Syngenta Thrive

by

We are hearing people say they feel as though the world is starting to move again as they crawl out of their homes to rediscover this post-pandemic world. These sentiments sometimes surprise those of us in agriculture because, well, we never stopped moving. Regardless of what’s going on globally, insects keep flying and crawling, diseases pressure our yields, and good land and livestock stewards implement practices that make the world a better place to live.

It’s what you do. It’s what U.S. agriculture does. Every day.

''

Regardless of what’s going on globally, insects keep flying and crawling, diseases pressure our yields, and good land and livestock stewards implement practices that make the world a better place to live.

Lisa Moricle Head of Fungicides and Insecticides
Product Marketing Syngenta, North America

To support your efforts to provide food, fiber and fuel for the world, Thrive aims to provide information to help you think through the challenges to your goal of economic and environmental sustainability. Toward that end, our latest articles in Thrive review planning for corn-on-corn production, considerations when choosing the crop protection product that provides the performance you need and updates on state involvement in national pesticide regulatory conversations. As we mark the 20th anniversary of AgriEdge®, our whole-farm management program, we look at the advantages and efficiencies digital technology delivers.

We also invite you to take a few minutes to focus on your health. You are the horsepower in the agricultural engine and the leaders for your communities. Please take care of yourselves.

Syngenta is here to help provide solutions to agronomic challenges so retailers, consultants and growers can achieve more on-farm wins.

by

Assembling an on-farm first aid kit is time well spent, say experts at the AgriSafe Network, a national group of health-care workers and educators who advocate for better rural health. To minimize injuries and save lives, they recommend growers consider investing in the following items:

  • Emergency/survival blanket (same material as Mylar balloons) — To protect people from the elements and ward off shock.
  • Heavy-duty bandage scissors/trauma shears — To cut through denim, jackets, etc., when injury occurs.
  • Two 8-ounce containers of sterile saline — To initially cleanse wounds and for immediate irrigation when accidental chemical sprays, grain particles, etc., enter the eye.
  • Jug of water sealed and stored in a large plastic bag — For eye irrigation and hydration.
  • Adhesive bandages — Various sizes and types, including knuckle and butterfly bandages.
  • 2 pairs of examination gloves, properly sized — To put on if there’s no time to wash hands; they also can protect individuals from contaminated body fluids.
  • 2 instant cold packs, sized 5-inch x 8-inch — Know how to properly “pop” them.
  • Sealable 2-quart and 1-gallon plastic bags — For digit amputations.
  • 2 garbage bags with ties — For limb amputations.
  • 1- and 2-inch paper tape on a roller — For tearing off easier.
  • To dress wounds —
    • 2-, 4- and 6-inch elastic wraps (with clips, Velcro or self-adhering features).
    • 2-, 4- and 6-inch gauze stretch wraps.
    • Absorbent gauze pads (also referred to as combine dressings) — 4 inch by 4 inch (quantity of 12) and 8 inch by 10 inch (quantity of 4).
  • Alcohol wipes — For cleaning small wounds or insect stings.
  • Insect repellant and insect bite wipes.
  • Hand wipes — For when soap and water are not available to wash hands.
  • Large clean cloth — To use as a sling.
  • Large safety pins — To pin a sling or clothing.
  • Sugar or candy packets, small squeeze tubes of instant frosting — For diabetics who experience a sudden dangerous drop in glucose levels. Do not use chocolate or nuts.
  • CPR face shield — For protection from bodily fluids.
  • Sunscreen (30 SPF or higher).
  • Quilted or heavy “picnic” pad — To serve as ground cover to place someone on who is injured.

After compiling on-farm first-aid kits:

  • Place them in more than one place because farming and ranching activities take place in multiple locations.
  • Store first-aid supplies in water- and dust-resistant containers in easily accessible locations, such as a truck, automobile, tractor, combine, ATV, shop area.
  • Routinely check expiration dates of products.
  • Use caution if you place antibiotic ointments and burn cream in a kit. If you have a wound that requires debridement or possible suturing, ointment and lotion products can greatly hinder that process.
  • Check your community for first aid and CPR classes because an important part of first aid is knowing how to perform CPR accurately.

by

Flattened and lodged corn plants were strewn across the Midwest in 2020 following various wind events, including a devastating derecho in Iowa. Growers who had intense management programs, including a strong corn rootworm (CRW) offense, realized more successful outcomes than those who did not.

“My plants stayed upright during last year’s wind event,” reports Kyle Van Bogaert, a third-generation corn and soybean grower in Belmont, Wisconsin. “I use crop rotation, insecticide treatments and a seed trait package to combat corn rootworm.”

That multipronged strategy could soon become the standard. Higher-than-normal adult CRW beetle activity in 2020 points to potentially increased pressure in 2021. That’s bad news for corn growers — especially those with corn-on-corn acres — who lose more than $1 billion to CRW damage every year. CRW larvae feed on roots from Colorado to New York, reducing water and nutrient uptake and causing lodging in extreme situations. Adult beetles feed on tassels and clip corn silks, further impacting yield.

But for growers like Van Bogaert who implement multipronged, proactive CRW management plans, fields can see strengthened crops and better profit opportunities. Committing to the multiyear approach needed for management strategies to work can be challenging, but the reduction of CRW root feeding represents a tantalizing reward.

Interpreting Natural Signals

Environmental signals from the previous year will allow growers to plan for potential pressure in subsequent seasons. Wet springs, for example, can kill CRW larvae in the ground, due to saturated soils. On the other hand, dry conditions in May and June create ideal environments for populations to thrive.

With most insect populations, predicting pressure is difficult. The life cycle of CRW, however, offers opportunities to plan control measures. Depending on monitored population levels, growers can begin incorporating insecticide treatments and seed trait stacks into their ongoing planning.

''

My plants stayed upright during last year’s wind event. I use crop rotation, insecticide treatments and a seed trait package to combat corn rootworm.

Kyle Van Bogaert Grower- Belmont, Wisconsin

“Through better understanding of the CRW life cycle, growers can anticipate potential CRW populations before they become a problem,” says Meade McDonald, Syngenta product marketing lead for insecticides. “This includes scouting for larval feeding and damage as well as monitoring adult populations.”

Growers can dig corn roots in June to check for larval feeding and damage that can provide clues to coming adult beetle numbers. In July, monitoring populations of adult CRW beetles offers an indication of CRW larval pressure for the following year, according to McDonald. Scouting reports that showed high CRW beetle populations last July are driving expectations of heavy CRW pressure this year.

Working the Bugs Out

A key strategy for CRW management is crop rotation — not planting corn in the same field two years in a row. “It’s the easiest tactic growers can add to the mix of solutions for managing this pest,” says Andy Heggenstaller, head of agronomy for Syngenta Seeds, U.S. “But for some growers, crop rotation isn’t economically feasible, so they have to rely more on alternate solutions.”

The next step for growers to consider is using seed trait stacks — such as Agrisure Duracade® trait stacks — that act against CRW larvae. However, while trait stacks provide ample protection against CRW feeding, growers should consider a multipronged approach in high-pressure fields.

“Especially in corn-on-corn fields, growers may need to deploy multiple management tactics to protect roots, stands and harvestability,” McDonald says. “Growers in these situations should consider a soil-applied insecticide application on top of their trait stack.”

Syngenta offers two Force® brand insecticides to control CRW larvae. The first — Force 6.5G — is a higher-loading granular insecticide than the former Force 3G formulation. Packaged in a 20% lighter bag, Force 6.5G has a more concentrated formulation that allows growers to cover 175% more acres per bag.

Those features helped Van Bogaert handle a planting time crunch in spring 2020. “One bag of Force 6.5G per box covered more than 300 acres of corn at once. We could fill up once and plant all day,” he says. “We have a lot of corn-on-corn growers in our area, and Force 6.5G made a real difference in our fields during the season and at harvest. We will definitely be using it again in 2021.”

The second Force brand is Force Evo insecticide, a liquid formulation with excellent starter fertilizer compatibility. It’s an ideal choice for growers who are injecting starter fertilizer at planting. They can apply Force Evo through a proprietary closed application system developed by Syngenta, with on-farm service and support provided by Direct Contact, Inc.

Paired correctly with a trait stack, Force insecticides can add an average of 10 bushels per acre in yield in high-pressure fields, according to more than 500 Syngenta trials between 2007 and 2017.*

Growers can also use Warrior II with Zeon Technology® foliar insecticide to control adult CRW beetles during summer months. If growers see adult beetles in July, Warrior II with Zeon Technology can minimize tassel feeding and silk clipping, which can dramatically impact yields.

Planning for 2022

When planning for next season, the first product a grower should consider to defend their fields against CRW damage is a Syngenta Bt corn seed trait stack.

Syngenta Bt corn seed trait stacks contain modes of action that target and kill CRW larvae. Agrisure Duracade is the primary Syngenta trait stack for CRW management and contains two proteins that are specifically toxic to CRW larvae when they feed on corn plant roots.

“By combining two separate traits into a plant, Agrisure Duracade delays adaptation to a single technology,” says Todd McRoberts, agronomy manager for NK Seeds. “This preserves yield potential and helps prevent problems years down the road.”

Still, a multiyear approach is necessary for effective CRW management. In heavy-pressure situations, rotating traits every few years can provide another defense.

“Especially for growers who don’t rotate crops, rotating traits may become necessary to prevent entrenched adaptation in CRW populations,” McRoberts says. “Even some growers who do rotate crops may need this tactic in high-pressure geographies.”

Agrisure® 3122 E-Z Refuge® is an excellent alternative trait stack for corn growers using the Syngenta genetic base. It contains a different mode of action plus the Herculex® rootworm trait.

How long growers can use trait stacks depends on local pressure; but if trait rotation is needed, growers should stick to a schedule. Even in lower-pressure seasons, rotating traits can help preserve trait durability.

There is no catch-all treatment for CRW, and planning for this pest spans years instead of months. But by finding the right mix of agronomic practices, seed traits and insecticides, growers can fight back against even the heaviest CRW infestations.

by

Q: What are some of the most typical health challenges or injuries on a farm in the spring?

A: David Merrell, M.D., occupational health physician, Syngenta: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Ag Safety Database, and the Association of American Medical Colleges, agriculture workers in combination with workers in forestry and fishing have the highest fatal injury rate at 23.4 deaths per 100,000 compared with 3.5 deaths per 100,000 for all other U.S. industries*. The most common injuries on a farm stem from machinery maintenance activities, with the most fatal injuries involving tractors overturning or running over the individual.

Regardless of the type of injury or illness, one of the greatest health challenges confronting American farmers today is having access to available, affordable and convenient health care. This challenge results from distance to a health care provider’s office, lack of accepted medical coverage, as well as lost time and wages incurred from traveling for care. Studies show a steady decline in the number of medical offices serving rural communities. This trend leads to fewer office visits and a decline in overall health outcomes. Generally, rural communities carry higher rates of death from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke.

A: Knesha Rose-Davison, public health program director, AgriSafe Network: In the spring, some of the most typical health challenges on a farm are injuries and illnesses that stem from working with livestock and calving. These include infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans as well as injuries that result from needle sticks and working with large animals.

Spring is also the time that growers are emptying grain bins, so maintaining respiratory health and avoiding grain bin accidents that could lead to suffocation are top priorities. Additionally, warmer weather can bring more stress to farmers as they start planting their crops, so maintaining good mental health is important.

''

Regardless of the type of injury or illness, one of the greatest health challenges confronting American farmers today is having access to available, affordable and convenient health care.

David Merrell, M.D. Occupational Health Physician

Q: What can growers do to safeguard themselves and others against these conditions?

A: Merrell: Education and perspective are key. Knowing how to safely operate and maintain a piece of equipment is critical to one’s safety. Growers can accomplish this goal by making sure they regularly review operating and maintenance manuals and follow safety guidelines. Injuries most often occur when farm workers use machinery outside of normal operating procedures in an effort to “get a job done.” Remembering the potential cost of an injury — life, limb, lost time working — can help prevent the urge to work outside of what is considered safe and can reduce the potential for harm.

Telehealth decreases travel time, time lost from work and school, and lag times for diagnosis and treatment, which can improve outcomes and decrease stress.

David Merrell (Photography from Syngenta)

A: Rose-Davison: Growers can safeguard themselves, their workers and their families by assessing the potential risks and hazards associated with upcoming tasks and work sites prior to busier times. For example, farm owners can schedule safety talks with their workers about protocols to follow to avoid injury. A part of this is making sure all workers have ready access to the personal protective equipment they may need, such as respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, eye protection, Tyvek® suits or coveralls, and gloves — all sized correctly and stored properly. To reduce stress, it’s important for growers to get enough sleep, have a healthy diet and stay safely connected to their social networks. They can expand their safety and health knowledge by visiting agrisafe.org and participating in one of our free training webinars.

Q: What role can mobile or telehealth medicine play in meeting the medical needs of today’s farm family?

Knesha Rose-Davison (Photo courtesy of AgriSafe Network)

A: Merrell: Routine medical examination can prevent many of the leading causes of death and disability — heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke — among rural communities. Mobile medical clinics can serve a broad rural community with regular exams and screening labs to help detect and prevent these ailments. Due to the high potential cost of visiting a physician at a faraway location, telehealth can provide a good option for triaging a medical issue to determine whether a more significant intervention is needed. Telehealth saves both time and money for those in rural communities. Limited access to the internet due to inadequate broadband service is an issue in many rural communities. Many farm groups and companies, including Syngenta, are advocating for increased government investment in this critical technology.

A: Rose-Davison: The COVID-19 pandemic created opportunity, decreased hesitancy and improved reimbursement for telehealth faster than we ever imagined. While not every medical visit is telehealth appropriate, when it is, there are obvious benefits for farm families. Telehealth decreases travel time, time lost from work and school, and lag times for diagnosis and treatment, which can improve outcomes and decrease stress. For behavioral health treatment and counseling, eliminating travel creates opportunities for more frequent follow-ups, which are key to assessing safety and behavioral changes. Video and audio telehealth improve access to medical specialists often not available to farm families in their communities. Some of these specialty fields include behavioral health, chronic disease management, post-surgical services, cancer treatment counseling and health education.

*Based on original data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019, and “Number and rate of fatal work injuries by industry sector, 2018,” Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C. www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html.

by

Jena and Levi Ochsner of Sutton, Nebraska, say managing weeds in their cornfields is among the toughest production challenges they face.

Controlling weeds is key to turning a profit, Jena says. “Without good control, weeds can quickly start to overtake a field and have a detrimental impact on yield and profitability.”

''

Acuron provides a good return on our investment, and we continue to win over the weeds with it.

Jena Ochsner Farmer- Sutton, Nebraska

Five years ago, they found a highly effective tool to meet this challenge on their farm: Acuron® corn herbicide from Syngenta.

“We’ve been using Acuron on our corn acres since 2015, and we continue to have great weed control,” Jena says “We’ve tested and scaled it and found that it works well on our soil. Acuron provides a good return on our investment, and we continue to win over the weeds with it.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

On the heels of a rapidly growing Biologicals market — which is set to nearly double in size over the next five years — Syngenta has acquired Valagro, a leading Biologicals company. With more than 700 employees, 13 subsidiaries and eight production sites worldwide, Valagro will continue to operate as an independent brand in the market, leveraging the resources of Syngenta to accelerate its innovation and growth.

Valagro’s well-established portfolio and capabilities complement the current range of Syngenta biostimulants and biocontrols and add opportunities for farmers to meet agronomic challenges through the innovative solutions in the Syngenta Crop Protection portfolio.

Reinforcing its goal of providing farmers with more product choices, the Syngenta acquisition is part of the company’s $2 billion commitment to make agriculture more climate resilient and sustainable, as outlined in its Good Growth Plan. This plan provides a framework for the ways in which the company is addressing sustainability and the critical challenges the world faces in feeding a growing population.

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

Although they might not be comfortable with the term “fan club,” Chad Malone and Garrett Osvog of Midstate Agronomy do have a loyal following. As trusted retailers in De Smet, South Dakota, they support their customers’ use of the Syngenta AgriEdge® whole-farm management program at a level that many would describe as the height of customer service.

AgriEdge is a suite of tools and technology that helps growers save time and money while helping drive better yields and increasing profit potential. Malone, manager at Midstate, is a crusader for the importance of growers knowing their numbers.

“Farming is a business, and you have to treat it like a business,” he says. “That’s what we’re helping growers do with AgriEdge — turn it more into a business, not just, ‘I farm; I work hard; and at the end, I hope I make some money.’”

Tailor-Made Technology

Powered by the proprietary software Land.db®, AgriEdge captures what is and isn’t working on a grower’s farm. Midstate was one of the first retailers to offer AgriEdge and truly believes in its value. The experts there go to great lengths to make sure their customers are not only using it, but are also keeping up with their data entry, regardless of their technological skill level.

Malone says they typically have three types of users: those who are tech-savvy and do all the work themselves, those who are comfortable with technology but occasionally need help, and those who see the value but don’t have the time or computer skills to run the program themselves. Midstate doesn’t want the third type to fall through the cracks.

''

Farming is a business, and you have to treat it like a business. That’s what we’re helping growers do with AgriEdge — turn it more into a business, not just, ‘I farm; I work hard; and at the end, I hope I make some money.’

Chad Malone Manager at Midstate Agronomy, De Smet, South Dakota

“My counterpart, Garrett Osvog, will go out to farms, sit at the kitchen table with growers and assist them with data entry, and then out come the PDFs and the reports,” Malone says. “We don’t have to do that for everybody, but for the handful that we do, it’s worth their weight in gold.”

Chad Borchard, Syngenta AgriEdge specialist for South Dakota, partners with Midstate on a local level to support its AgriEdge success, providing whatever information the company or its customers need. He is a hands-on facilitator at the Syngenta customer workshops, which are held three times a year.

“The workshops help the growers evolve in their understanding of the software and products and how these things might best serve their farms,” Borchard says. “It’s an opportunity for them to learn and work together, and the workshops have gone really well.”

Business and Pleasure

The workshops offer education and farmer-to-farmer conversations, says Chad Hoyer, who farms in Arlington, South Dakota.

“I learn more every year,” he says. “It’s also nice to get together with some local guys. We do quite a bit of data entry, but we’re also able to talk about how the weather may impact our crops or how things are going with the markets.”

In 2020, the pandemic reduced the number of workshops but didn’t derail them. Midstate is a Certified AgriEdge Partner (CAP), having invested people and resources in becoming experts in the program. So, while Borchard wasn’t traveling as much as usual, Midstate team members could carry on — masked up and 6 feet apart.

“They’re as well-versed in these tools as I am and can speak to the agronomics behind Syngenta products as well as anybody,” Borchard says. “CAPs are the ones who really multiply the power of the program, and my role is to support them in that.”

Midstate is so determined to make sure their customers get all the benefits of AgriEdge that, in conjunction with Borchard and Syngenta, the company has started a laptop program for growers who don’t have one.

“I don’t want a guy saying he’d really like to sign up, but his computer’s 12 years old, so he doesn’t have the means to do it,” Malone says. “So we’ve set aside a budget every year that may go toward buying laptops. That way, if we have a new customer come on and they need a computer, we may be able to help them get a laptop.”

alt Slide Image
Garrett Osvog (left) and Chad Malone (right) of Midstate Agronomy in De Smet, South Dakota, work closely with Syngenta AgriEdge Specialist Chad Borchard (center) to help their customers make the right agronomic decisions.
alt Slide Image
Midstate Agronomy provides agricultural chemicals, seeds, fertilizer and service to growers in central South Dakota.
alt Slide Image
Osvog uses AgriEdge whole-farm management software to help determine the right mix of crop inputs for his customers. Seed selection is one of the most important variables in that mix.
alt Slide Image
Malone uses the AgriEdge software on his mobile phone while participating in a Zoom call with Borchard.
alt Slide Image
Borchard (right) maintains a close, but socially distanced, professional partnership with Osvog (left) and others at Midstate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Successful Relationships

Midstate is built on relationships, Malone says. He and his colleagues strive to help customers succeed as farmers and to make AgriEdge program members feel appreciated.

“Every year, we give our AgriEdge customers a Midstate hoodie with ‘Syngenta’ on the sleeve,” Malone says. “It makes them feel a little special and part of something exceptional.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

by

When developing corn hybrids that offer agronomic benefits — such as insect control, herbicide tolerance and water optimization — scientists employ a breeding technique called trait introgression. Syngenta uses trait introgression to incorporate a desired trait into existing elite germplasm — preserving the performance of the germplasm and adding the benefits of the introduced trait. The Syngenta Nampa Trait Conversion Accelerator in Nampa, Idaho, will provide the capabilities needed to optimize this crucial process.

“Trait introgression is a process where we take all the new inbreds through a process where we add our traits,” says Donna Delaney, Ph.D., North America trait introgression lead for Syngenta, who notes that inbreds are offspring that result from the breeding of closely related plants. “What comes out is essentially the same inbred that we started with, but it now has traits that will bring benefits to growers.”

Delaney says trait introgression is a multistep, multigenerational process. Corn breeders begin by matching each inbred to a donor line that has the desired traits.

“We then take it through a series of steps where we are crossing back to our target inbred, selecting for traits and using DNA markers to help us identify the plants that have the highest percentage of target inbred,” she says. “With each successive cross back to our target inbred, we get closer and closer to the original inbred. The last step is to self-pollinate the plants to make true breeding lines that are handed off for testing.”

''

Trait introgression is a process where we take all the new inbreds through a process where we add our traits. What comes out is essentially the same inbred that we started with, but it now has traits that will bring benefits to growers.

Donna Delaney Trait Introgression Lead at Syngenta

Quickening the Pace

Syngenta is constantly looking for ways to make the trait introgression process faster and more reliable. One way of doing this is by using marker-assisted selection.

“This is a selection process where corn breeders use a panel of DNA markers — approximately equally spaced across all the corn chromosomes — to identify plants in segregating populations that have the highest percentage of markers matching the target inbred,” Delaney says. “These selected plants are pollinated and taken forward to the next generation.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Another way is harvesting at an immature stage to extract embryos. This process, called embryo rescue, is a series of in vitro techniques used to promote the development of an immature embryo into a viable plant.

“Embryo rescue saves us about 30 days per generation or five months total in the introgression process,” Delaney says. “It also provides flexibility in our timeline. This allows us to space out, or ‘workload level,’ the process to help make sure we can more quickly and reliably turn out new traited products to help our customers be more successful.”

by

The United Nations estimates the world’s population will expand to nearly 10 billion people by 2050*, and agricultural operations must rise to the challenge of feeding this growing global population. However, as the industry gears up to meet demand with higher yields and greater efficiency, growers and resellers are grappling with a challenge that threatens to put these efforts in jeopardy: labor shortages.

“We are blessed in this country to have an abundance of resources,” says Bill Brim, co-owner of Lewis Taylor Farms, a diversified transplant and vegetable farming operation in Tifton, Georgia. “We have plenty of land, water and sunshine — all critical ingredients for growing crops. But what we do not have plenty of is labor.”

Factors contributing to the escalating agricultural labor shortage crisis include a diminishing domestic workforce and legislation that makes hiring immigrant populations difficult. Unexpected global events, including the coronavirus pandemic, add more complexity to an already inefficient work visa process. Additionally, competition between industries for the same type of worker makes it difficult for farming jobs to stand out.

“The ability to compete with other companies in terms of hours of work, pay and benefits can pose a challenge for employers,” says Rob Russell, director of labor and workforce development at the University of Missouri Extension. “Within agriculture, there are times of the year when you have long hours, seven days a week, whereas other types of businesses don’t have the same demanding schedule.”

Without an influx of new workers, farmers depend on the H-2A program to help close the gap. However, they have long criticized the cumbersome program for its excessive costs, requirements, delays and bureaucracy. Legislation to address some of the program’s shortcomings is on the table, but most experts agree these reforms won’t be enough to resolve farming’s mounting labor shortage.

''

We have plenty of land, water and sunshine — all critical ingredients for growing crops. But what we do not have plenty of is labor.

Bill Brim Georgia Grower

Exploring Efficiency

While no machine can replace the human touch needed for crops to flourish, new technologies are available to scale the existing workforce and ease the burden of labor shortages.

Brim, who grows watermelon transplants in more than 80 greenhouses, has embraced technology in certain areas of his operation. For example, he now uses updated machinery to seed his watermelons. “While our old technology required 21 people, we can now run it using six people,” he says.

As a result, he estimates his operation has saved about $700,000 per year in employee wages alone. “If we can implement a technology that requires 10 to 20 fewer employees, we’re all for it,” Brim says. “We challenge ourselves to make sure we’re evaluating powerful technologies coming down the pipeline by asking, ‘Is it possible to use for our specific operation, how can we use it, how much is it going to save us, how will we manage it, and what other problems will it alleviate?’”

Technology to the Rescue

The labor challenges that growers like Brim currently face require creative, new solutions, notes Greg Meyers, chief information and digital officer at Syngenta.

“What farmers really want are practical solutions to fit the real-world problems they face on a daily basis,” Meyers says. “Computer and data science have the potential to create the same sort of efficiencies for farmers that tractors did nearly 100 years ago. This time, however, instead of the technology just allowing farmers to plant, spray and harvest fields faster, it now allows them to vary the way they perform these operations to reflect different conditions — even within the same field — such as soil health and type, moisture, fertility, and pest pressure.

Digital imagery and scouting, for example, have the ability to give farmers high-resolution images of fields every two to three days. By using artificial intelligence, these digital technologies can accurately recognize field issues, including diseases and pests, reducing the need for manual field scouting by as much as 30%.

FarmShots™, part of the Syngenta AgriEdge® whole-farm management program, is a digital tool that uses satellite, aircraft and/or drone imagery to assess crop health, helping growers manage their fields more efficiently. “This imagery can locate crop damage caused by disease, pests and nutritional deficiencies before it’s too late,” says Jacky Davis, digital ag solutions marketing lead at Syngenta.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the benefits virtual technologies can bring when physical interaction isn’t feasible. “If you’re running a farm, you’ve previously relied on a network of trusted advisers who would come out to your farm and walk it with you to discuss what’s going on,” Meyers says. “If you’re unable to meet with agronomists face to face or they can’t come out as frequently as you’re used to, then the next best thing is a set of virtual eyes via remote technology. Agronomists can get reports delivered directly to their inboxes with insight on drought or climate stress, disease pressure, and more.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Putting Data to Work

Similarly, data management software, like the technology included in the Syngenta AgriEdge whole-farm management program, enables growers to analyze data of individual fields over time. This digital recordkeeping and analysis allow farmers to fully understand what’s happening on a per-field basis, answer the tough questions and measure overall potential profitability as part of next season’s planning.

Decisions still need to be made by the human workforce, but technology is improving the productivity of farmers and may help mitigate some of the effects of labor shortages nationwide.

“In order to grow, the industry must adapt and move forward under pressure,” Meyers says. “Fortunately, farmers are resilient. With the help of innovative new technology, the industry is primed to not only move forward in the face of labor shortages, but also blaze a trail for future generations.”

*According the United Nations’ World Population Prospects report, 2017 Revision.

by

The growing season has just kicked off, but it’s already been a tough few weeks for Midwest growers. Late snow and/or excessive rain in many areas has delayed planting and caused a higher risk for corn diseases.

Experts are saying that the “bomb cyclone” that devastated the Midwest in March likely caused tar spot—a new yield-robbing corn disease in the U.S.—to spread across several states in the region. On top of the devastating rain, fewer growers are planting soybean acres this year. With more corn-on-corn being planted, it’s more important than ever for growers to protect their acres from tar spot before the disease has a chance to significantly impact yield and return on investment (ROI) potential.

“Tar spot is a dangerous disease because the fungus that causes it can infect the crop 14 to 40 days before symptoms appear,” says Eric Tedford, Ph.D., fungicide technical product lead at Syngenta. “Knowing the weather we’ve had this year, areas that had tar spot last year and counties nearby will be at higher risk. Growers should be prepared with a strong preventive fungicide to get ahead of the disease before it infects their corn.”

Don’t Get Caught Off Guard by Tar Spot

Areas that have experienced several inches of rain, cool temperatures and high relative humidity have an increased risk of tar spot developing, which is why tar spot has shown up mostly in the Midwest for now, with confirmed cases in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa as of 2018.

Before arriving in the U.S., tar spot was only found in Latin America. But U.S. growers can expect a similar progression:

  • Phyllachora maydis, the fungus that causes tar spot, thrives when more than seven hours of leaf wetness occurs overnight.
  • When favorable weather conditions occur, tar spot can overwinter, making it a threat to growers year after year if left untreated.
  • Only 20 percent to 25 percent of overwintering spores will survive, but tar spot can produce millions of spores when conditions are right, meaning a small percentage of spores can still cause significant damage.
  • Tar spot spreads when spores are carried by wind or rain, and current weather patterns have created a higher risk for widespread infection across the Midwest.

 

Growers who are planting corn-on-corn this year should scout early and often for tar spot, Tedford advises. “There’s a high risk of earlier infection if the disease pathogen overwinters and conditions are favorable for development,” he says. “If growers get behind on tar spot, they won’t be able to stop it.”

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Plan Ahead to Stay Ahead

The first visual symptoms of tar spot appear as dark spots on the surface of the leaf. But in most cases, the plant is infected long before symptoms are visible.

“With a 14 to 40 day latent period, it’s crucial to get ahead of tar spot with a preventive fungicide,” says Tedford.

When tar spot is left untreated, it negatively affects the plant’s ability to photosynthesize, causing leaves to brown and die early, which can result in reduced yield and ROI potential. While results vary by region, 2018 research from Syngenta found that 10 percent to 15 percent disease severity resulted in about 10 to 15 bushels per acre (bu/A) of corn lost. Severity does not generally get above 40 percent to 50 percent because the plant dies, but tar spot can easily cause yield losses up to 60 bu/A.

Tar spot may be a new disease, but it’s clear that it’s one that should be taken seriously this season, especially if wet conditions continue in the Midwest. Trivapro® fungicide, is a proven, effective management tool for tar spot. The three robust active ingredients in Trivapro, including Solatenol® fungicide, provide preventive and curative disease control and plant-health benefits, helping growers stay a step ahead of tar spot.

In a University of Wisconsin trial, Trivapro stood out as a proven performer for tar spot control without sacrificing yield.

University of Wisconsin trial 18243. Application rate: 13.7 oz/A. Application timing: VT/R1. Arlington, Wisconsin 2018

“For growers who are concerned about tar-spot infection early in the season, I recommend two sprays of Trivapro at V4 to V8 timing and VT/R1,” Tedford says. “For those in a lower-risk area, one spray of Trivapro at VT/R1 can keep tar spot severity low.”

Growers have relied on Trivapro to protect corn from multiple sources of stress and to control other corn diseases like gray leaf spot, rusts and Northern corn leaf blight. Now, they can rely on it for long-lasting tar spot control, allowing their crop to reach its full potential, no matter what weather conditions may arise.