Syngenta Thrive

by

Historically, the ag industry is a primary driver of technological innovation. From the earliest days of irrigation in ancient Mesopotamia to today’s drones and near-infrared imagery, the need to feed people puts agriculture firmly in the driver’s seat of technological advancement.

Often, the most successful farmers are those who are early adopters of cutting-edge technology. Forward-thinking growers recognize the value of technology to not only stay in business but thrive as they do it.

Digital Ag in Action

Meade McDonald has been with Syngenta for 19 years and currently serves as the company’s digital ag solutions marketing manager for the U.S. His team is responsible for helping growers and retailers implement digital tools on the farm.

When engaging with retailers and growers regarding the Cropwise portfolio, McDonald and his team focus on answering three fundamental questions:

  1. What specific agronomic or risk-based challenge are you faced with on your farm?
  2. Does Syngenta have a solution for that in its crop protection portfolio?
  3. How can we better solve that problem with a digitally enabled tool or service?

To establish trust and credibility, McDonald says the digital ag team must be well-versed in the issues growers deal with on the farm. Supplying fancy algorithms simply isn’t enough. The digital team needs to understand how drought affects a Texas cotton crop; when the weather is conducive for treating potato late blight in Idaho; or what economic conditions contribute to growing and marketing soybeans successfully in McLean County, Illinois, or Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

“We’re doing a good job when we can engage in conversations with growers about the challenges they face in the markets or agronomically and be relevant in those conversations,” McDonald says.

''

When engaging with retailers and growers regarding the Cropwise portfolio, McDonald and his team focus on answering three fundamental questions: What specific agronomic or risk-based challenge are you faced with on your farm? Does Syngenta have a solution for that in its crop protection portfolio? How can we better solve that problem with a digitally enabled tool or service?

Meade McDonald Digital Ag Solutions Marketing Manager at Syngenta

Which Data Matters?

The first question many growers ask is which data is important for their operation. What numbers need to be collected and analyzed? What data matters to the software? The short answer is all of it. Many digital solutions on the market today offer detailed insights into just about any data growers can dig up and upload to their phone or desktop computer.

But the answer — “all of it” — can feel more than a little daunting. That, McDonald says, is precisely why he and his team start every conversation with a question about what the most pressing needs or challenges on that grower’s operation are.

“Not every farm faces the same challenges,” he says. “It could be weed resistance. It could be managing foliar diseases in corn. It could be the risk of inclement weather or the risk of declining corn or soybean prices. Our Cropwise tools are built to solve grower problems, but we must know what problems are most pressing for them.”

The goal of digital ag solutions is simplifying all the data a grower can collect into actionable information. Tools like those in the Cropwise digital portfolio from Syngenta equip growers and retailers with data that informs whole-farm decision-making. Satellite imagery can provide high-level scouting over even the largest operations. Growers can scout fields using a smartphone to record observations of plant stress, growth stage and insects on the ground and know exactly which fields to treat or check on later. Efforts to improve environmental sustainability on the farm can be recorded and recalled. Financial programs provide the ability to map fields, track inventory of fertilizer or crop protection products, and measure profitability acre by acre.

“Those tools are helping growers tackle agronomic and risk-based challenges,” McDonald says. “It’s about linking our crop protection portfolio with our Cropwise portfolio to better solve the challenges growers are facing.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

A Challenge and Opportunity

Of course, today’s solutions may not be relevant tomorrow, particularly in the realm of digital solutions. Just imagine digging a decade-old iPhone out of the junk drawer and trying to activate it. Odds are, it would be so obsolete that you couldn’t use it. But while some things may maintain their relevance for a good long while, digital software is constantly changing and evolving with new features and capabilities.

“We constantly have to update our digital tools to make them faster and more intuitive,” McDonald says. “The incredible rate of change in the digital space is both a challenge and an opportunity.”

If history is any indication, more and more growers will continue to adopt these technologies. Finding good labor will likely continue to be one of the biggest challenges facing the industry, and digital tools such as the Cropwise platform can improve growers’ efficiency, effectiveness and decision-making.

“Looking forward, we see the average farm getting bigger,” McDonald says. “We see the largest farms in the country adopting digital tools and technology the fastest, as they have the most to gain from digital adoption on the farm.”

So, whether you’re growing sugarbeets in Minnesota, peanuts in Georgia, citrus in California or corn and soybeans in the Midwest, take heed: American agriculture is on the digital train, and you’re welcome to climb aboard. Contact your local retailer to see the difference digital ag solutions can make for your operation.

by

For farmers, the call to feed the world is not new, but the target is ever evolving. With a growing global population projected to exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, the stakes keep getting higher. But as those in the agriculture industry know, the foundational resources for growing a healthy food supply are not infinitely available.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that our global food supply is vulnerable,” explains Matt Wallenstein, Ph.D., chief soil scientist at Syngenta Group. “As the demand for food increases, we have to figure out how to meet that demand by increasing productivity while minimizing environmental impacts. And that means that we need to put more focus on soil health.”

Preserve Soil Biodiversity

In August, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published findings from the latest attempt to measure biodiversity in soils. Led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), they estimated that soil is likely home to 59% of life, including everything from microbes to mammals, making it the singular most biodiverse habitat on Earth.1

With about one-third of global land being used for agriculture2, growers have a significant opportunity to improve and stabilize the quality of the world’s soil to preserve its rich biodiversity and its crucial role for human nutrition.

“Most of the food we produce on Earth relies on soils, and over time, a lot of soils have been degraded across the planet,” Wallenstein says. “It’s critical to the future of agriculture to minimize any further damage through erosion and lost organic matter and help identify practices that improve soil over time. At Syngenta, there’s a high-level conviction that soil science is critical to the future.”

''

We’re at a turning point in history. In the past, there was often a tradeoff between productivity, profitability and sustainability. But thanks to new scientific insights and technology that’s not the case anymore.

Matt Wallenstein, Ph.D. Chief soil scientist at Syngenta

Soil Health and Regenerative Ag

Globally, Syngenta is committed to partnering with growers to identify ways they can restore and protect soil on agricultural land. With methods often referred to as regenerative agriculture, Syngenta is focused on educating and equipping growers with technologies that nurture and restore soil health; protect the climate, water resources and biodiversity; and enhance farm productivity and profitability.

There are five core principles growers can implement to help maintain soil and the biodiversity it harbors:

  1. Minimize soil disturbance
  2. Grow plants year-round
  3. Diversify crop rotations
  4. Keep the ground covered
  5. Integrate livestock when possible

Using precise applications of biological and chemical inputs is also effective management as the five soil health principles are adopted by growers.

While none of these practices are new, advancing technology is making them more attainable and attractive to growers.

“Regenerative agriculture is part of the toolbox that growers have access to and we are adding more science-based and logistics-based information as it becomes available,” says Abbey Wick, Ph.D., Soil Health Academy lead for the Syngenta Group. “A lot of these practices are grounded in solid agronomics. They are approaches that growers used generations ago or practices growers have always thought about doing. They are resurfacing as a new way to solve problems on the farm. And now there’s a lot more support that goes with these practices, which I think is making them more practical for growers to adopt.”

Advancements in scientific understanding have given rise to new information about soil and the life it sustains above and below ground. With the development of innovative technologies, growers now can be highly productive and improve their soil health.

“We’re at a turning point in history,” Wallenstein says. “In the past, there was often a tradeoff between productivity, profitability and sustainability. But thanks to new scientific insights and technology that’s not the case anymore.”

Attainable Agriculture

Tilling is one of the oldest agricultural practices to help manage weeds and fertility. However, new technologies like highly effective herbicides and precision agriculture tools allow growers to achieve the same outcomes with reduced or no tilling, which minimizes soil disturbance. And with less disturbance comes greater moisture retention, erosion prevention and carbon sequestration.

However, for many growers, the thought of altering their successful growing practices on the same land they have managed for decades can be overwhelming. But any practice, big or small, that focuses on maintaining healthy soil is a step in the right direction.

“We aren’t expecting farmers to use all of the practices within soil health or regenerative systems,” Wick says. “But adding practices that fit the farm logistics, like reducing fall tillage to leave the soils protected with residue going into the winter months, is a step in the right direction. And over time, those incremental changes add up to transformative progress.”

Similarly, growers in some areas plant cover crops to keep roots in the ground over winter. But if these crops are unsaleable, this practice can be costly. Again, advances in science can have a positive impact on growers. Just this summer, Syngenta Seeds announced it will be selling camelina ― an ultra-low carbon oilseed crop that can be used as feedstock for renewable fuels and an ingredient for sustainable animal feed ― to provide a cash alternative to fallow fields.

“Cover crops aren’t harvested, so farmers are spending money on a crop that’s going to benefit their soil but not their bottom line in the short-term, which is great. That can be a hard investment to make,” explains Wallenstein. “It’s exciting when there are opportunities to grow a winter crop that provides some income. The recent announcement from Syngenta on the collaboration with Sustainable Oils, Inc. to sell camelina will be a nice alternative in some locations.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Identify Soil Health Improvements

With today’s advancements in science and technology, regenerative agricultural practices are very tangible. For growers, it’s an opportunity to identify one or two ways they can do something different that makes sense for their operation and enables them to take positive steps for soil health and the environment.

“For growers, the first thing to consider is how much acreage are they comfortable with trying something new on,” Wick says. “Then they can evaluate what problems exist in a field that are the lowest hanging fruit for implementing a new practice with the potential to manage the system more effectively. For example, it could be just planting a cover crop to use moisture in parts of a field that are otherwise too wet to access. Even if only 10% of the field is impacted, the grower can see firsthand the benefits of planting that cover crop.”

At the end of the day, soil health is a holistic view of how well the soil is performing for its intended purpose. Soil is a rich habitat that is physically, chemically and biologically complex. But by optimizing soil conditions using regenerative agriculture practices and biological products, growers can better achieve their intended outcomes.

“Soil health is an exciting focus for agriculture because we have amazing new technologies and solutions for problems that, in the past, were intractable,” says Wallenstein. “And we’re just at the start with more to come.”

 

¹ M.A. Anthony, F.S. Bender, M. van der Heijden (2023). Enumerating soil biodiversity.
PNAS, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2304663120.

² FAO. 2023. Land use statistics and indicators 2000–2021. Global, regional and
country trends. FAOSTAT Analytical Briefs Series No. 71. Rome.
https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc6907en

by

Since 1990, November has been designated National Native American Heritage Month. The U.S. Congress chose this month to honor Indigenous culture, as this is generally the end of the traditional harvest season.

Recognizing Those Who Came Before

According to Tyler Young, equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI) generalist at Syngenta, the legacy of Indigenous Peoples and their contributions to agriculture continue to resonate today.

“As a society, it’s important to recognize the contributions that Indigenous Peoples have made to agriculture over thousands of years,” Young says. “That’s especially true when we consider the recent impact of climate change and increased weather volatility. Indigenous Peoples were the originators of regenerative agriculture and provide valuable lessons that are still relevant today for how we can steward the land.”

Young notes that, for example, conservation tillage and intercropping were practices introduced long ago by Indigenous farmers. Specifically, reduced tillage is a practice that goes back thousands of years. The “Three Sisters” is another practice handed down by Indigenous Peoples.

“In agriculture, the ‘Three Sisters’ are crops planted together in a shared space — typically corn, beans and squash,” Young says. “These were vital crops in Indigenous communities. When grown together, they complement one another. Beans, for example, supply nitrogen needed by corn. Corn provides a climbing trellis for beans. Squash provides shade to help conserve moisture.”

''

As a society, it’s important to recognize the contributions that Indigenous Peoples have made to agriculture over thousands of years. That’s especially true when we consider the recent impact of climate change and increased weather volatility. Indigenous Peoples were the originators of regenerative agriculture and provide valuable lessons that are still relevant today for how we can steward the land.

Tyler Young Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Generalist at Syngenta

Lessons From Canada

Ravi Ramachandran, Ph.D., is territory R&D head for crop protection development at Syngenta Canada Inc. and leads ED&I efforts for Syngenta there.

In Canada, June is National Indigenous History Month. Ramachandran says an important milestone in Canada was the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which serves as a foundation for the Canadian government’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples.

In acknowledging the importance of the heritage and historical contributions of Indigenous People to agriculture, a greater responsibility rests with the corporations in the agriculture industry to address misconceptions, ensure access to educational and professional opportunities, and provide visibility for the accomplishments and challenges of the underrepresented groups.

“All too often, members of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities struggle to establish their professional careers due to systemic bias, stereotyping and remnants of historical actions at all levels of society,” Ramachandran says. “As individuals, we need to speak up and advocate for an inclusive society. Companies like Syngenta are making a difference by committing to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

Agriculture today looks very different than it did in 1928 when the National FFA Organization (FFA) was founded, but FFA remains committed to educating students on all aspects of agriculture. While the ag industry continues to rapidly evolve, so too does FFA with help from alumni and supporters like Syngenta.

Dawn Dietz, head of North America seeds sales service operations, serves as the president of the Syngenta FFA Alumni & Supporters Business Resource Group. An accomplished FFA alumna herself, Dietz received the Honorary American FFA Degree in 2022 in recognition of her commitment to the next generation of agriculture students.

“I’d say the organization itself really helped open my eyes to the opportunities that are out there and paved the way for my growth. And I’ve seen that happen for students my entire life,” she says.

Dietz is energized by seeing how FFA inspires young people to pursue a farm-related future, no matter their background.

“With so many more students not coming from a farming background, FFA really shows them the opportunities that agriculture has and where they could go,” she says. “FFA instills excitement and enthusiasm for agriculture. It teaches the kids to really understand where their food’s coming from and how production agriculture works. That foundation is critically important.”

Going beyond that initial spark, FFA teaches students about creating long-term goals and how to achieve them. Corporate and alumni partnerships offer opportunities to guide students to develop professional connections that can help support their goals.
Syngenta employees are among the most passionate supporters of aspiring FFA students.

“You’ll find a lot of our employees are giving back locally with their time and talents ― walking through plots, helping out with various contests and giving feedback to students,” says Dietz. “That really is invaluable to students.”

Syngenta has been a valued corporate sponsor and supporter of FFA since 1963. Currently, more than 200 employees participate in Give FFA Day. That support empowers students to pursue agricultural education and, eventually, meaningful careers in the industry.

With this support, Dietz is optimistic about the next generation of agriculture. “I’ve never seen another organization build such leadership presence in students,” she says. “These opportunities help develop real-world skills that you just don’t get from a lot of other organizations.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

Each November, American service families are honored and recognized for their commitment and contributions to our nation during National Veterans and Military Families Month. Syngenta celebrates the contributions our military members have made to agriculture — and the opportunity for veterans to help feed a growing global population.

In the last  Census of Agriculture, the USDA collected information about agricultural producers who served, or are currently serving, in the U.S. Armed Forces. They found that more than 370,000 producers — 11% of the country’s total — had military service.

Celebrating Diversity and Service

Brandon Bell, Syngenta people and organizational development lead, says that diversity plays an important role in U.S. agriculture.

“While only a small segment of society still works in production agriculture, everyone benefits from what farmers produce,” says Bell, who grew up in a small eastern North Carolina community. “When we strive for fairness, representation and inclusion in agriculture, we can better understand and best serve the needs of those who depend on what we grow.”

In addition to his rural roots, Bell’s family has strong agriculture and military ties. While his father was a USDA poultry inspector, his mother is a civilian Naval nurse at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where his sister also works as a dental hygienist. His brother is a signal officer with the U.S. Army.

''

I can think of no organization more mission-driven than the military. If you’re looking for people who can align their personal purpose with the values of an agricultural organization, the U.S. military is second-to-none.

Brandon Bell People and Organizational Development Lead,
Syngenta

Transferable Skills

According to Bell, amongst the highest priorities of active-duty military personnel is to protect and serve our country. But they have other day-to-day responsibilities that are highly transferable to civilian life and the ag industry.

“While my brother is trained to fight, his role as a signal officer has helped him develop strong project management, information technology and leadership skills,” Bell says. Without thoughtful consideration, we may not always be aware that military personnel have the highly developed expertise they use every day.”

Bell adds that there are strong parallels between the military and agriculture. For example, consider the operational support the military provides to ensure its workforce has the tools they require to accomplish their mission; compare that to the role crop protection companies play in supplying farmers with what they need to achieve higher yields. The need for high operational efficiency and strong production and supply methodologies are commonalities between the two, and great examples of the type of skills military personnel can bring with them to careers in ag.

“I can think of no organization more mission-driven than the military,” Bell says. “If you’re looking for people who can align their personal purpose with the values of an agricultural organization, the U.S. military is second-to-none.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

What happens when a sixth-generation farmer combines his family’s legacy with personal drive and a video game hobby?

For Andy Dole, that combination birthed aTrippyFarmer, his YouTube channel where he now has more than 40,000 subscribers. Dole shares his everyday life raising a few thousand acres of corn and soybeans on his family farm in southwest Illinois near Mattoon.

“Our farm was founded in 1847 and passed down to my dad and his brothers,” Dole says. “My mom’s father is in his 80s and continues farming nearby. I am tremendously proud of that legacy.”

Dole graduated from the University of Illinois in 2017 with a degree in crop science. After graduation, his father, Marty, and his uncles, Chris and Jeff, extended him an offer to join the farm full time. His sister Katie is also involved in the operation, and she and her husband are raising their three children on the farm.

“Returning to the farm was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Dole says. “I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work with family and maintain the farm for the next generation.”

Dole and his wife, Ali, moved into the house that belonged to his paternal grandparents during the summer of 2023, allowing them to raise their sons, Lennon and Graham, on the farm.

Getting a Personal Gig

As the newest member of the farm, Dole was excited to contribute. He hoped to grow the farm’s acreage, but it’s rare to find an expansion opportunity in his area. So, he sought other ways to grow the family business.

“I enjoy the process of tweaking aspects of farm management and seeing how small adjustments impact the operation,” he says. “But it is frustrating that we only get one shot every year to try something, and the outcome depends heavily on the weather. I wanted to own something I could more fully control.”

He describes his personal hobbies as nontraditional for a farmer, yet they represent his generation. He enjoys playing video games and watching YouTube channels on topics like fitness and gaming.

“I hadn’t watched farm-focused YouTubers, and I would be the last person I would pick to do a YouTube channel,” Dole says. “But when I recognized my desire to do my own thing within the farm, I thought, ‘Why not me?’”

Like any farmer considering a new practice, he did his research and taught himself key skills. In this case, he learned to capture video on his phone, edit it and promote his work. He studied how other YouTubers named their channels, and then decided to take his own path.

“My gaming buddies noticed that I often said ‘trippy,’ and eventually my gamer tag became aTrippyFarmer,” he explains. “When it was time to name my YouTube channel, I went with who I have been for years.”

Dole launched his first YouTube video in February 2020. When COVID-19 shut the world down the following month, he had already established his channel. With a knack for capturing the search algorithm and a little bit of luck, he was able to capture between 10,000 and 15,000 views with one of his early videos.

“Since then, I have failed my way forward,” he says. “And, I have kept the commitment I made to my dad: Whatever I do, I will not slow us down.”

''

My goal is to maintain a consistent schedule of posting videos that generate conversations. My ability to share my perspective and talk farming with commenters reminds me to be grateful for what I do.

Andy “aTrippyFarmer” Dole Sixth-generation Farmer and Influencer

Highlighting Challenges and Solutions

Managing his YouTube channel parallels farming. Dole is focused on growing a solid crop each year with continuous improvement, and he approaches his videos with the same tenacity. He welcomes help from his family, especially his wife, who has become a video editor for the channel. Dole is proud of his ability to organically grow his audience over time.

His videos speak to farmers and anyone interested in the dynamics of Midwest row crop production. Yet, Dole noticed the general public is also watching his channel, and he’s developed a deep appreciation for the curiosity of people outside the farming community.

During the 2023 growing season, he covered a variety of topics about the good and the bad of farming:

  • He explained why his family invested in a ground rig to spray products themselves for the first time in a decade.
  • He discussed how sudden death syndrome cut soybean yield in the past, leading them to treat all their soybeans with Saltro® seed treatment this season.
  • He described how they controlled problem weeds like waterhemp with the Acuron® line of herbicides in corn.
  • Throughout the season, he tracked the crops’ need for moisture and how that impacted decisions like applying Miravis® Neo fungicide on both corn and soybeans.

Becoming aTrippyFarmer has also helped Dole stay grounded in his own work. He shares his point of view without comparing his family’s operation to other farms or imposing his will on fellow farmers.

“My goal is to maintain a consistent schedule of posting videos that generate conversations,” he says. “My ability to share my perspective and talk farming with commenters reminds me to be grateful for what I do.”

To hear more from Dole about his platform, his thoughts on the 2025 season and his relationship with Syngenta, watch this video.

 

by

Farmers are a keystone in a sustainable agricultural ecosystem. Their financial health must be protected as they adapt farming systems to regenerate and steward natural resources. Crop protection technologies provide a sturdy base for their ongoing work to advance sustainable farming, without sacrificing their financial well-being.

“We’re on the cusp of a new era in agriculture,” says Val Dolcini, Syngenta head of business sustainability and government affairs.

Energy production, transportation and agricultural production are the top carbon-emitting industries. Each has economic and environmental incentives to reduce its carbon footprint. Agriculture is uniquely positioned to tackle the problem from two sides. Transitioning from conventional practices to a regenerative farming system can result in less carbon being emitted and more carbon being pulled from the atmosphere and banked in the soil.

Consumers Want Change

Consumers are increasingly considering their own carbon footprint and those of the companies they do business with. Every day, most people worldwide use the goods produced from the energy, transportation and agriculture industries. Examining the impact of food on the carbon footprint is low-hanging fruit for carbon-conscious consumers.

Shifting from driving a car to taking public transportation or installing home solar panels are decisions and actions that take substantial time and effort to achieve. On the other hand, buying food that is produced using sustainable, carbon-fixing farming practices provides consumers with instant satisfaction that they’re doing their part.

Food companies recognize the growing demand and have begun sourcing more regeneratively produced agricultural products — even paying premiums for verified practices. According to Dolcini, this provides bonus financial motivation for producers to continue adopting and advancing sustainable production practices. The diverse and powerful crop protection tools available to the modern producer play a significant part in making those moves possible.

Adopting a Sustainable Standard

Cover crops, no-till, strip-till and other minimum-tillage systems are typically the first sustainable practices farmers adopt. According to the Sustainable Outcomes in Agriculture Standard (SOA), each of these systems contribute to soil health, water quality, greenhouse gas reduction and improvement of biodiversity and habitat. Syngenta developed the Standard to help growers assess and advance the regenerative farming practices they use and is available via the Cropwise Sustainability App in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

“Implementing these practices without herbicides that offer excellent broad-spectrum control at the soil and foliar level would be very difficult,” says Mark White, Syngenta herbicide regulatory team lead.

When tillage is reduced or eliminated altogether, herbicides are needed more than ever to control weeds and protect yields. Herbicides are a valuable partner when using cover crops, too. Cover crops help build aggregate soil structure — among other significant agronomic benefits — which can help adapt soils more quickly to no-till systems and potentially reduce transition yield losses. If a grower can’t effectively terminate a cover crop, though, it can quickly become a detriment to the cash crop and farm profits/

''

Farmers have always been stewards of the land. They’ve laid a great foundation to meet the sustainability priorities we see today, and Syngenta is well positioned to help through our products, technologies, research, initiatives and programs.

Val Dolcini Head of Business Sustainability and Government Affairs, Syngenta

Power of Herbicides

There are many effective and diverse herbicides in the Syngenta portfolio to assist farmers no matter their chosen farming system. Atrazine, however, has long endured as one of the most valuable, effective and affordable tools used in reduced-tillage systems. It’s provided more than 60 years of reliable pre- and post-emergence control of a broad spectrum of broadleaf and grassy weeds. Atrazine is a flexible product that can be used in almost any cropping tillage system, which is why, according to White, it has had such a significant impact in the regenerative farming movement.

Studies have shown the use of atrazine helped drive the rate of adoption of conservation tillage practices in field corn, sweet corn, sugar cane and sorghum. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the herbicide is used on more than half the planted acres of each crop in the U.S.

“The flexibility and effectiveness of atrazine set it apart,” White says. “It’s one of our oldest legacy products and is still one of the most used herbicides in the United States and around the world.”

Despite decades of consistent use, very little atrazine weed resistance has developed as compared to other herbicides. Herbicide-resistant weeds pose a significant threat to no-till systems. When herbicides don’t work, tillage may be the easy way out. It will kill the weeds, but it also significantly sets back years of soil building work.

More diverse crop rotations and using atrazine can help avoid resistant weed problems and keep tillage equipment parked. Another mark in the good news category is that atrazine is not only effective, but also affordable. It would cost $30-$50 per acre to replace atrazine with the combination of herbicides needed to do the same job, according to White.

Reduce, Reuse, Regenerate

Regenerative farming practices have built momentum in recent decades. Unlike early adopters of these practices, today’s farmers have access to experienced peers, research and improving technology. They also have a better understanding of how regenerative farming builds soil in a way that protects the environment and helps buffer against weather extremes.

Reducing tillage and keeping a living root in the soil as much as possible with cover crops and strategic crop rotations transform soils, greatly improving function. Healthy soils are high in organic matter — made up of carbon pulled from the atmosphere — and rife with pore space held open by soil aggregates.

High-functioning soils with high organic matter store more water and take it in quickly. According to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, every 1% increase in organic matter will help soils hold up to 20,000 gallons more water per acre. Also, no-till management can increase the speed at which water enters the soil profile, with cover crops having the potential to dramatically increase infiltration rates.

Soils with high water infiltration rates and high water-holding capacity reduce runoff, minimizing erosion and protecting water quality. According to Ohio State University Extension, sediment is the top agricultural pollutant. Runoff from no-till and cover-crop-protected fields is most often clear and clean. High water infiltration rates and high water-holding capacities also allow farmers to take full advantage of intense — and too often sparse — rainfall.

Past crop and cover crop residue shield the soil from the sun, protecting the collected water from evaporation. Together, these factors make more moisture available to growing crops for longer, allowing them to better withstand periods of drought.

Macro and microorganisms thrive within organic matter and living roots. They cycle nutrients from cover crops and crop residue to be used by the current crop. An active soil and the use of cover crops with nitrogen-fixing legumes can reduce application rates of synthetic fertilizers. The benefits to environment and farmer alike go on and on.

Sustainable Agricultural Technology

“Sustainability is a big circle,” White says. No-till and cover crops sequester carbon, prevent erosion and provide many other benefits. Getting economic yields in these systems is contingent on good agronomic practices, including weed control. Access to cost-effective herbicides for controlling weeds and terminating cover crops increases profit margins ― and profitable farmers remain in business and continue to use and advance sustainable farming practices.

“Farmers have always been stewards of the land,” Dolcini says. “They’ve laid a great foundation to meet the sustainability priorities we see today, and Syngenta is well positioned to help through our products, technologies, research, initiatives and programs.”

Syngenta has a goal of delivering two sustainable agricultural technology breakthroughs per year through 2025. A roughly $2 billion investment will help achieve those goals. In addition, Syngenta is committed to enhancing biodiversity and soil health on more than 7 million acres worldwide by providing technologies, services and training to farmers.

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) inspires growers to aim for higher corn yields with the National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC), its longest-running program. The NCYC motivates growers to advance their skills with each growing season by earning the highest yield of one continuous hybrid on a 10-acre plot.

The contest rewards the skill and know-how of growers, but the takeaway is greater than trophies and recognition. “Because of the contest, farmers learn from themselves and each other,” says Linda Lambur, manager of the NCYC. “They try new practices, techniques, equipment and products while learning from and teaching each other.”

In this way, the NCYC provides valuable lessons to every participant while encouraging innovative collaboration through competition. “It is a contest, and a love of competition is a part of the farmer’s spirit,” says Lambur. “They’re all helping each other because everybody’s in it for a reason: to learn, to help, to grow.”

The NCGA introduced the contest to boost engagement among the state corn grower associations. In its first year, only 20 growers from four states entered the contest. Now, thousands of growers from across the country participate, with entries from nearly every state in the U.S.

Participation in the contest is a source of pride, and winners are recognized as industry leaders with successful corn yield plans — including seed selection and crop protection programs. “Yield contest winners are great role models because other farmers look to them for innovative ways to break through their own yield ceilings,” says Shawn Hock, corn herbicide product marketing lead for Syngenta.

''

A love of competition is a part of the farmer’s spirit. They’re all helping each other because everybody’s in it for a reason: to learn, to help, to grow.

Linda Lambur NCGA President

Find More Corn Bushels

Top corn producers manage factors like planting date, plant density, plant nutrition, genetics and pest management. Choosing the highest quality crop protection solutions can push growers to increase yield.

“To raise the highest yields possible, variables that can be controlled should be closely managed,” says Hock. “Acuron® really sets itself apart from other herbicides because of its unique combination for superior crop safety and broad-spectrum, long-lasting residual control. That’s what gives Acuron users the edge when raising high yields.”1

The combination of industry-leading inputs and excellent agronomic practices allows contest winners to achieve yields that once seemed impossible. “In 2022, the national corn yield was about 173 bushels per acre,” says Hock. “The average national contest winner in 2022 was over 340 bushels per acre.”

Syngenta supports the NCGA’s efforts to drive corn growers to push the boundaries of possible yields. Acuron helps growers accomplish that by providing greater consistency, enhanced weed control, built-in burndown and long-lasting residual. “It’s unique in the marketplace because of its combination of proven crop safety and residual weed control,” says Hock. “When you put those two things together, that unlocks more yield potential.”

In addition to higher yields, growers who register for the Find More Bushels program benefit from perks throughout the season, including a welcome gift and, for NCGA members entering the contest, a chance to win a trip to Commodity Classic, where winners will be honored at the NCGA reception.

Look Ahead to 2024

Reliable products and collaboration can help growers achieve the highest yields possible. The 2023 NCYC winners, who will be announced in December, are a testament to that. “We are looking forward to celebrating growers that are continuing to advance new management practices to continue raising the yield bar,” says Hock.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the NCYC. Participants can enter the contest in May 2024 by visiting https://ncga.com/ and preparing their entries with their NCGA membership numbers. New members can reach out to the NCGA directly. Growers planning to find more bushels with Acuron can register online for the program in the spring of 2024.

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

Many factors motivate farmers to achieve higher yields. Some growers want to fulfill their family’s legacy, while others aspire to stay profitable and reap the benefits of their hard work. But sometimes, good old-fashioned friendly competition is the incentive farmers need to produce higher-yielding soybeans.

Each year, the North Carolina Soybean Yield Contest gives participating growers the drive to earn top-producer bragging rights. It also provides fascinating data that can enable all soybean growers to boost their crops’ productivity.

Rachel Vann, Ph.D., assistant professor and soybean Extension specialist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University (NCSU), is one of the researchers gathering essential intel on soybean yield and a contest administrator. “Since we collect so much management information through the contest, we are able to identify trends that will benefit all growers,” she says.

Joining Vann as a longtime contest administrator is Jim Dunphy, Ph.D., retired Extension soybean expert and professor emeritus of soybean production & management at NCSU. This annual endeavor is a group effort with North Carolina Cooperative Extension Agents measuring yield contest entries at the local level and the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association (NCSPA) providing prizes for the winners.

Any grower in North Carolina with three or more contiguous acres of soybeans is eligible to enter the contest. There are several prize categories, and cash winnings range from $100 for a regional yield award to $1,000 for the top state champion.

When entering the contest, growers are asked to provide their production practices associated with the entered acres, which is the data Vann and her team use to help determine what best practices provide the highest yields.

''

The idea of using producer-derived data to leverage something already going on provides a broader educational value. Almost as valuable as seeing what works is understanding what doesn’t when it comes to strongly predicting high yield. By focusing on the most important variables, we can take a deeper dive into what truly impacts yields.

Rachel Vann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor and Soybean Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University

High Yield Predictors

Maximizing the value of contest data is an ongoing goal for Vann. “When I came to this position five years ago, we had a large database of information for reference,” she says. “But there had not been any effort to dive into that database to get what educational value could be gleaned for the broader grower base.”

Vann and her colleague, Katherine Drake-Stowe, now the director of the U.S. Soybean Research Collaborative, decided to undertake this challenge by reviewing 18 years of yield contest data from 877 entries.

“We wanted to identify those production practices that were strong and consistent predictors of high yield in North Carolina soybeans,” Vann says. “We looked at 12 to 15 management practices and conducted a statistical analysis to determine which practices had the strongest impact on yield.”

The most impactful practices noted in her team’s report are as follows:

  • Maturity group. The contest data shows that planting an earlier-maturing variety (<MG5), especially in high-yielding environments, increases soybean yields. However, Vann advises against taking a blanket approach when selecting maturity groups because of North Carolina’s rotational complexity, soil type variability and inconsistent annual weather patterns, which oftentimes necessitate growers selecting a wide range of maturity groups. Nonetheless, using earlier maturing varieties optimizes yield in situations with optimal production capacity and limited stress.
  • Foliar fungicides. The data clearly shows that the use of foliar fungicides can increase soybean yields because they reduce yield loss from diseases. At the beginning of the period in this analysis (around 2002) there was very little use of fungicides to control foliar disease in North Carolina soybean production. This information shows that foliar diseases need to be aggressively managed to prevent yield loss in North Carolina, and that can be done through selecting resistant varieties, scouting for foliar diseases and rotating fungicides with different chemical modes of action.
  • Planting date. While the exact timing varies by region across the state, the contest data shows that earlier planting dates consistently increase soybean yields. “Our data verifies that planting earlier, before mid-May, is an important practice, particularly in high-yielding situations,” Vann says.
  • Herbicide use. The data also shows that more frequent herbicide applications resulted in higher soybean yields. The report adds that a robust, “multifaceted approach to chemical weed management is often necessary to protect soybean yield.”

Vann states that while some production practices won’t be relevant to every farmer across the country, the data collection and subsequent evaluation may be something all can contemplate.

“The idea of using producer-derived data to leverage something already going on provides a broader educational value,” she says. “Almost as valuable as seeing what works is understanding what doesn’t when it comes to strongly predicting high yield. By focusing on the most important variables, we can take a deeper dive into what truly impacts yields.”

Additional Resources for Achieving High Yields

Check out these links for more information on the North Carolina Soybean Yield Contest and Vann’s research and data analysis.

Find out how increasing yields with the right crop protection input can maximize your return on investment — whether you grow corn, soybeans or both.

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

When you’re a grower, you know challenges are a part of life — especially when you’ve been in the profession for decades. From drought-stricken seasons to uncertain economic times, two row crop growers from different regions of the country have seen it all.

Davie Stephens from Clinton, Kentucky grows corn and soybeans in Western Kentucky and Northwest Tennessee. He graduated college from the University of Kentucky with a degree in agricultural economics. After graduation, he returned to Western Kentucky where he purchased his first farm and learned firsthand how to succeed as a grower. Thirty-five years later, he makes passing along his knowledge to others a top priority.

''

I started with Trivapro the year it came out, and I’ve used it every year on every acre since. You get better plant health; and yield-wise, you can always see a 10-to-15-bushel-per-acre bump on corn.

Arlis Eitzmann Seed Manager at Aurora Co-op and Nebraska Grower

“I have always enjoyed getting involved with the community, whether I’m serving on the fair board or talking with young farmers,” says Stephens, who is also a member of the Kentucky Soybean Association and the American Soybean Association. “That’s something that has been important to me in my career — having conversations with different farmers on how to move agriculture forward for future generations.”

Nebraska native Arlis Eitzmann shares Stephens’ lifelong passion for agriculture. Currently living and working in Byron as a seed manager for Aurora Co-op, Eitzmann also grows corn on his own farm. Even before he started his profession as a seed salesman and raised hogs in the 1980s, farming was in his blood.

“I like to see things grow and watch the seed work, knowing that I have made the right recommendations for my customers’ crops and my own,” says Eitzmann. “It’s a pretty good life.”

A Seasoned Staple

As experienced growers, both Stephens and Eitzmann are constantly looking for innovative ways to improve their operations. But once they find a product that performs well, they’re hooked. Trivapro® corn fungicide is one of those products. Since its launch in 2016, Trivapro has helped safeguard growers’ yield potential and plant health from disease and stressful environmental conditions.

“I started with Trivapro the year it came out, and I’ve used it every year on every acre since,” says Eitzmann. “You get better plant health; and yield-wise, you can always see a 10-to-15-bushel-per-acre bump on corn.”

As a Syngenta Cleaner & Greener fungicide, Trivapro contains SOLATENOL®  technology. In addition to offering powerful disease control, this unique active ingredient boosts plant health by helping improve light absorption, water conservation and harvest efficiency for even greater potential yield gain and return on investment. Even in drought-ridden seasons like this one, Trivapro has become a necessary investment for these two growers to help protect yield potential.

“We experienced a drought in 2022, and we decided to do a test of Trivapro to monitor how healthy it kept the plants,” says Stephens. “The stalk health really caught my eye more than anything, and when the guys were in the combine harvesting those fields, they were really impressed with the way they yielded.”

In fact, years of data show that Trivapro works harder and lasts longer to help growers yield stronger with reliable results. In both wet and dry conditions, Trivapro delivers an average yield increase of 17.2 bushels per acre (bu/A) in wet seasons and 14.1 bu/A in drought over an untreated check.1 This consistency of high performance is what won over Stephens.

“Trivapro is just a great chemistry,” says Stephens. “It’s nice to go to bed at night, knowing you’ve got that longevity and that Trivapro is doing its due diligence.”

Moving Farming Forward

With decades of combined experience behind them and more seasons on the horizon, Stephens and Eitzmann have a lot to give to the next generation of growers, but acknowledge they still benefit from a steady stream of know-how and support from their fellow farmers — especially during challenging times.

“I always tell younger farmers to hang on and things will get better,” says Eitzmann.

Stephens agrees and counsels his less experienced counterparts to “take advice from people who have gone through different things, whether it’s something with the crop, droughts or high interest rates. The farm doesn’t exist without good community involvement — farmers helping farmers.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

1Syngenta on-farm, large strip trials. 2020 trial locations: IA (2), IL (33), IN (6), NE (6), OH (13), WI (11) and SD (26). 2021 trial locations: IL (35), IN (9), WI (7) and SD (13).