Syngenta Thrive

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The theme of this year’s Soil and Water Conservation Society conference — which took place from August 6 to 9 in Des Moines, Iowa — was, “Healthy Land, Clean Water: Cultivating a Legacy of Conservation.”

Syngenta proudly sponsors the conference each year, sharing the belief that the key to sustainable farming is building partnerships, initiatives and practices that encourage the local ecosystems and hardy working lands.

Farmers already have a heavy load on their shoulders. They’re the backbone of our food production system and the lifeline of our society. Among the many challenges they face is preserving and revitalizing the country’s land and waterways. Sustainable farming practices ensure future generations continue producing food for tables around the world.

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To us, healthy land is both productive and resilient. To ensure that our soil and water remain healthy for the next generation, we continue identifying solutions that help growers retain, or even exceed, current yields.

Dayna Gross Manager of programs and partnerships for North America Sustainability, Syngenta

Dayna Gross, manager of programs and partnerships for North America Sustainability at Syngenta, pairs her passion for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation with decades of experience. “To us, healthy land is both productive and resilient,” she says. “To ensure that our soil and water remain healthy for the next generation, we continue identifying solutions that help growers retain, or even exceed, current yields.”

Sustainable practices help keep farmers profitable while meeting society’s needs.

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“In my role, I have a front row seat to see how Syngenta puts the ideals of preserving the environment into practice,” Gross says. This includes supporting a Pheasants Forever program incentivizing growers to convert portions of land into habitats for birds and pollinators. “We’ve used a similar concept for other projects and partnered with the J.R. Simplot Company to turn marginal acres into beneficial insect habitats near potato fields,” Gross says. “And, in collaboration with the Sand County Foundation, we support a conservation payment program that helps growers improve the water quality within their watershed.”

To learn more about conversation practices and partnerships, and to access educational resources, please visit www.BeeHealth.org.

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A partnership between Syngenta, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the California Rice Commission (CRC) was forged to address the decline of California’s native fish by working to restore their habitats. Most of these species use floodplains in the Central Valley as a habitat during their outmigration. The partnership project focuses on the floodplains of the Sacramento River within the Sutter and Yolo Bypasses. These bypasses can be used to farm rice in the summer, and for flood control and ecosystems in the winter.

“Syngenta is pleased to have supported this project from its early stages. We have worked with the California rice industry for many years, and this was an outgrowth of our longstanding relationship and shared focus on environmental performance,” says Ben Sacher, lead, state affairs at Syngenta. “This project changes the narrative around the role that productive agriculture has in achieving environmental outcomes. It creates a positive impact on the salmon, and a new opportunity for the rice industry to deliver environmental benefits alongside its crop. This is a powerful example of how agricultural groups, non-profits and companies like Syngenta can work on important challenges.”

Q. What happened to the salmon habitats in California?

A. Andrew L. Rypel, Ph.D., Professor, Peter B. Moyle & California Trout Endowed Chair, Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis: Salmon are declining for a host of reasons — dams, fishing, water extraction, loss of wetlands, to name a few. We are collaborating to get more salmon on the landscape as the loss of salmon is bad for everyone. Forest ecosystems in the spawning grounds get shut off from marine-derived nitrogen that salmon brings. Indigenous communities lose nutritious food and a sacred animal from the landscape. California fishing communities lose a source of revenue, and businesses, including farms, get mired in environmental regulations. Our work shows how winter-flooded rice fields can be used to expand habitats to juvenile salmon; rice growers are a major part of the solution to save salmon. Ninety-five percent of the historical floodplain was eliminated in California, yet there are 500,000 acres of rice fields. We are thinking creatively to use these lands to mimic the historical floodplains. This project shows how farms, ecosystems and flood control work together for a common good.

A. Paul Buttner, Manager of Environmental Affairs, California Rice Commission (CRC): Growth rates of baby salmon placed into winter-flooded rice fields are proven notable due to significant amounts of zooplankton, the natural food source baby salmon rely on. We hope to develop a management practice to extend the period when threatened runs of salmon can benefit from these fields, increase the habitat quality and enable the fish to willingly enter/exit the fields. There are many technical challenges that are being addressed through pilot-scale implementation and adaptive management over a period of years.

Q. What is your organization’s role in the project and why did you choose to get involved?

A. Rypel: It takes science, hard work and collaboration to get the pieces in place so we can move forward. We are finding ways to get the salmon on the fields, have them rear and get safely out. Our UC Davis team works on questions like how to drill holes and notches in rice boards to allow fish safe passage. We’ve done fish tracking studies and piloted technology and web applications to measure dissolved oxygen in real time and transmit those data into a website so managers can monitor temperature and oxygen conditions in the fields. If fields begin to develop harmful conditions, we have protocols to pull the boards and evacuate the fish. We are researching to show that this practice benefits the fish. These issues are important when you are working with an endangered species.

A. Buttner: The California rice industry is known as the Environmental Crop due in part to the focus on providing habitat enhancement for wetland-dependent species in the Pacific Flyway. CRC decided to work on using rice fields to help salmon recovery after early scientific work by California Trout (CalTrout) and UC Davis demonstrated that the reactivation of the historic floodplain is a vital element to salmon recovery and may be suited to provide a high-quality habitat for salmon.

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This project changes the narrative around the role that productive agriculture has in achieving environmental outcomes. It creates a positive impact on the salmon, and a new opportunity for the rice industry to deliver environmental benefits alongside its crop. This is a powerful example of how agricultural groups, non-profits and companies like Syngenta can work on important challenges.

Ben Sacher Syngenta State Affairs Lead

Q. How do your organizations collaborate on the project?

A. Rypel: It takes a village. The CRC has had major success with conservation programs and with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). They know the growers and their issues and economics. We identify critical science needs and design studies to answer key questions. This is important when we work through concerns from regulatory and resource agencies. UC Davis students are engaged in the work; we are training the next generation to solve problems that are collaborative, innovative and community-oriented. NRCS helped start this program and addresses concerns as they arise. Our agency partners are generous and patient — they help us see the regulatory side and provide insight into their stakeholder concerns and public mandates. Some agencies have their own scientists who help us. None of this is possible without partnerships with private industry — including the rice growers and sponsors like Syngenta. I give Syngenta a lot of credit for having the vision to see what we are trying to achieve. It is probably the most exciting science project I have ever been a part of, and the support of our project sponsors, especially Syngenta, continues to enable that.

A. Buttner: CRC is leading the overall effort with the centerpiece being two grants provided to CRC by the NRCS, which committed nearly $1.2 million. This funding requires 1:1 matching partner contributions in the form of in-kind technical assistance and/or financial contributions. This is where Syngenta’s commitment comes in as they contributed about half of these required matching funds or about 25% of the total project costs thus far. This major contribution, combined with others (see: Salmon.CalRice.org), enabled CRC to move forward.

Q. Why are stewardship projects, in general, important for organizations, universities and companies to get involved in?

A. Rypel: Humans have a major impact on ecosystems, and we need to accept that humans are mostly in charge. This leads to some interesting places, like thinking through the kinds of ecosystem services we value and exploring ways to harmonize farming with ecosystems. That’s the future, and the kind of work we should do more of. Having institutions with diverse missions collaborate toward these solutions is exciting, and I am proud to be part of it.

A. Buttner: We know the potential for rice to provide significant environmental benefits and be an important food source. Our growers participate by implementing stewardship practices on their farms. Often the costs are shared by the beneficiaries of these positive outcomes through the Farm Bill Conservation Title and other state and federal programs.

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Q. What do you hope to achieve at the end of this habitat restoration project?

A. Rypel: We are aiming for a conservation practice for NRCS that incentivizes rice growers to participate in salmon conservation. I hope we boost the salmon populations as they are some of the most interesting and important animals in California, and on Earth. They deserve saving.

A. Buttner: We hope to have a proven program option our growers can enroll in to provide a high-quality salmon habitat for struggling salmon runs in the Sacramento Valley. This would be a great complementary program to our many existing programs that offer management practices to benefit waterbirds, which are also highly reliant upon California rice fields.

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Impactful innovation doesn’t occur in a vacuum, and partnerships between industry and academia lead to big advances. That’s why Syngenta collaborates with universities to trial its new chemistries, study existing chemistries, talk with growers at field days, and, of course, hire excellent students produced by top ag universities.

Great Chemistry Together

John C. Palumbo, Ph.D., extension entomologist at the University of Arizona, has partnered with Syngenta for decades. “I have always looked at new chemistry for Syngenta, and I have been fortunate that they are always bringing new products along the way,” Palumbo says. “They completely support my research, they share their expertise, information, and provide as much as they can in the compounds, formulations and rates. I always feel in-the-know,” he says.

That partnership helped Syngenta with its development of products having new modes of action, such as the coming-soon PLINAZOLIN® technology, currently under registration review by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). For more than six years, Palumbo worked with the Syngenta team, including Elijah Meck, Ph.D., technical product lead at Syngenta, to help develop this technology.

“It will be a new mode of action in the foliar space that will control many different insects and mites and will help manage resistance,” Meck says.

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Meck writes trial protocols and works with local Syngenta R&D scientists who send the protocols to university partners to begin research — but that’s only the beginning. The trials rigorously test chemistries for the safety and efficacy of crops. “I will visit trial sites to get perspective on how our products are performing,” Meck says. “I ask a lot of questions: Did they observe anything new or unusual? How is the product performing in their view? How might it fit in the marketplace with other available products?”

Meck says partnerships between industry and universities also benefit growers in terms of the insights they gain about practical successes and challenges. “We want good relationships with universities and extension services and want their honesty about what our products can and can’t do. Growers are better served when they understand all these things.”

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I have always looked at new chemistry for Syngenta, and I have been fortunate that they are always bringing new products along the way. They completely support my research, they share their expertise, information, and provide as much as they can in the compounds, formulations and rates. I always feel in-the-know.

John C. Palumbo, Ph.D. Extension Entomologist, University of Arizona

Future Generations

Aaron Hager, Ph.D., extension weed scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, dedicates his time to helping farmers manage weeds, examining herbicide application programs in the field and advising masters- and Ph.D.-level students. He has professional relationships with some Syngenta employees dating from when they were in college together. In 2009, he received a question from one of them about a photo of a waterhemp plant uninjured from a postemergence herbicide. “I ended up visiting the field with Syngenta and agreed there was something going on there,” Hager says. “This became the first instance in the world of confirmed resistance to HPPD inhibitors. When UI weed scientists brought our data to Syngenta, they funded our work with the largest single grant in the history of the University of Illinois weed science program.”

Hager says the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been turning students into weed science professionals since the 1950s. His and his peers’ goal is to provide a well-rounded experience for students, preparing them for their future roles in the ag industry.

Seth Strom is a Syngenta field R&D scientist in Monticello, Illinois. Hager was Strom’s Ph.D. advisor and, along with his co-advisors, is who Strom credits with molding him into a well-rounded weed scientist. Strom’s dissertation was a collaborative project with Syngenta, but working in field trials sponsored by different agricultural companies gave him a broad view of the weed science world. Strom also met different people and saw their various scientific approaches at the professional meetings Hager encouraged him to attend. “I’m still applying that knowledge to my current role as a field rep,” Strom says. “That base was really helpful, and accepting a position with Syngenta was like going home for me.”

Syngenta agronomy service representative Kevin Scholl earned both a bachelor’s degree in ag business and a master’s degree in crop science/agronomy from the University of Illinois. Now Scholl uses information from university extension to guide his customers’ decisions about herbicide selection, application and weed resistance management. “They’re a really valuable resource for the state and our customers,” Scholl says.

Supportive Partners

Syngenta finds another opportunity for university collaboration through funding endowments such as the Janis McFarland CERSA Internship Endowment at North Carolina State University. The endowment supports undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), helping them gain real-world internship experience in the crop science regulatory field.

There’s no shortage of partnership opportunities, and no limit on how they impact future agricultural innovations.

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This summer, Syngenta returns to Farm Progress Show, Aug. 29 to 31 in Decatur, Illinois, and Husker Harvest Days, Sept. 12 to 14 in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Syngenta experience connects a wide portfolio of seed and crop protection products and agronomic insights with growers, retailers and others in the ag industry. Syngenta booth visitors can chat with experts about their biggest concerns this season – and have a lot of fun in the process.

The ultra-informative Agronomy Bar is returning this year, with Syngenta Agronomic Service Representatives (ASRs) available for in-depth discussions on the weeds, pests and diseases threatening corn, soybeans and other crops. The Agronomy Bar will host live, scheduled demonstrations and “Ask an Agronomist” opportunities.

The Agronomy Bar also features a trivia game for the chance to win fun prizes like corn- and soybean-themed socks and drink tickets for Syngenta Square, the show’s beer garden*. This game challenges visitors to explore top Syngenta products, discuss issues with ASRs and learn more about current agronomic challenges.

Top Syngenta brands and their capabilities will be represented throughout the booth. A live plant demonstration will showcase Tendovo® soybean herbicide in action. Visitors will see the difference in pest control between DuracadeViptera™ trait stacks and their competitors in a preserved corn trial. The Storen™ corn herbicide patio will be the 2023 highlight of the booth. Syngenta announced Storen, its newest corn herbicide, at Commodity Classic in March 2023. The key features of Storen will be highlighted with a live plant display and other demonstrations. Other featured brands include:

  • Syngenta Digital and AgriEdge® dedicated agribusiness partnership
  • Acuron® and Acuron GT corn herbicides
  • CruiserMaxx® APX and Saltro® seed treatments
  • NK Seeds 20 NK® corn hybrids, our most thoroughly tested class yet, and soybean varieties featuring genetics with a high yield potential
  • Miravis® Ace, Miravis Top, Miravis Neo and Trivapro® fungicides

 

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When it’s time for a break from all the ag action, head to Syngenta Square for a cold drink and live music**. This year, the Better Yield is the Better Deal™ lineup of products is taking over the square with even more ways to unwind.

Exclusive to Farm Progress Show, CruiserMaxx APX will challenge common seed treatment myths with a surprise special guest.

There’s a lot to do and see, so plan your visit by following Syngenta US on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Find out where else to visit Syngenta this year.

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Halfway through a long day of driving, I pulled off the interstate and into a Wendy’s parking lot. I didn’t plan to take the time to sit down and eat my value menu feast, but since the drive-thru line was pretty long, I parked and walked to the front door.

Locked.

Taped to the door, a sheet of white printer paper informed me, in a no-frills font, that: “Due to an employee shortage, our dining room is currently closed. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your patronage.”

Huh.

After taking a beat or two to process the information, I got back in my car, waited in the drive-thru line, got my lunch, and steered back onto the interstate, wondering again at the phenomenon of America’s current labor shortage. Blame it on what you will, it’s tough to find an industry that hasn’t been affected by a lack of willing and capable employees. And this has been made particularly evident in the world of agriculture.

Higher Wages, Fewer Workers

Talk to anybody running a farm or ranch in the United States right now, and odds are they’ll tell you how challenging it is to find and hire reliable workers. Even once you manage to find someone who’s a good fit, that help comes at a steeper cost than ever before. Data gathered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in its most recent Farm Labor Survey shows that wages for non-supervisory ag workers rose at an average of 1.2 percent annually from 1990 to 2021. Over the past five years, however, wages increased by 2.5 percent per year.

According to the NASS report released May 24, 2023, American farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $18.08 per hour during the April 2023 reference week – up 5 percent from the same period in 2022. Field workers earned an average of $17.26 per hour, up 5 percent. Livestock workers made $16.48 per hour, up 4 percent.

All those numbers back up the anecdotal evidence from growers that farm workers are getting harder and harder to find and hire.

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It’s difficult to deal with securing labor. With the minimum wage increases in the United States in recent years, more people have decided to leave skilled labor positions for less physically demanding work. It has shrunk the talent pool for farming operations to hire from.

Brad Stinson Desert Operations Manager, Duda Farm Fresh Foods

Farmers Worry About Labor

It’s no secret that the U.S. provides the most efficient and stable food supply on the world market. But with skilled labor growing ever harder to come by, American producers often wonder how they’re going to keep the pipeline filled.

“It’s difficult to deal with securing labor,” says Brad Stinson, desert operations manager for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a company with fruit and vegetable production and shipping operations in Florida, California, Arizona, Michigan and Georgia. “With the minimum wage increases in the United States in recent years, more people have decided to leave skilled labor positions for less physically demanding work. It has shrunk the talent pool for farming operations to hire from.”

H-2A Strengthens Labor Force

One very important tool in keeping up a strong ag labor force for Duda, Stinson says, is the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program, often called the H-2A visa program. The H-2A program provides a legal means for agricultural employers to bring foreign-born workers to the U.S. to perform seasonal farm labor. H-2A visas are issued on a temporary basis, for a period of up to 10 months.

While crop farmers can use this program to meet their seasonal labor needs, most livestock producers are not allowed to use the program to meet year-round labor needs. There is, however, an exception made to this restriction for producers of range-grazing livestock, who are allowed to employ H-2A workers year-round. The U.S. Department of Labor’s H-2A website offers guidance for employers in getting started in the H-2A program and finding qualified H-2A workers.

The increased utilization of the H-2A program over the years is one of the most obvious illustrations of a scarcity of farm labor. The number of H-2A positions requested and approved has ballooned more than sevenfold over the past 17 years. According to data from the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), just over 48,000 H-2A applications were approved in fiscal year 2005, and some 371,000 were granted in fiscal 2022. The average H-2A certification issued in 2022 lasted 5.65 months, implying that the aforementioned 371,000 positions equated to around 175,000 full-year jobs.

“The main benefit of H-2A lies in the core of the program,” says Stinson. “And that is simply being able to secure qualified laborers to ensure a timely and professional harvest. We have some crews with foremen and harvesters who have been working with us through the H-2A program for over 15 years. Like any business relationship, if there is a mutual respect between employees and management, it is much easier to succeed. We’ve been able to find those relationships.”

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Getting Started With H-2A

To qualify for the H-2A program, employers must demonstrate that their honest efforts to recruit American workers yielded no fruit. They are also required to pay a state-specific minimum wage, which must be at least the average wage paid to crop and livestock workers surveyed in the Farm Labor Survey in that region the year prior. This figure is known as the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Additionally, employers are required to provide housing for their H-2A workers and cover their domestic and international transportation.

“With the H-2A program, you can employ and train a crew for a season, and as long as they prove to be dependable workers, you can rehire them each year,” says Stinson. “It allows you to invest your time and knowledge into those people the same as any other job. The only difference is that they require a special visa. It’s actually slightly more expensive in some cases to employ H-2A workers, but the benefit outweighs the cost.”

H-2A Not Without Challenges

Stinson says most of his company’s challenges with the H-2A program fall under the umbrella of logistics. For example, H-2A employees are only allowed to work in a pre-designated state or county during the time of their employment. If an opportunity arises unexpectedly in a region not listed on their H-2A documentation, those workers and employers are not allowed under the law to move their operations.

“We are required to submit those H-2A forms 90 days in advance,” says Stinson. “That requires a lot of planning. Another logistical challenge is securing housing and meals for H-2A laborers, which is mandatory. If a company employing these workers has not built its own housing facility, it would have to coordinate with a local hotel or make some other arrangements to ensure the workers have appropriate housing.”

When all is said and done, though, employing H-2A workers has been a major boon to many American agriculture businesses and to the industry as a whole. H-2A labor has kept the U.S. produce sector humming along despite the labor challenges facing much of the economy.

“You can find H-2A workers driving tractors and laying irrigation pipe, harvesting and packing crops in the field, packing value-added products in processing facilities, and everywhere in between,” says Stinson. “I only see the United States becoming more and more reliant on H-2A labor for agriculture as we continue to expand what it means to be a service economy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who choose to work and provide goods to people of another country while supporting their families across the border.”

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It’s safe to say that most farmers know about soybean cyst nematode (SCN). It is found in nearly every soybean-growing county in the United States. That sudden death syndrome (SDS), another yield-robbing soybean disease, increasingly impacts those same fields is perhaps a lesser-known fact. But researchers are working to reduce the impact of both problems, while digging deeper into the relationship between them. Think of SCN as the “canary in a coal mine” – meaning that its increased problematic presence encourages more SDS to be seen, and thereby growers recognize that SCN is out of control.

Identifying SCN through SDS

Sudden death syndrome affects soybeans in two phases: early in the season as root infection and then in August as leaf canopy foliar symptoms. Early cool, wet conditions slow soybean development, which encourages heavier Fusarium virguliforme root infection. Fusarium virguliforme toxins travel upward through vascular tissue, which causes the tissue to clog and lead to the more visible symptom: yellowing and browning leaves that eventually fall off, leading to premature defoliation.

Below the soil, SCN appears as small white or cream-colored cysts on the roots. These cysts – which contain 200 to 300 SCN eggs each – are approximately the size of the period at the end of this sentence. These cysts eventually turn brown, making them hard to detect in soil. There are approximately two-to-four generations of SCN each growing season across the U.S. soybean belt, and dry weather spurs even more cyst production.

“The problem for most growers is that SCN can stay undetected,” says Phil Krieg, a Syngenta agronomic service representative based in Illinois. “And many do not find it until SDS is present.”

Krieg notes that when growers call to say they’re experiencing a yield drop-off and their soybeans don’t look right, he heads out to evaluate the situation. “I will go out there and dig up a crop or test the soil, and almost every time SDS is present, SCN is active,” he says.

“SCN is what opens the door to infection; the microscopic roundworms enter the root leaving it more vulnerable to disease infection. The parasite also drags down the plants’ defense systems and allows diseases like SDS to be amplified,” says Dale Ireland, Ph.D., Syngenta Seedcare technical product lead. “Anytime there is a parasite present, that plant is ultimately not going to perform optimally, just like within animals or humans.”

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SCN is what opens the door to infection; the microscopic roundworms enter the root leaving it more vulnerable to disease infection. The parasite also drags down the plants’ defense systems and allows diseases like SDS to be amplified.

Dale Ireland, Ph.D. Syngenta Seedcare Technical Product Lead

Funding Research on Connections

Febina Mathew, Ph.D., broadleaf and oilseed crops pathologist at North Dakota State University, is studying the relationship between SDS and SCN. She leads a project funded by the North Dakota Soybean Council, which includes examining the interaction between Fusarium virguliforme and SCN.

Heterodera glycines (HG) is the scientific name of SCN and its different types are numbered 1 through 7, in reference to their potential to overcome resistance. “The type 2.5.7 is becoming prevalent in North Dakota,” Mathew says. “We will conduct greenhouse studies that look at the interactions between this HG type and Fusarium virguliforme to see if SCN presence can increase the disease severity caused by the Fusarium.”

Susan Watkins, a soybean grower near Sutherland, Virginia, heads the United Soybean Board’s (USB) Health and Nutrition Supply Work Group, which concentrates on soil and plant health and best management practices.

“SCN and sudden death syndrome are of concern for farmers,” Watkins says. “Both are yield robbers to a farmer’s bottom line. The need for more methods of control is critical to decrease the yield loss from these two issues, and USB is funding research projects for both.”

Mathew is involved with these projects and others funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program. Her research is identifying sources of resistance to Fusarium virguliforme, as well as evaluating the efficacy of seed treatments for SDS. The projects include corresponding research in Michigan with Martin Chilvers, Ph.D., field crops pathologist at Michigan State University.

Developing Prevention Strategies

“We know that soybean cyst nematode can exacerbate SDS development, we just don’t know how, and we are working to answer questions about their relationship,” Chilvers says. “Although SCN and SDS exist independently when we spatially mapped the presence of Fusarium virguliforme and soybean cyst nematodes in the field trials, we saw worse SDS development where they overlapped.”

Through a project supported by the Michigan Soybean Committee, Chilvers is developing an SDS risk prediction tool based on soil sampling, similar to SCN identification methods.

“We hope we can use this risk indicator tool for both SCN and SDS,” Chilvers says. “A farmer or scout can send in a soil sample, and we would look for nematodes and also the levels of Fusarium virguliforme using a technique with DNA to essentially count the amount of Fusarium that are present.”

Farmers could use one set of soil samples to make more informed choices about SCN and SDS, like resistant cultivar selection and if fungicide treatments are necessary.

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Protecting Two Fronts

Since foliar fungicides are not effective against SDS, Ireland and Krieg recommend a comprehensive strategy for both SDS and SCN. This includes:

  • Crop rotation including non-host crops, like corn and wheat.
  • Managing winter weeds that are alternative hosts for nematodes, like purple deadnettle or henbit.
  • Monitoring crops and sampling for SCN in the soil where yield declines are noticed; sampling every two or three soybean crops is recommended.
  • Choosing SCN and SDS-resistant genetics and utilizing an SDS and SCN seed treatment.

“Growers want to capture extra bushels an acre by planting soybeans early,” Krieg says. “You only get one chance to plant soybeans early and protecting your soybeans with a seed treatment is the best way to do that and avoid replants.”

Choose a seed treatment that fits the crop’s specific needs. Ireland and Krieg recommend Saltro® fungicide seed treatment since it can prevent SDS infection, deliver nematode activity reduction and promote overall plant health when used in combination with a comprehensive fungicide/insecticide seed treatment, such as CruiserMaxx® APX.

“There is nothing that comes close to Saltro,” Ireland says. “It is safe, allows the plant to germinate, continue to grow and helps prevent SDS. Plus, it has a direct predictable activity on SCN with activity at every life cycle stage.”

For more information about SDS and SCN research projects, visit the National Soybean Checkoff Research Database: “Understanding How Fusarium Affects Soybean in ND and Development of Disease Management Strategies” and “Soybean SDS and SCN management: risk prediction, seed treatments and variety screening”.

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Q. What are the benefits of your service to the ag industry?

A. Ryan Bivens, First-generation Farmer and Owner of Fresh Start Farms; Director of the Kentucky Soybean Board and member of the United Soybean Board: I don’t care what you produce, raise or what line of work you’re in – you need to be involved with some kind of advocacy group that helps to grow your industry. You can’t do this on your own. Being a part of the United Soybean Board is not something I take lightly; we have a fiscal responsibility and are representing other people’s dollars. We all should be doing things to promote our industry and, through research, to improve our industry. Everybody has a responsibility in life to stand up and speak, do more to educate, and better whatever industry they’re involved in.

B. Macie O’Shaughnessy, Industry Relations Manager at Syngenta and member of the Cotton Foundation Board and the USA Rice Foundation Board: In industry relations, we engage and collaborate closely with farmers and trade and industry associations. This gives us the opportunity to manage and mitigate risks collaboratively with more voices. Some of the things we work on include educating and lobbying against unscientific regulations, understanding watch-outs and opportunities in the marketplace, such as biofuels, sustainable aviation fuels, biologicals, carbon markets. In industry relations and government relations, our team gets to work in a pre-competitive space – which means that we work collaboratively with farmers and other companies in the industry to address the greater good of ag.

Q. How does your service affect you on a personal level?

A. Bivens: If we backed up 30 years, people in a position like mine would have made connections with friends that they saw maybe two or three times a year. Nowadays, with technology, we can reach one another with a text or a phone call. The definition of a neighbor is much broader than it was decades ago. If you work a lifetime to build a reputation, you know that you can lose that reputation in seconds. Knowing you’re a role model and that other people in the industry look to you makes you strive to do better.

B. O’Shaughnessy: It has reinforced the importance and value of staying engaged in our political process. I’m constantly fascinated and proud of the scientific advancements that our industry offers growers. Seeing the power that science can bring to the farm and then to the table – as well as the work, risk and dedication that farmers put into producing food, feed, fiber and fuel for our communities – it all affects and inspires me on a personal level. I work to advocate and tell the story in my kids’ school, in my community and on the Hill.

Q. How did you become involved?

A. Bivens: Being involved comes naturally to me. Growing up, I was involved in 4H and FFA. Those experiences taught me to get involved and stay involved. Along the way, my neighbors encouraged my involvement with the Kentucky Soybean Association. After serving there, I got to know people on the United Soybean Board and was encouraged to run for the seat.

B. O’Shaughnessy: I landed in the industry through a finance position by pure luck. I’ve been able to learn and grow my experiences and career through the support and encouragement of many mentors.

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Being involved comes naturally to me. Growing up, I was involved in 4H and FFA. Those experiences taught me to get involved and stay involved. Along the way, my neighbors encouraged my involvement with the Kentucky Soybean Association.

Ryan Bivens First-generation Farmer and Owner of Fresh Start Farms; Director of the Kentucky Soybean Board and member of the United Soybean Board

Q. Why should others, especially the next generation, consider serving in these types of roles?

A. Bivens: I’ve got two boys; one is 15 and the other is 12. I tell them every day that one of the biggest problems in ag is we haven’t told our story to the public. We haven’t explained why we do the things we do. I think it’s biting us in the tail. People need to get involved and tell their stories because if they don’t, then others will – and their version may not be accurate. You must get involved because if things aren’t going our way, it’s our job to look out for our industry.

B. O’Shaughnessy: The health of our future depends on it. We need our communities and government to understand the commitment and care our farmers put into their work, and the rigorous safety and efficacy testing the industry does before bringing a new product to market. For American farmers to continue the important work they do in a sustainable way, we need strong voices in agriculture to advocate for the freedom to operate and access to technology.

Q. What is your advice to others considering service?

A. Bivens: I think in this country that we all have a responsibility to give back. Some might give back by being involved in groups and others may give financially. At the end of the day, giving back makes a society work. I chose to provide my service to this industry that I love. I think that those of us in ag bring a different perspective to the table. If you don’t give to an ag group, then participate in a church, civic or community group. Ag has such a huge impact on the everyday life of the worldwide community. If we’re not there to give our voice, our service and ourselves, we’ll get left behind.

B. O’Shaughnessy: Be open-minded. Be the bridge into the parts of society that haven’t had the opportunity to understand the culture of sustainability in agriculture, and truly understand the effective technology that enables growers access to tools that work on their individual operations. Tell your story with pride. Agriculture and food security should be a bipartisan, human topic. Be patient, listen, connect, and meet people where they are. Also, don’t be shy! Farmers are natural teachers; they build relationships and mentorships. Collaborate and learn as much as you can and share it! Pay it forward. I get just as much out of being a mentor as a mentee.

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Q. What are you most proud of during your tenure?

A. Bivens: I’ve been very blessed, won numerous awards and been recognized by numerous groups – but I tell everyone that I’m no different than everybody else. But the thing I’m most proud of is my sons, Cyrus and Avery. I taught them the love of ag and love for organizations that represent ag. They have now made the decision to be the next generation and come back to our farm and do their part.

B. O’Shaughnessy: The thing that brings me the most pride is seeing others that I’ve mentored lead with their voice and make a difference. Each win matters! There is nothing better than seeing someone who is passionate about agriculture own their message and succeed in their vision. I’ve been fortunate with many opportunities to collaborate and it’s hard to put one on top of another. Currently, I am most proud of the Syngenta initiative, Leadership At Its Best program (LAIB). The Syngenta industry relations team provides a week-long curriculum of education and valuable relationship building across grower and trade organizations. We deep-dive agriculture policy, current affairs, communications, media training and various aspects of leadership training relative to priority issues facing agriculture. Our goal is empowering today’s leaders for future challenges and opportunities.

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Honeybees may be the most well-known pollinator, but there are more than 100,000 other species that aid in pollination and deserve our admiration, including beetles, flying foxes, lemurs and geckos. Awareness is rising about the importance of pollinators and the critical role they play in our food supply.

Agriculture depends on healthy pollinators. They are essential to natural habitats and critical for successful crop production, packing a mighty punch turning pollen into food. Sustainable agriculture supports successfully feeding today’s consumers while safeguarding pollinators and conserving the environment for future generations.

Pollinators face many survival challenges, including habitat loss and fragmentation, pathogens, unsustainable use of crop protection products and environmental pollution. Syngenta developed the global Operation Pollinator initiative more than 20 years ago to help boost the number of pollinators on commercial farms and other landscapes. It supports growers in their effort to convert marginal farmland into vegetation corridors that provide essential habitat and forage environments for pollinators.

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It’s important for farmers and beekeepers to work together throughout the growing season. Before making an application, locate hives near the field and communicate with nearby beekeepers prior to treatment.

Caydee Savinelli, Ph.D. U.S. Stewardship Team and Pollinator Lead at Syngenta

Caydee Savinelli, Ph.D., the U.S. stewardship team and pollinator lead at Syngenta, is an entomologist with a passion for protecting pollinators. She educates others about the importance of pollinators and how to engage in sustainable practices to enhance and conserve the natural habitats of both pollinators and surrounding wildlife.

Small changes make a big impact on the environment and a healthy agricultural system. Cooperation and communication among farmers, landowners, applicators, beekeepers, crop advisors and local officials help protect pollinators, their hives and habitats. “It’s important for farmers and beekeepers to work together throughout the growing season,” Savinelli says. “Before making an application, locate hives near the field and communicate with nearby beekeepers prior to treatment.”

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Operation Pollinator has enhanced biodiversity on more than 12 million acres of farmland and continues to foster pollinator habitats within the farming landscape. Ensuring a sustainable food supply requires everyone to play their part in preserving the land. To learn more about pollinator protection and stewardship best practices, visit www.BeeHealth.org.

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A new species of miniscule fly in the family Cecidomyiidae is creeping along the edges of Midwestern soybean fields. Soybean gall midge begins its life cycle as a small, legless, clear- to white-colored maggot that turns bright orange as it matures. Adults are characterized by mottled wings, an orange abdomen and long-legged, slender bodies.

Orange larvae suspected to be soybean gall midge were found in 2011 by Nebraska farmers; they noticed the larvae at the base of a soybean plant’s stem. At the time, it was considered a secondary pest. That changed in 2018 when infestations were observed earlier, in higher numbers and without injury or disease present. As of April 2023, soybean gall midge had been found in 155 counties throughout Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and the northeast edge of Missouri.

“I first saw what we think was soybean gall midge in 2016,” says Justin McMechan, Ph.D., crop protection and cropping systems specialist and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Extension. “I was called to a field that had orange larvae at the plant base and no signs of death or wilting. The extension educator asked me if there was a concern, and I didn’t think so because we only saw them on mechanically damaged or diseased plants. It didn’t cause economic yield loss, so no need to worry.”

In 2018, McMechan was told that the orange larvae were back in high numbers at the base of soybean plants — this time accompanied by dying plants. “It appeared the larvae were girdling the plants, so it was now a very different scenario,” McMechan says. “We got on a call with several entomologists and learned it was also being observed in South Dakota and Iowa.”

After sending samples off to Maryland and Japan for morphological characters and genetic testing, the pest was confirmed as a new species by Raymond Gagne and Junichi Yukawa. In 2018, it was classified as soybean gall midge, or Resseliella maxima. However, according to McMechan, along with an identification came numerous questions about the pest.

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At the edge of a field, the yield impact can be severe – up to 100% because they can completely kill plants – but then as you go further into the field, it’s typically less severe. It really depends on the year and the field size/shape.

Dean Grossnickle Technical Development Lead at Syngenta

Soybean Gall Midge Scouting

Dean Grossnickle, technical development lead at Syngenta, says while soybean gall midges are not known to be aggressive flyers, powerful Midwestern winds could potentially blow this small fly into new fields. According to the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network, 15 new infested counties were identified in 2022. Continued tracking and scouting is key to understanding the spread and impact of this pest.

To scout for soybean gall midge, Ashley Dean, education extension specialist at Iowa State University, recommends:

  • Start looking at the adjacent edges to where soybeans were planted the previous year for plants that are wilting or dead
  • Look at the base of the stem for a lesion that can be jet black, soft and mushy
  • Peel the lesion open and look for bright orange larvae or other evidence of midges

Yield Impact

Soybean gall midge larvae feed in a tiny zone at the base of the plant – 1.5 to 2 inches from the soil – where nutrients and water flow into the plants. As they feed, they cut off water supply and stop nutrient flow, causing plants to slowly wilt and die. McMechan says it happens as soon as 21 days from infestation, outright killing soybean plants within three weeks.

However, there are still questions around exactly how much economic yield impact the pest has.

“The yield impact varies annually, but it can also be variable within a field because it tends to be an edge pest,” Dean says. “At the edge of a field, the yield impact can be severe – up to 100% because they can completely kill plants – but then as you go further into the field, it’s typically less severe. It really depends on the year and the field size/shape.”

“A couple of years ago, I saw an 80-acre field in Nebraska that pulled off just three bushels, so it was completely decimated,” Deane Jorgenson, Ph.D., marketing lead at Syngenta says. “But I’ve also seen an 80-acre field that had 30 bushels. The farmer didn’t even realize he had gall midge populations present because he saw green plants with lots of leaves – just no pods.”

Jorgenson says that when farmers don’t realize there’s an issue until the damage is done, that’s a real problem.

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Unanswered Questions

Mitigating risk near previously infested areas is a key consideration. Management is difficult because there are still many unknowns with soybean gall midge, such as how many seasons they can survive in fields not planted in soybeans.

Researchers are investigating biology, ecology and potential management solutions. Management may include moving back planting dates, crop rotations, hilling at the base of the soybean plants to cover V2 fissures, resistant varieties and chemical management. Studies will be ongoing for the near future.

“We’re trying to find a solution, but there is a lot of stuff we don’t know yet,” Grossnickle says. “All we can do is put our best foot forward and implement some solutions, even if it sometimes feels like spitting in the wind. It’s going to take that enterprising farmer and that enterprising researcher to find the answer.”

From a chemical pest management perspective, Jorgenson says a multi-pronged approach seems like a potential solution, but unknown population dynamics are impacting studies.

“A multi-pronged approach that overlaps systemic seed treatments, like CruiserMaxx APX seed treatment, and foliar insecticides, like Warrior II with Zeon Technology, Besiege and Endigo ZCX, seems like it would work to manage both the larvae and the adults. We are still investigating and evaluating efficacy,” Jorgenson says. “However, that approach can be expensive to a farmer, so it’s really important to understand how the pest moves, where the pest may show up, and how far into the field the pest might penetrate so that a farmer can be very thoughtful and ensure they are using the best products.”

Jorgenson says that Syngenta values its partnerships with university extension. “We at Syngenta understand the value for the American farmer and invest in research and development to support the local communities where soybean gall midge is present,” she says.

What does that mean for the future?

“We need to really understand what makes soybean gall midge tick to know what areas are at risk each year,” McMechan says. “As long as we keep collecting data, we’ll start narrowing down on what the risk is. It’ll take a long time. Soybean gall midge may dial back as a problem, but it’s highly likely we’re going to find it in soybean fields for the rest of my career.”

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When farmers face an agronomic challenge and need answers, they often call their local ag retail expert. For many growers in western Tazewell County, located along the Illinois River in central Illinois, that expert is Travis Rudat, a crop specialist and certified crop advisor for Ag-Land FS, Inc.

Rudat has worked with these farmers for more than a decade and understands their unique needs. In addition to corn and soybeans, they raise pumpkins, popcorn, green beans and other vegetables. These specialty crops add complexity to agronomic systems.

“We work through problems in their fields with a multi-year view because of their crop rotations,” he says. “The impact of problems or mistakes can last more than one year.”

Rudat relies on a regional expert from an ag supplier when he needs help finding solutions. In his area, that person is Blake Miller, agronomic service representative for Syngenta. Miller has provided agronomic support for Syngenta customers in central Illinois for more than a decade. Prior to that, he worked for an ag retailer — focusing on agronomic inputs — and for a seed company.

“When I have tough issues, I call Blake,” Rudat says. “I’ve found that Syngenta products have valuable, credible research behind them, and the same goes for the people. They have years of experience and have worked through many changes in the industry.”

Miller knows when Rudat calls that a grower is experiencing a serious issue. “Travis really understands agronomics and his customers’ needs, so he is a joy to work with,” he says.

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When I have tough issues, I call Blake. I’ve found that Syngenta products have valuable, credible research behind them, and the same goes for the people. They have years of experience and have worked through many changes in the industry.

Travis Rudat Crop Specialist and Certified Crop Advisor, Ag-Land FS, Inc

Wrestling With Waterhemp

Together, Rudat and Miller often tackle herbicide-resistant weed issues for growers — specifically, controlling waterhemp in corn. The weed developed resistance to multiple herbicides, including glyphosate, HPPD inhibitors and PPO inhibitors.

“Managing waterhemp requires a two-pass herbicide program with multiple sites of action,” Miller says. “However, we have to pay close attention to herbicide carryover restrictions because of complex crop rotations.”

Rudat adds that depending on markets and prices, growers may decide to add more specialty crop acres at planting.

“My customers need flexibility,” he says. “We have to take that into account when considering crop rotation intervals for herbicides. Working with Syngenta, we gain a larger toolbox.”

To help these growers, Miller constantly refreshes his knowledge of older chemistries. His goal is to find the right options for each situation.

“The growers are playing checkers with their fields, deciding what to plant to balance profitability, soil health and many other factors,” he says. “It’s easy to get stuck in a box with no weed control solutions. We work to avoid that.”

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Exploring Management Practices

Miller and Rudat agree that these farmers need all options, both herbicide and non-herbicide, to control waterhemp and other problem weeds.

“Tillage is rarely an option, as many growers have an established no-till system,” Miller says. “That makes them more reliant on herbicides.”

Rudat notes that cover crop acreage is increasing annually, and both agronomists believe this may reduce weed pressure. However, managing cover crops presents another set of challenges.

Growers in the area are learning to maximize the value of cover crops within their complex rotations. As they consider effective timing and methods for planting and termination, they turn to Rudat for answers.

“Blake has been a great resource as we discuss options to help growers manage cover crops,” he says. “I’ve called him with other tough issues, as well.”

For example, with the spread of tar spot in corn across the Midwest, fungicide applications are getting more complicated for Rudat’s growers. Growing specialty crops increases disease control complexity, and Miller provides support to determine the best treatment options and timing.

Prioritizing Relationships

Regardless of the agronomic challenge, Rudat appreciates how Miller works with him and his customers.

“He maintains my relationships with growers and helps me build them, too, as we look for answers to any given challenge,” Rudat says.

Miller’s focus is providing the support Rudat needs.

“I know that Travis owns these relationships with farmers,” Miller says. “When I’m asked to come out to the field, I know it’s bad. I can validate what he sees, and then we work together to find the correct solutions.”

The relationship between Rudat and Miller demonstrates how Syngenta provides effective solutions by working with local, trusted agronomic experts.