Syngenta Thrive

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Last year, Syngenta partnered with representatives from four technology companies to test their new devices on commercial farms in Illinois as part of Project Bin Buster.

“We wanted to know whether or not these technologies would bring value to our company, our growers or both,” says Bill McDonnell, digital ag solutions lead for Syngenta. He also oversees the company’s Farm of the Future, 152 acres of land near Ottawa, Illinois, where crop production experts evaluate innovative yield-enhancement tools using the Project Bin Buster protocol.

In 2020, the Bin Buster project stretched across nearly 400 acres over five farms, including the Farm of the Future — three in west-central Illinois and two farther north. Each of the five fields in the project were approximately the same size and planted with the identical replicated trials that included a base rate of nitrogen.

The project put four new technologies, produced by different companies, through their paces.

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I would use these technologies on my farm. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding solutions.

Steve Moffitt Agronomy Manager at D. Dowson Farms, Chatham, Illinois

Technology Monitors Airborne Plant Pathogens

California-based Scanit Technologies provided its new instrument, the SporeCam™ 100 Sensor, for testing. Equipped with a cassette that runs a sticky tape, the sensor can collect, identify and report the presence of harmful airborne plant pathogens and deliver that data electronically both hourly and daily, according to Glenn Wanke, the company’s chief commercial officer.

The sensor, which also collects weather data, was calibrated to collect gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight spores, but it also caught thousands of southern corn rust spores.

“Going forward, if we can put these out in strategic areas and they work, they’ll provide real-time information for making chemical-application decisions,” says Brad Koch, a Syngenta agronomist and corn, soybean and wheat farmer near Quincy, Illinois, who oversaw the project on the three farms in his area. “For example, if we can accurately predict southern corn rust and treat it accordingly, growers could see a 20 to 30 bushel per acre yield increase.”

Drones Deliver Accuracy

Project participants used drones developed by Rantizo, a company in Iowa City, Iowa, to spray the recommended treatments. Autonomous hardware and easy-to-use software then confirmed that issues were addressed correctly, says Michael Ott, Rantizo’s CEO.

Miravis® Neo was mixed with Warrior II with Zeon Technology® and applied to half of each plot. The mix was applied by drones on the west-central locations and by a ground rig on the northern locations.

“There were stark differences between the treated and untreated areas from a yield perspective and a plant integrity standpoint,” Koch says. “The plants stood better; the ears were more intact; and the fields took less time to harvest.”

Ott adds, “The application of chemicals by drones is increasing because users can very precisely apply ag inputs when and where they’re needed. And there’s no potential for soil compaction or crop damage. Through this technology, growers can bring more efficiency to their operations.”

Prior to using the drone technology in the field, Rantizo received all required regulatory approvals from both the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A next step for Rantizo is rolling out a new automated mix and fill loading system.

Instrument Tracks Nitrogen Levels

The problem with conventional soil testing is that it’s done in the offseason, but growers have to make their nitrogen application decisions during the growing season — a scenario that can lead to less-efficient nitrogen use. Retailers and trusted advisers are instrumental in helping growers make decisions on fertility management. Sensors also may help with in-season applications. To further aid nutrient management, Project Bin Buster participants tested a wireless nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K) soil probe and its analytics platform.

Teralytic, a soil health company with four U.S. locations, developed the technology. “It’s a tool for making in-field, real-time nitrogen application decisions,” says Teralytic CEO Steve Ridder. “It also looks at soil health (carbon dioxide and oxygen), moisture, temperature, pH levels and salinity.”

“We looked at multiple nitrogen rates above and below the standard recommendations to try to pinpoint the return on investment from a fertilizer standpoint,” Koch says. “We used the data from the sensors to determine if we were making the right nitrogen fertilizer recommendations. In many cases, we applied more nitrogen than was originally planned.”

Grower Nick Andrew, who participated in Project Bin Buster and who has a 2,500-acre corn and soybean farm north of Quincy, Illinois, was most interested in the N-P-K sensor and the nitrogen fertility information he gleaned. “It looks like I was definitely overapplying it in some areas. In the future, I hope to cut back nitrogen use in some fields by 20%, which will save me around $20 per acre,” he says.

Moving forward, Teralytic will use the sensors to digitally measure on-farm carbon emissions. “Our goal is to help growers sequester excess carbon and then guide them in participating in carbon-trading markets,” Ridder says .

Sensor Provides Valuable Data

Giving growers the ability to track crop progress and quickly respond to any risks that emerge made testing the Arable Mark 2, an in-field sensor that acts as a weather station and crop monitor, a viable choice for the project.

“The Arable Mark 2 is rugged and self-contained, with no moving parts, and it has the ability to transmit data in any location with cellular connectivity,” says Adam Wolf, the founder and chief scientist of Arable, an ag and analytics company headquartered in San Francisco.

Among its 40-plus features, the sensor, which perches above the plant canopy, takes hourly surface-wetness readings to track disease potential, plus hourly dew and temperature readings. It also tracks canopy cover, which is used to estimate photosynthesis and growth, to monitor seasonal crop progress.

“After a fungicide with growth-regulating capabilities was applied, we were able to show that, in the treated plots, the greenness held on for quite a bit longer,” Wolf says. “That resulted in more photosynthesis, which, in turn, brought more dry matter into those growing kernels.”

Brad Koch adds, “From a research perspective, the Arable data will be helpful for making weather, soil moisture, temperature and plant health correlations in real time.”

What’s Next?

In 2021, Project Bin Buster will focus on corn again and add on-farm trials with two potato growers.

Steve Moffitt, the agronomy manager for D. Dowson Farms, an operation participating in Project Bin Buster, sees meaningful promise in these new technologies, “I would use these technologies on my farm. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding solutions,” he says.

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Marvin Frink served in the U.S. Army for 15 years, with deployments in South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. When he returned home, his father, the late Rev. Kirby Frink, saw that his son was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rev. Frink remembered that as a child, his son enjoyed their frequent visits to cattle farms and rodeos. Rev. Frink thought reconnecting with cattle might be good for his son.

Turns out, dad was right.

His son now considers cattle farming his “agri-therapy.” “It gives me purpose and accountability,” he says. “I meet the Lord at the fence line every day.”

At the urging of his father and with help from the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national nonprofit nongovernmental organization that helps veterans transition from military service to agricultural careers, Marvin Frink started cattle farming. He began with two beef cattle and today raises 103 head at his Briarwood Cattle Farm near Red Springs, North Carolina.

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It gives me purpose and accountability.

Marvin Frink Grower at Briarwood Cattle Farm

“I’ve been with the Farmer Veteran Coalition since 2013,” Frink says. “I remember Michael O’Gorman [the organization’s founder] taking me to visit with then-Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. They told me about the grants and resources available to veterans.”

The number of military veterans moving toward agriculture increased after 9/11, says Natalie Monroe, communications & marketing manager for the Farmer Veteran Coalition.

“Veterans are service-minded and accustomed to seeing through what needs to be done,” Monroe says. “Farming becomes their new mission — it provides new life and purpose while also enabling veterans to nourish their communities.”

Enhancing the Quality of Life

Another organization helping veterans, AgrAbility, has the goal of enhancing the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities. There are currently AgrAbility projects in 20 states.

The AgrAbility website features a video, “The Next Mission: Breaking Down Barriers for Veterans in Agriculture,” in which veterans explain why they wanted — and needed — to farm, says Cindy Chastain, the organization’s veteran outreach coordinator. The veterans in the video speak of farming as hard work but also as a restorative experience that gives their lives purpose.

“It would be great if more agricultural employers offered jobs to veterans as they come out of the military,” Chastain says. Farmers also can help veterans by offering internships or opportunities to build sweat equity to someday own their own farms, she adds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which offers various programs for veterans, also provides training to military personnel while they’re making the transition from active service to civilian life.

Visit farmvetco.org, agrability.org and usda.gov/our-agency/initiatives/veterans for more information on programs that support veterans in agriculture.

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To help growers feed a growing global population, Syngenta Group Ventures (SGV) has awarded the winner of the 2020 Radicle Protein Challenge, MycoTechnology, Inc., a $1 million investment. The runner-up, BlueNalu, Inc., received a $250,000 investment. SGV and Radicle Growth, a company-building platform for early-stage ag and food technologies, designed this competition to uncover innovation and invest in companies that are transforming the future of protein.

A distinguished panel of judges selected MycoTechnology, a mushroom fermentation company that manufactures protein and other ingredients, as the winner for its novel organic food processing platform that transforms agricultural material into functional ingredients for the food and beverage industry. The judges also chose BlueNalu, an innovative food company, as the runner-up for its solution to securing a sustainable protein source that addresses supply chain issues through seafood products made directly from the cells of fish.

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The demand for protein is rising. As a result, the need for new protein technologies is increasing in every geography, socioeconomic class and age group.

Erik Fyrwald CEO, Syngenta Group

In addition to these two companies, Cell Farm, Latin America’s first cultured meat startup that creates stem cell lines and growth media for the cellular meat industry, received the People’s Choice Award. The popular vote of attendees determined the recipient of this award, which is not monetary, but rather free coaching from Radicle and Syngenta.

“The demand for protein is rising,” says Erik Fyrwald, CEO of the Syngenta Group. “As a result, the need for new protein technologies is increasing in every geography, socioeconomic class and age group. Partnering with Radicle in this unique way allows us to infuse the level of capital and expertise that will be required for these trailblazing entrepreneurs to overcome challenges to grow this category.”

The finalists of the challenge pitched their innovations to the judges virtually in November 2020. The challenge attracted more than 150 applicants from 30 different countries. Syngenta Group judges included Fyrwald; Chen Lichtenstein, CFO; and Alex Tokarz, head of Group Strategy.

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Cover image: With the world’s rising demand for protein, the 2020 Radicle Protein Challenge rewarded companies, like winner MycoTechnology, Inc., for developing technologies to help supplement more traditional protein sources, such as these Black Angus cows. Photography by John Phelan. 

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How does Syngenta decide which NK® corn hybrids and soybean varieties to move forward?

Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager, Syngenta Seeds: NK Seeds has set criteria for yield and key agronomic attributes such as stalk/root strength, test weight and disease tolerance that all products must meet to go on to the next testing stage or be commercialized. To be sure our products meet these standards, we test the hybrids across a wide geography with a variety of management practices. The products we commercialize must perform well across several years of testing to ensure we have consistent performance for farmers that purchase NK corn.

Eric Miller, NK soybean product manager, Syngenta Seeds
Eric Miller, NK soybean product manager, Syngenta Seeds

Eric Miller, NK soybean product manager, Syngenta Seeds: Product performance and demand ultimately determine the improvements and advancements in our commercial lineup. Herbicide trait dynamics brought a new dimension to the process, and being able to provide high-performing products on multiple herbicide trait platforms puts NK Seeds in a unique position. Regardless of herbicide trait, NK Seeds uses a stringent set of metrics and criteria to determine which products are advanced and become available to farmers. After more than 50 years of breeding soybeans, NK Seeds has the track record and experience to navigate a changing market and continue to bring industry-leading soybean solutions to our farmers and retailers.

How does farmer and/or retailer feedback play into the decision to keep a variety or hybrid?

Bollman: Farmer and retailer feedback is essential for us through all stages of testing hybrids. We use the feedback received from farmers and retailers when developing the performance standards that all hybrids must meet for advancement to the next stage or to be made available for sale. They also help steer where and how we should be testing hybrids, based on changes in management practices or shifting pest challenges.

Miller: Farmer and retailer feedback plays a critical role in all our decisions. We rely on farmers to provide feedback related to current product performance and future needs that help shape our pipeline. Retailers get to touch and feel products on many farms and in different environments, which helps confirm product performance and forecast near-term needs to serve farmers in their area.

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We use the feedback received from farmers and retailers when developing the performance standards that all hybrids must meet for advancement to the next stage or to be made available for sale.

Joe Bollman NK Corn Product Manager at Syngenta Seeds

What technologies are used at Syngenta trait introgression facilities to speed up the process of choosing varieties/hybrids?

Miller: Our proprietary process uses many techniques to bring in-demand products to market faster than the competition can. Marker-assisted inbred conversion, trait-specific molecular markers and various controlled environments enable confident decisions in an ideal growing environment to speed the development and advancement of agronomic traits in multiple herbicide platforms. Speed to market with high-performing products is a hallmark of our trait introgression facilities. You can see the fruits of our labor in the new 2022 Field Forged Series™ of NK soybeans.

Which aspects of a variety or hybrid are considered first? Which are the most challenging to work with?

Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager, Syngenta Seeds
Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager, Syngenta Seeds

Bollman: Yield will always be the first attribute we review when selecting hybrids. It’s also the most difficult attribute to select for because yield expectations get raised every year. Early-stage testing is heavily focused on yield due to the sheer number of products being tested. Once we narrow the hybrids being tested to the highest-yielding, we then shift our focus to agronomics for consistent performance. We have an extremely diverse pool of germplasm to work with, so bringing products to market with certain agronomic attributes may be easier for us than for some of our competitors.

Miller: Yield pays the bills and is the first consideration, but pushing yield barriers isn’t possible without well-rounded, strong agronomics. Agronomic characteristics such as resistance to soybean white mold, Sudden Death Syndrome, Phytophthora root rot, iron deficiency chlorosis and frogeye leaf spot are always important considerations. The challenge is bringing them together in a versatile, high-performance product that does well in all environments.

How does the Cropwise™ Seed Selector help in evaluating product performance?

Bollman: The great thing about the product analyzer tool within Cropwise is that it’s simple to use, but there is a ton of information that’s accessed. Retailers can use the product analyzer to look at hybrid performance data based on geography, soil attributes, management or environmental factors to help narrow down the products that will work best in their area. The data in the product analyzer also powers the field manager feature, which selects specific products for an individual field based on the field’s attributes and the historical weather data for that field.

Miller: The product analyzer tool within Cropwise allows retailers and their customers to view thousands of trial results from various environments over multiple years. Access to competitive data and comparisons with NK varieties provide an unmatched level of transparency. We have confidence in our commercial offerings and pipeline. There is no better place to see firsthand why NK soybeans have such a fantastic reputation with farmers and retailers.

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Call him the “accidental conservationist.” When Wayne Fredericks began farming in northern Iowa near Osage in 1973, he used full tillage, plowing all his cornstalks and soybean stubble. Then came an early freeze in late 1991.

“I didn’t get a single acre of cornstalks tilled,” says Fredericks, a past president of the Iowa Soybean Association who serves on the American Soybean Association (ASA) board of directors. “I sat in my office that December wondering what to do.”

As it turned out, the answer to this immediate challenge offered Fredericks a more eco-friendly way to farm — and greater profit potential.

It started with an article about a Minnesota no-till farmer that appeared in the December 1991 Farm Journal magazine. That report led Fredericks to try the John Deere 750 drill the farmer used.

“Our soybeans grew well that summer; the weed control was good; and the yields were good,” he says, adding that his father was skeptical that no-till would work. “I went from plowing to raising no-till beans in one fell swoop.”

This unleashed a conservation mindset that spurred Fredericks to adopt no-till and strip tillage practices, plant windbreaks, add grass waterways to control soil erosion, and incorporate native wildflowers and grasses to protect water quality and create pollinator habitats. In 2016, he started planting cover crops to build organic matter (OM) and improve soil health.

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Farmers are being asked to meet the rising demand for food and better nutrition while dealing with changing climate conditions. We want to help growers address these challenges while using land efficiently, preserving biodiversity and conserving natural resources.

Chris Davison Head of Business Sustainability at Syngenta

“These practices have lowered my cost of production, lowered nitrogen and phosphorus loss, lowered water runoff, lowered soil loss, reduced yield variability, improved soil structure, raised soil carbon levels, and maintained yields,” Fredericks says.

Embracing Practical, Proven Solutions

Farmers like Fredericks embrace continual improvement to keep their cropland productive while protecting water, soil and air quality.

All this has become more urgent as extreme weather events become more common in many growing regions. Farmers are on the front lines not only of climate change, but also of challenges arising from soil erosion and biodiversity loss.

“Farmers are being asked to meet the rising demand for food and better nutrition while dealing with changing climate conditions,” says Chris Davison, head of business sustainability for Syngenta. “We want to help growers address these challenges while using land efficiently, preserving biodiversity and conserving natural resources,” he adds, citing the company’s Good Growth Plan.

Launched in 2013, The Good Growth Plan featured six ambitious goals focused on boosting resource use efficiency, rejuvenating ecosystems and strengthening rural communities. By 2020, The Good Growth Plan reached most of its initial goals through a broad range of activities, initiatives and partnerships.

“We achieved diversification of habitat on more than 12 million acres of cropland worldwide, in addition to improving fertility on nearly 25 million acres of farmland,” Davison says.

Following up on that achievement, Syngenta now has a next-generation Good Growth Plan, which launched in June 2020. It focuses on accelerating innovation for the benefit of both farmers and the environment. It also works toward fostering carbon-neutral agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy, and partnering for impact with companies like Kellogg’s, for example, and organizations like The Nature Conservancy.

In Arkansas, this commitment includes helping growers install timers on the water pumps for their rice fields. “These timers shut off automatically to curb water waste,” says Stacey Shaw, senior sustainability lead for Syngenta.

Practical solutions like this make sense to C. Douglas “Bubba” Simmons III, a corn and soybean grower who farms near Arcola in west-central Mississippi. “We operate in a high-risk environment with everything from hurricanes to drought, so we look for ways to manage risk.”

Simmons and his family have worked with Mississippi State University scientists through the Row-Crop Irrigation Science and Extension Research program, which helps Mississippi Delta producers reduce irrigation water use while maintaining or improving crop yields and profitability.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve cut our water usage by about 30%, and we also use less energy,” says Simmons, who tracks this data through the AgriEdge® whole-farm management program from Syngenta.

Farmers also invest their own money through ag commodity checkoff programs to support conservation research, adds Simmons, who serves on the United Soybean Board and chairs Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management (F.A.R.M.). This association of growers and landowners strives to implement recognized agricultural practices that conserve, restore and enhance the environment of northwest Mississippi.

Delta F.A.R.M. is one of the grower groups that Syngenta helps support financially. “Partnerships are key to promoting sustainability,” says Liz Hunt, head of sustainable and responsible business for Syngenta. “This includes tying sustainability metrics to farm management so farmers can measure return on investment.”

Investing in Ag Breakthroughs

Syngenta is also investing $2 billion in sustainable agriculture breakthroughs by 2025, with a goal of delivering two sustainable technology breakthroughs each year. “As the challenges facing farmers become more complex, we want to accelerate innovation,” Davison says.

These innovations build on a strong foundation that includes:

  • Enogen® Feed hybrids, offering a step-change in starch and sugar availability in the ration to help provide more available energy to feedlot and dairy cattle.
  • Agrisure Artesian® water-optimizing hybrids, which help maximize yield when it rains and boost yield potential when it doesn’t.

Proving That Conservation Pays

Using new technologies and conservation farming methods has paid off for Fredericks. Reducing tillage increased his soil OM 2.5% over 25 years, even before he started using cover crops in 2016.

He studied the value of a 1% increase (10 tons) of soil OM, based on data from the Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS):

  • NRCS values enhanced water availability at $18 an acre. “This is related to the ‘20/80’ rule, which says farmers lose 20% of their potential yield 80% of the time because of plant-available moisture,” Fredericks says. “Your soil has the ability to absorb more moisture when you have more OM.”
  • NRCS values mineralizable nitrogen and phosphorus at $11 per acre. Research from The Ohio State University and Kansas State University value this at $12 per acre because of the sulfur value, Fredericks says.

Add these two together, and the total value per 1% increase in OM is at least $29 an acre on an annual basis, Fredericks says. “On my farm, based on the 2.5% increase in OM, that’s roughly a $72 per acre value.”

Then he factors in an equipment cost advantage of $44 per acre for his farm, based on benchmarking data (2006 to 2013) through the farm accounting system he uses. “Over that same eight-year period, our farm showed a $27 per acre advantage for labor,” he notes. “It doesn’t take as much labor in a low-till system.”

Even when he accounts for $27 per acre to seed cover crops, that still leaves a net value of $116 per acre. “When the advantages from each conservation practice start to build up, you get even more excited about the potential for continual improvement,” Fredericks says.

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While consumers may choose organic foods based on health concerns, scientists beg to differ.

A comprehensive study by the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, concluded that organic foods are not significantly healthier than those produced conventionally.

Researchers studied existing data from 17 studies involving humans and 223 studies of nutrient and contaminant levels in food. They found no strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional foods. Vitamin content was the same. The only nutrient difference was a higher phosphorus content in organic foods. However, researchers noted this nutrient is of little clinical value, as few people have phosphorus deficiencies.

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For great retailers, knowing what farmers are looking for is only half the equation. Knowing what seeds and products are best suited to each farmers’ fields and methods is the second half. That’s where a good sales representative fits in. Good partnerships between retailers and sales representatives align the right materials with the right fields, and farmers reap the benefits of that collaboration.

Seth Sheehan has been with T&S Crop Service, Inc., (T&S) for his entire career. T&S, founded by his father in 1996, is an independent ag retailer that provides exceptional service and support to farmers in Wyoming County, New York. Sheehan joined the business after graduating from college when he was 23 years old. Now manager of T&S, Sheehan focuses on expanding the relationships his father built and cultivating new contacts who bring even more value to farmers.

T&S and NK® Seeds have been partners since Sheehan’s father ran the business, and Katie Edmunds, an NK Seeds sales representative, strives to continue this strong partnership with Sheehan and T&S.

Building Trust

“Building a trusting relationship requires time,” Edmunds says. “When I met Seth, we didn’t know anything about each other. We needed to get to know each other and then take time to understand each other’s business and goals.”

Sheehan and Edmunds quickly saw they had similar mindsets and a common goal: grow the T&S business and of bringing value to farmers.

“Katie does a great job bringing outside business to T&S that we haven’t necessarily worked with in the past,” Sheehan explains. “One of the biggest reasons I enjoy working with her is because she is excited, and I know she wants to do a good job and grow the brand.”

As for Sheehan, Edmunds says, “He has a lot of strong, long-standing relationships, and people trust his expertise. Plus, T&S offers exceptional service to their farmers, so farmers remain very loyal.”

“It’s really fun and exciting to work with a retail location that has goals similar to mine,” Edmunds adds. “T&S is excited to grow their business, and it’s great partnering with people who are passionate and driven to improve.”

Focusing on Dairy Production

Because T&S is located in western New York, a key area for dairy production, Sheehan and Edmunds largely focus on helping make dairy producers more efficient and profitable. Edmunds visits dairy farms, explaining the value of products like Enogen® corn for feed.

“Enogen is the reason I came to work for Syngenta because I was so excited about what it was doing for dairy cows,” Edmunds says. “Enogen is a huge focus for T&S and me because it brings farms a product that no one else offers.”

Sheehan agrees, explaining that attention to silage allows T&S to fill a growing gap in the market. He works with Edmunds assisting dairy producers already interested in Enogen and educating others about its on-farm benefits.

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I love that once I’ve built relationships and understand farmers’ businesses, I can help them achieve their goals.

Katie Edmunds Sales Representative at NK Seeds

Enogen corn for feed offers the potential for feed efficiency gains of around 5%1 for dairy producers, which is significant because it helps maximize profit potential by reducing feed costs.

In addition to educating and supplying dairy producers with Enogen corn for feed, Edmunds and Sheehan also regularly discuss helping farmers make the right seed choice. Sheehan knows what his farmers are looking for, and that allows Edmunds to recommend hybrids and varieties with the best-suited trait packages and herbicide technologies for their farms.

Because of T&S’ partnership with NK Seeds, Sheehan’s farmers can look forward to planting high-yielding hybrids with cutting-edge traits, as well as industry-leading soybean varieties across the XtendFlex® soybean and Enlist E3® soybean platforms, in 2022.

Working Hard

T&S has experienced explosive growth over the last two years, and Edmunds is proud to think that outside business she’s helped bring in has contributed to that. Sheehan and Edmunds are both excited to watch growth at T&S continue to unfold. In the meantime, they enjoy the industry that lets them put relationships at the center of everything they do.

“I love working in agriculture because it gives me freedom,” Sheehan says. “Every day is different, and you get to work with so many great people.”

“Helping people be more successful in what they do is a driving factor in why I love what I do,” Edmunds adds. “I love that once I’ve built relationships and understand farmers’ businesses, I can help them achieve their goals.”

1University of Nebraska-Lincoln Research Studies, 2013–2017 Kansas State University Research Study, 2017; Pennsylvania State University, 2019.

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Cover image: NK Seeds sales representative Katie Edmunds (right) has helped Seth Sheehan (left) of T&S Crop Service, Inc., in Warsaw, New York, grow his ag retail business. Photography by Luke Copping. 

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When the dog days of summer bear down, growers often pause to evaluate their seed and crop protection decisions. They also begin adjusting their marketing plans as crop reports and weather alter bushel potential.

Of course, knowing the big picture is necessary, but truly forward-thinking growers pay acute attention to the details in every field, optimizing agronomics to produce more bushels. They rely on trusted advisers who challenge their thinking and expand their farm strategy.

A focus on profit is driving agronomic decisions in 2021. According to Mark Callender, farm manager at Farmers National Company in Dighton, Kansas, optimistic growers have shifted from saving to spending to drive profits higher on good land.

Callender encourages deep dives into the cost of inputs every year, an especially important step for growers beginning their 2022 plans. “We do an annual investment analysis on all of our farms to see both cost per acre and cost per bushel,” he says. “By comparing production numbers with seed, fertilizer, weed control and other input costs factored in, our operators learn the return on investment for quality products versus generics, for example.”

Callender says farmers do a good job knowing their break-even costs, and the site-specific data available today provides them better insight into their individual fields. “Top producers will spend more money if they can achieve better weed control to drive top yields. By examining such costs on a per-bushel basis, they can justify higher costs per acre when an agronomic practice delivers more bushels.”

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We do an annual investment analysis on all of our farms to see both cost per acre and cost per bushel. By comparing production numbers with seed, fertilizer, weed control and other input costs factored in, our operators learn the return on investment for quality products versus generics, for example.

Mark Callender Farm Manager at Farmers National Company, Dighton, KS

Preparing for 2022

Ag economists are anticipating that net farm income for 2021 and 2022 could offer the strongest earning potential since 2012.

In April, when Corn Belt acres were planted, the futures price for May corn broke the $6 mark. “U.S. stocks-to-use ratios at that time were so low for corn (9.2%) and soybeans (2.6%) that it will take time to rebuild corn to the 15% to 17% range and soybeans to the 10% to 12% range,” says Lynn Sandlin, ag economist and business intelligence lead for Syngenta. “Combined with increasing U.S. exports and drought issues around the globe, these conditions provide a real opportunity for gains over the next few years for growers who maximize their revenue based on productivity at the bushel level per field.”

“We understand the last six or seven years of depressed prices pushed some growers to try to save their way to prosperity with cheaper inputs and generics,” says Paul Backman, commercial unit head for the West Heartland region at Syngenta. “Our Syngenta AgriEdge® whole-farm management program helps growers flip that thinking and understand how better products can deliver higher productivity on a cost-per-bushel level.”

Thinking through 2021 input decisions and measuring them against yield provides valuable data. Backman says factoring in yield loss from inputs helps growers understand actual costs and shift from a cost mindset to an investment mindset.

Many producers think about their budget per acre for the whole operation, Sandlin notes. “But there’s an opportunity, especially during more profitable times, to budget directly at the field level and maximize profit potential at the bushel level.”

Sometimes it requires better tools, sound advice, a shift in thinking, or all of the above to manage each field’s potential at the bushel level. “Whether they use spreadsheets or other tools, trusted advisers can help growers increase field productivity with an eye on profit per bushel,” Sandlin says.

Retailer Trusts Agronomics Over Bundles

Syngenta sales representative Mark Dozler uses a fungicide analogy to illustrate the input-cost- per-bushel method of thinking. “I worked with an agronomic-focused retailer in Nebraska to build an input-cost-value spreadsheet. It shows that if a grower removes a $30 fungicide application from their plan, their cost per bushel increases. That’s because removing that fungicide reduces yield, using a conservative estimate, by 10 bushels per acre,” he says. “The agronomic data proving that was really eye-opening to growers.”

Given the many different herbicide programs, defining more yield for weed control really challenges everyday thinking. It requires digging into details beyond a $40 to $50 per acre herbicide budget.

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Field-by-Field Profit Plans

Today, more growers are tracking the productivity and profitability of their crop plan by field with the AgriEdge tool.

“Retailers play vital roles across all farm input decisions,” Backman says. “To complement this integration, our sales reps and AgriEdge specialists help growers see the small gains in each field that add up to more bushels. A good management plan evolves as more agronomic and economic data help drive greater field-by-field profits.”

Technical advancements in corn and soybean genetics and traits also play a critical role in overall productivity per field and cost per bushel. “Many retailers take pride in knowing research and agronomic details so they can recommend the best hybrid for each field,” says Brent Rockers, a Syngenta district manager for parts of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

By walking fields, sales reps and retailers gain more data to help customers manage more bushels from hybrids. “We rely heavily on our research to provide growers with seeding rates, fertility and plant health advice that improve their ability to strategize and budget,” Rockers says. “Our Cropwise™ Seed Selector tool provides growers with an initial list of hybrids that match their soil classifications by field. Not only can advisers sit down with growers to fine-tune the selections and agronomics, but those advisers can also follow the crop through harvest and use the data to build better profitability for the future.”

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Marketing, understanding production costs and making strategic input decisions are key to maximizing profit potential, says Lynn Sandlin. The ag economist and business intelligence lead for Syngenta offers these tips for planning for productivity:

  • Take advantage of two massive opportunities.
    1. Do a really good job of marketing your crop and refocus your yield potential planning on cost-per-bushel productivity.
    2. Spend 10 cents more per bushel on something that’ll produce 25 cents more per bushel.
  • Clearly identify the factors under your control in each field that will enable the best yield. Look at the cost basis per bushel to prove you’ve made a good decision.
  • Avoid substandard weed control products that initially reduce cost per bushel but actually raise your costs because they cap yield. Increased weed competition and plant stress cut yield and raise the cost per bushel.
  • Think like a CEO and know your cost per bushel with every field. How much do you spend to grow that bushel? Have you reached maximum production efficiency and maximum profit potential per bushel?
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Syngenta introduces three new AgriPro® brand wheat varieties for the 2022 planting season. AgriPro makes up the largest portfolio in the wheat industry and consistently ranks in the top yield groups in every region.

AP Iliad, a soft white winter wheat, features a medium heading date with an early finish and very good end-use quality for growers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

For growers in the central Plains, AP EverRock, a hard red winter wheat, offers the best barley yellow dwarf virus tolerance in the AgriPro lineup and provides very good acid soil tolerance. AP Roadrunner, a hard red winter wheat for the western high Plains, offers excellent drought tolerance and a good leaf health package.

Visit agriprowheat.com for additional information.