Monsanto Company and Corteva Agriscience
, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, announced the companies have reached an agreement on an expanded license for Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® technology for soybeans. Through this non-exclusive, royalty bearing license, Corteva Agriscience will offer U.S. and Canadian growers additional weed control flexibility through broader access to Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® technology across its North America seed brand portfolio. Specifically, the technology can be incorporated into the Mycogen® and Dairyland Seed® brands in the U.S. and the Brevant seed brand in Canada.- CommoditAg.com, an e-commerce platform for growers, further expands its network with the addition of six Liqui-Grow warehouse locations in Northern Illinois and Iowa.
- The challenges and opportunities of gene editing will be the focus of the Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Register HERE if you plan to attend the Forum in person at the National Press Club. Register HERE for the free, live audiocast. Audiocasting is made possible by a grant from Farm Credit.
- Anthem® MAXX and Authority® Elite herbicides from FMC have just been added to the Engenia® herbicide website page as approved tank-mix partners. This is the final step required to allow Anthem MAXX and Authority Elite herbicides as tank mixes with Engenia herbicide when used on Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans.
- New decision agriculture solutions will be available to growers around the world under a strategic alliance announced by Farmers Edge and Nufarm Limited. Under the alliance, Nufarm channel partners in Australia, will be able to distribute the Farmers Edge suite of precision digital solutions, including daily satellite imagery from the most comprehensive farm and risk management platform available – FarmCommand.
AMVAC Purchases Bayer Bromacil Business
AMVAC Chemical Corporation recently announced the purchase of the Bromacil herbicide business in the United States and Canada from Bayer Crop Science. The transaction is unrelated to the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer, and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
I spoke with Greg Warren, Marketing Manager, AMVAC, about the transaction and what it means to the company. It primarily adds the largest markets for these products which are Canada and the U.S. The product brands made with Bromacil are used mostly in citrus markets.
The assets being purchased include the Bromacil trademarks and product registrations for sale of Hyvar® and Krovar® in the USA and Canada. In order to ensure a seamless transfer from Bayer to AMVAC, Bayer will continue to market and provide customer support for these products until the end of September 2018.
Bromacil is a broad spectrum residual herbicide used for non-agricultural industrial vegetation control and on many crops, such as pineapples, citrus, agave and asparagus. Marketed under the Hyvar® and Krovar® brands, Bromacil herbicides are valued and long-established weed control tools. AMVAC previously purchased these brands from DuPont Crop Protection in 2015 for markets outside of US and Canada including Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Cost Rica and Brazil.
You can listen to my interview with Greg to learn more: Interview with Greg Warren, AMVAC
Increasing Profit Margins for Ethanol
Ethanol production has become a key market for U.S. corn, but margins are often tight. New technology would allow existing ethanol plants to convert a part of their production into making plant-based chemicals that have higher values, with profits that could be passed along to corn growers.
“We know that ethanol today is a commodity that has been really pressed down with pricing and margins,” said Joaquin Alarcon, President and CEO of Catalyxx. “So, this technology allows a plant to convert part of their production into chemicals that have higher value and provide significant profits related to that.”
Alarcon told participants at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference in St. Louis that higher end butanol and other alcohols are examples of fuels that could provide at least $1.00/gallon of additional profit to the ethanol producer. Alarcon said it’s an exciting prospect as these are green, renewable chemicals with a cost of production that is the lowest in the industry. He said a facility could be built onto an existing ethanol plant or as a standalone processor that would transport ethanol from the Midwest.
To learn more, listen to Chuck’s interview here: Interview with Joaquin Alarcon at CUTC18
Planted Acreage Report Surprises
USDA’s planted acreage report out Friday contained some surprising numbers for the trade.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates 89.6 million acres of soybeans planted in the United States for 2018, down 1 percent from last year, and corn area planted is estimated at 89.1 million acres, also down 1 percent from last year.
All cotton planted area for 2018 is estimated at 13.5 million acres, 7 percent above last year, and all wheat planted area for 2018 is estimated at 47.8 million acres, up 4 percent from last year.
NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report Friday:
• Soybeans stored totaled 1.22 million bushels, up 26 percent from June 1, 2017. On-farm soybean stocks were up 13 percent from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 33 percent.
• Corn stocks totaled 5.31 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were down 3 percent from a year ago, but off-farm stocks were up 7 percent.
• All wheat stored totaled 1.10 billion bushels, down 7 percent from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks were down 32 percent from last year, while off-farm stocks were down 2 percent.
• Durum wheat stored totaled 35.9 million bushels, down 1 percent from June 1, 2017. On-farm stocks of Durum wheat are down 19 percent from June 1, 2017. Off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were up from the previous year by 17 percent from a year ago.
Jack Scoville of The PRICE Futures Group provided commentary for the MGEX Crop Report Conference Call. “A very interesting report – farmers planted a lot more of everything than anybody thought,” said Scoville on the call. “Corn planted area…is well above the average trade guess – really above all trade guesses.”
Listen here: MGEX 6-29-18 Crop report call with commentary from Jack Scoville, PRICE Futures Group
Timac Agro USA Introduces Fertiactyl®ST Seed Treatment
Timac Agro USA, a provider of crop nutritional solutions, introduces Fertiactyl® ST, a liquid seed treatment suitable for any crop started from seed. This formulation was developed from Timac Agro’s Fertiactyl® GZ to help farmers battle environmental stress during spring planting. It is the newest addition to an extensive portfolio developed from 20 years of research and development in the plant extract and liquid patented formulas sectors.
Fertiactyl® ST is formulated with the Fertiactyl® Complex, which is comprised of precision plant extracts, zinc, and humic and fulvic acids. Fertiactyl® ST was officially launched at the 2018 Commodity Classic where Timac’s National Specialty Crops Manager, Alex Duffy, presented at a What’s New session.
“Fertiactyl® ST is a seed treatment using our active ingredient that helps with establishment and reducing stress in adverse growing conditions,” said Duffy.
The intent of the product is to provide farmers a seed treatment to protect growing seedlings from tough environmental conditions. Extremes in temperature, water, and salinity can severely impact crop establishment. By reducing the negative impacts of these stressors, emergence, root growth, and recovery time after stress are improved.
“One of the most economical options we’ve developed in the past few years is Fertiactyl® ST,” said John D. Bailey, Ph.D., National Row Crops Manager for Timac Agro USA. “With many farmers treating their own seed on the farm, as well as major expansion in seed treatment options at the retail level, we recognized a major unmet need in this space. That need was to transform the world’s leading seaweed extract technology into a suitable formula to put directly on the seed.”
Recent independent research has demonstrated that soybeans treated with Fertiactyl® ST improved yield compared to fungicide/insecticide seed treatments. This synergy with existing seed treatments will be the subject of future research. Several other independent studies showed improved performance and ROI from Fertiactyl® ST compared to other biological seed treatment products. Information on Fertiactyl® ST and BioSinc® research studies can be found at http://www.us.timacagro.com/research.
Listen to or download comments from Alex Duffy, Timac National Specialty Crops Manager –
Comments on introduction of Fertiactyl® ST at Commodity Classic
Adding Value with Identity Preservation
Identity preservation (IP) is a popular way to add value to a grower’s corn crop, but it takes some attention to detail.
“Identity preservation is a mindset,” said Chuck Hill, specialty products manager for AgriGold Hybrids. “You’re not producing corn. You’re producing an ingredient that goes into a variety of things, and that’s what the buyer wants.”
Hill presented at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference in St. Louis, where he told corn growers that consumers want consistency and no surprises. That, in turn, is what buyers are looking for as they source ingredients for products from tortilla chips to barbecue to whiskey and even ethanol. He said preventing and managing contamination is one of the biggest challenges for IP growers, but there are lots of tools available. Keeping track of every step in the growing process is key.
“And now in this day and age of the consumer that really is demanding to know where their food comes from, now more documentation, more traceability is out there,” said Hill. “If you’re an IP grower, you’re going to have to be willing to document what you’re doing and answer a lot of questions and even some of those questions go outside of what you did in that field, but that’s the world that we’re in now.”
While many growers are already working under contract with specific identity preservation specifications, even those who are not might be able to sell products at a premium if the demand is there. Hill recommended documenting everything and keeping hybrids separated in different bins to be ready for the potential of selling that product for added value.
Interview with Chuck Hill, Specialty Products Manager, AgriGold at CUTC 18
GROWMARK Wants More Interns to Stay
GROWMARK would like to see more of their interns to choose a full-time career at the cooperative after completing the internship experience.
The Exploring Agriculture program is geared towards community college students and those with an interest in the operational side of GROWMARK’s business. This year a total of 32 interns joined that program, being placed throughout the cooperative’s core territory of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Some completed internships as a part of the spring class and others are working through the summer. The Exploring Agriculture program is in its sixth year, and it’s growing.
GROWMARK also hired 41 students for its traditional internship program, with six working at the home office and the rest spread throughout the core territory this summer. Interns work in a variety of areas including agronomy, energy, accounting, finance, marketing, communication and human resources. Students are usually given a specific project to focus on in addition to daily responsibilities.
“It gives them something to work on outside of their actual tasks and day to day things that they can kind of own,” said Kayla Portwood, university relations manager. “It’s something that’s of a business need to GROWMARK or their member company or retail division, which is exciting for them because they’re actually contributing to real world work that their companies need, and it’s of value to the company and to the interns.”
One of the company’s goals right now is to increase the conversion rate of interns to full-time employees. By 2020, the cooperative hopes to hire 40 percent of interns into full-time positions each year. Currently, 26 percent of last year’s interns are working at GROWMARK full-time. The Exploring Agriculture program has a higher conversion rate because many students are graduating right after the internship experience or have already graduated when they completed the internship.
Portwood said GROWMARK is also recruiting more students without an agriculture background, as they can learn many aspects of agriculture and the other skills required on the job.
Check out the list of this year’s GROWMARK interns.
Learn more in this interview – Interview with Kayla Portwood, GROWMARK
Precision Ag Bytes 6/27
- The Soil Health Partnership embarks on its fifth year of participating in dozens of field days across 12 states this summer and fall. For a list of field days and to register, visit www.soilhealthpartnership.org.
- The 14th International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) is wrapping up in Montreal, Quebec. The conference is presented by the International Society of Precision Agriculture. The final Oral and Poster programs are posted on the 14th ICPA website, including over 250 oral presentations, 30 industry talks, and 20 plenary session talks.
- Exporting tree nuts and other specialty crops to EU countries has just gotten simpler for growers in California and throughout the US with an increased maximum residue level (MRL) limit EU ruling based upon residue data developed by IR-4 and almond, pistachio, and walnut grower groups under a USDA grant with support from Verdesian Life Sciences.
- FMC has received confirmation from the EPA that Anthem®MAXX herbicide has been cleared for inclusion with XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology and Engenia® herbicides. FMC herbicide tank-mix options now include the following herbicide products: Anthem MAXX, Authority® First DF, Authority® Elite, Authority® XL, Authority® MAXX, Authority® MTZ DF and Authority® Assist.
- AMVAC Chemical Corporation has announced the purchase of the Bromacil herbicide business in the United States and Canada from Bayer Crop Science. This transaction is unrelated to the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer, and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Camso Hosts VIPs at Remanufacturing Facility
The latest remanufacturing capabilities and Camso facility was showcased to customers, community leaders and media this month in Emporia, KS. Remanufacturing is available for tracks taken from friction drive tractors, and for midroller wheels of all tractors as shown in this image.
During the one-day premier, Camso welcomed guests and took them on an exclusive guided tour of the facility to witness firsthand the wheels and tracks remanufacturing process. Company executives and plant personnel provided an in-depth overview of this innovative program and explained the benefits of remanufactured agricultural tracks and wheels to customers and distributors as part of the company’s product lineup.
“Guests saw the high level of quality put into every Camso product, along with our extensive product testing and quality control processes,” said Martin Lunkenbein, Service and Aftermarket Sales Executive Director – Agriculture at Camso. “As the industry leader in tracks, Camso has the knowledge and technology to ensure the most effective remanufacturing of these agricultural products that is possible.” Lunkenbein said these events provide partners with an exclusive look at Camso’s level of product expertise, knowledge and technology, in addition to providing them with the evidence they are receiving the best value and customer support.
This past March Camso launched its certified remanufactured tracks and wheels program to help customers get multiple lives from their tracked machine’s used wheels and tracks. Camso tracks are remanufactured from the best, longest-lasting carcass in the industry and use the same Camso original materials and quality. Remanufacturing is available for tracks taken from friction drive tractors, and for midroller wheels of all tractors.
To give multiple lives to a product that they’ve always trusted, customers can call 1-844-CAMSOAG, email or visit Camso.co for more details about the certified remanufactured wheels and tracks program.
Keeping Up With Corn Research
While the content shared during sessions at the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference was very technical, it was valuable to Mark Sponsler, Executive Director of the Colorado Corn Growers Association.
“Behind any market development effort, and at the root or the base of any new technology that represents market demand, there has to be a foundation of solid research,” Sponsler said.
Sponsler uses the opportunity to learn where the research is headed and what the future holds for corn and potential markets for corn. Whether it is the future of cellulosic ethanol or the development of corn-based products to replace those currently derived from petroleum, it’s information that Sponsler wants to know.
He said Colorado is like many other states that are looking to redefine the focus of research investments and sometimes choosing between funding production technology or product development. Often the budget of one state association is not big enough to do both. Sponsler said many times several states will work together on projects that expand markets for corn, using ethanol production and promotion as a prime example of that kind of effort.
Interview with Mark Sponsler, Colorado Corn Growers Association