FMC Updates from 2018 Ag Media Summit

Ag Media Summit, AgWired Precision, Audio, Crop Protection, FMC

FMC is one of the many companies and organizations that provide support for the Ag Media Summit making it more affordable for everyone to attend. They also participate in the Info Expo to meet with editors and share their latest news.

FMC regional technical manager Gail Stratman (pictured left) was on hand to talk about fall weed control and the solutions that FMC offers for growers. “As we get toward the end of the 2018 growing season, it’s imperative for growers to take stock of where their weed issues were this year,” said Stratman. “Products like Panoflex® and Crusher® provide very good winter annual weed control in the fall and some residual control in the spring.”

Listen to my interview with Gail here: Interview with Gail Stratman, FMC, on fall weed control

Brent Jacobson, FMC product development manager, provided an update on Lucento fungicide for corn, soybeans, peanuts, and sugar beets. “We are expecting registration third quarter of this year so we’ll be launching it next year,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson adds that FMC has a strong pipeline of new active ingredients that are being developed that they are very excited about. Learn more in this interview. Interview with Brent Jacobson, FMC, on Lucento fungicide

2018 Ag Media Summit photo album

Content creation at Ag Media Summit is sponsored by
Coverage of the Ag Media Summit is sponsored by FMC

Stoneville Cotton Varieties Shine at Field Day

AgWired Precision, Cotton

Stoneville showcased a number of cotton varieties at the recent Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day. Chuck spoke with Rachel Walters, Stoneville cotton marketing manager, about a few of the standouts.

ST 6182GLT showed strong performance in land-grant university on-farm trials in 2017. On dryland or under irrigation, ST 6182GLT delivers the opportunity for excellent yield and good fiber quality in varied soil types.

“This is our highest yielding variety that we had in Georgia trials last year, so a lot of excitement around the state of Georgia with this variety as we’ve started the season off. It’s looking really great,” said Walters. “This is an excellent performance variety across many situations.”

Interview with Rachel Walters, Stoneville 6182GLT

ST 5818GLT was specifically released due to its performance under dryland conditions in the Southeast. It is a new variety that is quick to produce a stand with its early-season emergence vigor, has a growth pattern that is easy to manage and produces a good size stalk for superior standability. With a strong fiber package, a smooth leaf and excellent yield potential, ST 5818GLT is a perfect fit for the SE production system.

“If you’re looking for excellent yield potential, exception yield quality, you’ll get that from this variety,” said Walters.

Interview with Rachel Walters, Stoneville 5818GLT

Walters said another new variety in 2018 is ST 5471GLTP, which offers resistance to bacterial blight and very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt ensures this smooth-leaf variety starts strong and stays strong all season. ST 5471GLTP consistently delivers on its excellent yield potential and fiber quality package, regardless of the environment.

Interview with Rachel Walters, Stoneville 5471GLTP

She said ST 5122GLT also delivers outstanding yield potential and fiber quality. This smooth leaf variety fits the early- to mid-maturity spot on the farm and offers very good tolerance to Verticilliumwilt.

Interview with Rachel Walters, Stoneville 5122GLT

Walters also highlighted ST 4848GLT, which comes out of the ground strong, whether planted to dryland fields or under irrigation. This variety follows through on that seedling vigor with exceptional yield potential, high gin turnout and very good fiber quality. With moderately aggressive growth habits, ST 4848GLT is easy to manage.

2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day Photo Album

Precision Ag Bytes 8/1

AgWired Precision, NCGA, Precision Agriculture

  • BRANDT’s proprietary foliar nutrients have helped another grower win a soybean yield challenge. Brazilian grower, Estanislau Bassan, has won Brazil’s National Soybean Productivity Challenge in the non-irrigated category using BRANDT foliar products.
  • Actagro LLC and Anagra, a Mitsui majority owned company, have signed a Distribution and Development Agreement to promote and expand Actagro’s product portfolio in Chile and Peru. The partnership strengthens Actagro’s growing footprint, bringing the company’s innovative plant and soil health solutions to a region heavily focused on high-production agriculture.
  • Aeris, a technology leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), is collaborating with Ranch Systems of Novato, CA to help farmers and businesses improve their sustainable water management, food production and environmental monitoring.
  • A unique high-performance herbicide with three modes of action that provides all-in-one weed control is now available to wheat growers. Arysta LifeScience announces the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted registration for BATALIUM™ Herbicide for use in spring, durum and winter wheat.
  • The Coalition for Responsible Gene Editing in Agriculture has established a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee to develop a framework for the responsible use of gene editing in agriculture. The steering committee, representing diverse stakeholder interests, met July 26 in Washington, D.C. to begin the development process.
  • A statewide effort to identify and map six types of conservation practices (terraces, ponds, grassed waterways, water and sediment control basins, contour strip cropping and contour buffer strips/prairie strips) has been completed in Iowa and provides the most comprehensive inventory of conservation practices in the nation. Maps and additional information about the project can be found at https://www.gis.iastate.edu/gisf/projects/conservation-practices.
  • If you have a farmer friend, neighbor or family member who epitomizes the title “Good Steward” then please take a minute to consider nominating them for the National Corn Growers Association’s Good Steward Recognition Program before the 5 p.m. CDT, Aug. 6, 2018 deadline.

Fighting Worms in Cotton

AgWired Precision, Cotton

Cotton growers attending the Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day learned about a number of choices when it comes to worm control.

Growers looking for two- or three-gene traits with high efficacy coupled with proven performance have a wide choice in the Stoneville lineup. TwinLink® is a two-gene Bt trait and TwinLink Plus is a three-gene Bt trait. Both show positive results in third-party trials across the Cotton Belt. TwinLink Plus offers three Bt proteins (Cry1Ab, Cry2Ae and Vip3Aa19) for greater technology durability and improved insect resistance management. It provides improved control over cotton bollworm and armyworms, including fall armyworm, compared to two-gene Bt technologies. Additional proteins in the traits increase the level of control and extend the durability of the trait by improving resistance management. Trials show improved control over cotton bollworm and armyworms, including fall armyworm, compared to two-gene Bt technologies.

“When we brought in TwinLink Plus, that was to really give the grower another alternative to worm control,” said Rachel Walters, Stoneville cotton marketing manager.

TwinLink Plus and TwinLink are packaged with GlyTol® and LibertyLink® traits, in the GLTP and GLT trait packages. Walters encouraged growers using these varieties to continue scouting fields to ensure worm populations are staying below the economic threshold.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Rachel here: Interview with Rachel Walters, Stoneville

2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day Photo Album

Stoneville Varieties Presentation at Sunbelt Field Day

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Cotton, Sunbelt Ag Expo, Video

Debbie Brown, Stoneville representative in the Eastern Region, gave a presentation to tour participants during the Field Day at Sunbelt Ag Expo. Her focus was on the top four varieties for the Georgia area.

Debbie points to Stoneville 5517GLTP, 5471GLTP, 5818GLT and 6182GLT as those varieties that will provide cotton growers with the best results. You can find more information about them online.

You can listen to the presentation here: Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day Stoneville Presentation

2018 Milan No-Till Field Day Photo Album

Credenz Presentation at Milan No-Till Field Day

AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Conservation, Soybean, Video

Lucas Owen, Regional Agronomist, with Stoneville and Credenz products, presented a look ahead to 2019 for soybean growers and talked about the best performing varieties and new ones being launched this year.

He says that Credenz 3841 has been performing well in the Mid-South as well as 4748 LL. New this year are Credenz 4918 LL and 4938 LL. He says growers are being urged to move to the newer varieties which will perform even better than those they’ve been using in the past.

You can listen to the presentation here: Milan Field Day Credenz Presentation

2018 Milan No-Till Field Day Photo Album

ASTA Responds to EU Ruling on Gene Editing

AgWired Precision, ASTA, International, Plant Breeding, seed

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 Seed Trade Association (ASTA), which advocates for the new plant breeding technology, says the decision “sets a dangerous precedent that could impede global trade and stifle innovation for the future.”

“The ECJ’s decision is based solely on the plant breeding method, without taking into account whether the end-product could have been achieved through more traditional means. Even very small improvements made to a plant would be subject to burdensome regulation under the court’s definition. This would be a huge blow to the continuing evolution of plant breeding innovation and the tremendous promise it holds for a more sustainable and secure global food production system.”

AMVAC THIMET Helps Fight Tomato Spotted Wilt

AgWired Precision, AMVAC, Peanuts, SPGC

AMVAC insecticide THIMET is a tried and true organophosphate for the control of sucking pests, mites and other major insects in a wide variety of crops, including peanuts.

AMVAC technical service rep Wen Carter says THIMET also helps protect against tomato spotted wilt virus. “Over the past 4-5 years we’ve seen an increase in incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus in peanut production…even with resistant varieties,” said Carter.

AMVAC was a sponsor of the 20th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference last week.

SPGC18 interview with Wen Carter, AMVAC

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Southern Peanut Growers Conference Blog

Precision Ag Bytes 7/25

AgWired Precision, ASTA, Precision Ag Bytes

  • Conference registration and hotel block reservations for the American Seed Trade Association‘s CSS 2018 & Seed Expo are opening August 1. Make plans to attend America’s largest seed industry convention December 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For more information, click here.
  • Registration is open for the Conference on Connection Between Soil Health and Human Health, scheduled for Oct. 16-17 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The conference is limited to 200 attendees. Registration is open until filled, or until October 6, whichever comes first. A registration fee of $250 will increase to $300 on September 14, 2018. Click here to register.
  • Balchem Corporation recently announced the addition of three new team members and five promotions within the Animal Nutrition and Health segment. Stephanie Cocchiara joins Balchem as Marketing Specialist. Greta Stridsberg joins as a Regional Sales Specialist, covering Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Jon Rentschler now serves as Balchem’s Regional Sales Specialist, covering Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Southwest Kansas. Eileen Frangione is promoted to Regional Sales Specialist. Job van Gunsteren is now the Director of EMEA Region and Animal Nutrition and Health Global Strategy. Luke Lines fills the role of Regional Development Manager, East. Dr. Jeff Elliott expands his position at Balchem and now serves as Technical Service Specialist, Strategic Accounts. Fred Sciulli is promoted to Global Business Manager, Minerals and will focus on identifying market needs and developing the minerals portfolios to address those challenges.

USDA Announces Trade Disruption Relief for Farmers

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, trade, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take several actions to assist farmers negatively impacted by recent trade actions.

President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. Specifically, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the estimated $11 billion impact of the unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods. These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets.

Secretary Perdue held a press conference with USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson to announce the aid.

USDA announces trade disruption relief for farmers