maturity (CRM) and features 27 new genetic platforms with high-performing trait packages that have been locally tested to meet growers’ agronomic, environmental and management challenges. Pioneer conducted more than 1,300 corn IMPACT™ trials (Intensively Managed Product Advancement, Characterization and Testing) in 2014 to determine the right fit for new products in the pipeline across a wide range of geographies and growing conditions.

Extensive product and agronomic knowledge gained through the Pioneer® GrowingPoint® agronomy on-farm trials also helps growers improve production practices and increase yields. Trials take place across the country and examine both products and practices in a wide variety of growing conditions to help growers identify local solutions to the toughest agronomic and management practices they face.

Pioneer officials are also touting their Encirca services that gives producers important information, such as enhanced market and news services, field-by-field weather and a nitrogen management service to drive efficiency, productivity and profitability. In addition, select Pioneer brand corn products in the United States will feature DuPont Lumivia insecticide seed treatment in 2015 as part of the Pioneer Premium Seed Treatment (PPST) program.

ASTA Looking Forward to Happy New Year

Cindy ZimmermanASTA, Audio, BASF, seed

asta-css-14-chairsThe chairman and first vice chair of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) are pleased with this year’s turnout at CSS 2014 and Seed Expo and with the direction of the organization.

ASTA chair John Schoenecker with HM. Clause of California says the program is exceptionally good this year. “Everything from bee health to cover crops, the international treaty for plant genetic resources, improving consistency, and much more,” he said.

Schoenecker is very excited about the new consumer research announced this week and the planned communications outreach. “Our membership and board decided to commit significant resources over the next three years to better understand and help educate the consumer about the impact of seed on their life,” he said. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-john.mp3″ text=”Interview with ASTA chair John Schoenecker, HM. Clause”]

As the first vice chair, Risa DeMasi of Grassland Oregon will be taking over as ASTA chairman next summer, so implementing the communications outreach to consumers will fall under her leadership. “I’m excited about it,” said Risa. “We have a great story to tell because if you think about it, everything around you comes from a seed.”

Risa is also pleased with the attendance at the CSS-Seed Expo this year and a larger media presence with a new media room sponsored by BASF. [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/asta/asta-css-14-risa.mp3″ text=”Interview with ASTA 1st vice chair Risa DeMasi, Grassland Oregon”]


2014 ASTA CSS & Seed Expo photo album

Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by
Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by the American Seed Trade Association and Coverage of CSS 2014 and Seed Expo brought to you by BASF Ag Products