Syngenta Thrive

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The northwest corner of Illinois has some of the highest corn rootworm (CRW) pressure in the state. That puts Steve Marr, sales agronomist at Pearl City Elevator, Inc., in Warren, at ground zero in the fight to protect yields from what’s known as “the billion-dollar pest.”

“That’s not an exaggeration by any means,” Marr says of the moniker. “Last year, corn rootworm definitely took a toll on the crops. So this year, it’s a point of emphasis for growers who are trying to decide how to best control it and mitigate their losses.”

Joining Marr and area growers in that effort is Susie Heavner, sales representative for NK Seeds. While still in college, Heavner signed on as an intern with Syngenta. After graduation, she started as a developmental sales representative and then took a sales rep role, where she now serves northwestern Illinois.

“One thing I knew I wanted to provide as a service was working with retailers to help their growers better manage corn rootworm,” she says.

Since then, Heavner and Marr have been spreading the word about NK® corn and traits, including Agrisure Duracade® trait stacks. These trait stacks offer a unique protein and multiple modes of action that make them the foundation of any CRW management program. Managing below-ground pests also pays off above-ground with healthier plants, fuller leaves that allow for increased photosynthesis and maximum grain fill, and more robust stalks that stand tall.

“Nothing’s going to be a silver bullet for any kind of pest,” Heavner says. “But what I’m trying to provide to Steve is another tool in his toolbox that he can use to help his growers avoid the high cost corn rootworm can impose on their crops.”

Any growers concerned about CRW should have a multiyear management plan in place that incorporates multiple control strategies for each field, including crop rotation, CRW-traited corn hybrids, soil-applied insecticides and adult beetle management. The Syngenta “Take Control of Corn Rootworm” decision guide, available from any Syngenta representative, can help growers build an effective management plan.

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Last year, corn rootworm definitely took a toll on the crops. So this year, it’s a point of emphasis for growers who are trying to decide how to best control it and mitigate their losses.

Steve Marr Sales Agronomist at Pearl City Elevator

Crops and Cows

For Marr and many of his growers, there’s another benefit to his partnership with Heavner: A number of his customers are dairy producers interested in dual-purpose silage and grain hybrids to be used as feed for their dairy herds, and Enogen® corn for feed — available through NK retailers — fits the bill.

“I’ve had conversations about the benefits of Enogen corn hybrids with the Agrisure Duracade trait and the potential benefits it can have from a feed standpoint,” Marr says. “It garners interest from growers pretty quickly.”

Third-generation farmer Tim Leitzinger is one of those growers. He raises corn and alfalfa, along with 150 dairy cows and a small beef herd, on 500 acres in Lafayette County, Wisconsin.

“Rootworm has been a significant problem in our corn-on-corn acres over the last several years,” he says. “Steve brought Susie to talk with us when we originally started considering Enogen corn for our silage needs, and they provided information and data that led us to believe Enogen corn hybrids with the Agrisure Duracade trait were worth planting.”

Leitzinger had tried other traited corn hybrids but was interested in the ability of Enogen with Agrisure Duracade to protect the plant from CRW feeding as well as its potential benefits to the farm’s silage. Enogen corn silage maximizes starch digestibility, and research shows an increase in sugar content even while silage is in the pit. The result can be an increase in feed efficiency of about 5%,1 which helps cattle producers reduce feed costs and improve profit potential for their operations.

“We don’t operate extra acres, so we need to be aggressive with the acres we do have,” Leitzinger says. “Spending responsibly to maximize our own acres is definitely better than having to buy forages.”

Another aspect of the Enogen trait that’s intriguing to growers, Marr says, is that, unlike some other silage-specific hybrids, Enogen corn hybrids don’t have to be managed differently than traditional corn hybrids.2 And since Enogen hybrids are offered in elite genetics, producers can take advantage of their feed efficiency benefits without sacrificing yield.

“Some feed hybrids on the market do require special treatment due to the genetics,” he says. “They inherently don’t handle stress as well; they don’t have good disease tolerance; and the roots and stalks may not be as strong. Enogen just offers more peace of mind to growers.”

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In-Person Service During a Pandemic

Providing service during a pandemic presented a challenge, but Heavner found a creative opportunity in the crisis. She largely replaced field days with Tailgate Talks, smaller gatherings where attendees could socially distance by sitting on their own tailgates. The format has advantages.

“If you have a presenter talking and there are 50 people around you, the likelihood of raising your hand to ask a question is a lot lower than when you’re in a group of 10 people,” Heavner says. “So, I think Tailgate Talks may have been more effective because we had more interactive discussion.”

Heavner and Marr both prefer face-to-face meetings, but Zoom eventually came into play when it was time to report to retailers on the harvest and product performance.

“I would have liked to have done that in person; but if I had waited to meet in person in big groups, I would have been late to the game from a sales and a resource perspective,” Heavner says.

Everyone hopes that the 2021 season will be a return to normalcy. But no matter what’s going on globally, Pearl City Elevator customers know their level of service will stay high.

“Steve understands that we need to maximize our production while also keeping expenses reasonable and manageable,” Leitzinger says. “He brings us information and recommendations that give us a good return on investment and meet our production needs.”

1 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Research Studies, 2013–2017; Kansas State University Research Studies, 2016–2018; Penn State University Research Study, 2020.
2 Growers must comply with specific yet simple stewardship requirements.

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Is your farming operation more complex today than it was 10 years ago? Is it important that you stay on the leading edge of innovation to stay competitive?

“If you answered yes to both questions, it’s crucial whom you hitch your wagon to, especially for profitable crop production,” says Mike Twining, vice president of sales and marketing with Willard Agri-Service of Frederick, Inc., which serves farmers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Twining knows farmers must keep an eye on their budgets but sees the bottom line as the key indicator. Realizing a strong bottom line, he says, requires evaluating which inputs deliver the most value.

“What growers are truly purchasing is a result,” Twining says. “That’s why I’m going to go with branded products.”

Duane McAllister, agronomy sales manager with Houff Corporation in Weyers Cave, Virginia, starts conversations by listening to farmers’ concerns about weed control and other challenges. He’s not annoyed when farmers who bought generic products complain that their herbicide container cracked and leaked. He takes it in stride when frustrated farmers demand to know how to get the last 20% out of a jug where the generic product has turned to sludge.

“In my early retail years, I might have gotten defensive in these situations,” McAllister says. “Now, I use this as a teaching tool to show why we recommend branded products.”

It starts with empathy. “I tell these farmers I understand their problem, because I’ve been in their shoes,” McAllister says. “I note that these are exactly the reasons why I choose Syngenta products, which are tested for specific formulations and consistent results.”

Consider the sludge in the jug, which can only be removed with elbow grease, McAllister adds. “I explain that if the Houff Corporation used generics like that, we’d never get to your field on time, because we’d be digging the product out of the jug, plus you wouldn’t get all the product you paid for. With branded products, you’re buying a solution you can count on.”

Keith Sheets gets it. “I don’t have time to learn everything about the chemistry of every product, so the Houff team is a valuable consultant for me,” says Sheets, who raises corn, soybeans and livestock near McGaheysville, Virginia.

With more than 35 years in business, Sheets still carefully analyzes spreadsheet data to determine return on investment. He values the Houff team’s expertise. “They aren’t going to sell me things I don’t need or that don’t work,” he says. “They also know my goals, with my No. 1 goal being making a profit.”

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The farmer had used generic products to try to make his own Flexstar® GT 3.5 herbicide, but it crystallized. Just knowing the active ingredients isn’t enough to create a successful product.

Matthew Cottle, Ph.D. Group Leader, Herbicide Development at Syngenta

Success Takes More Than Active Ingredients

Finding out what matters to farmers is a top goal for Syngenta. “We send our chemists into the field to find out what our customers’ crop protection needs are, compared with what we think they are,” says Matthew Cottle, Ph.D., group leader for herbicide formulation development at Syngenta.

When he was a formulation chemist, Cottle was concerned about bloom (particles dispersing in solution). “When I visited with a North Carolina farmer, he said he used an induction bowl that sucked everything in, so he wasn’t worried about bloom,” Cottle says. “Nothing beats directly interacting with clients. They’ll set you straight about what they like and what we can do better.”

Sometimes growers learn the hard way what “better” really means. Cottle thinks back to a retailer meeting in Rake, Iowa, that was interrupted by an angry farmer. “The farmer had used generic products to try to make his own Flexstar® GT 3.5 herbicide, but it crystallized. Just knowing the active ingredients isn’t enough to create a successful product.”

A Strong Formulation Maximizes Efficacy

Many factors go into producing high-quality crop protection products, including:

  • Correct ratios of active ingredients and other key components. Roughly 10% to 50% of the components in a crop protection product are active ingredients. The remaining components include adjuvants and surfactants, which enhance spray coverage and stabilizers. Products that contain sugar-based stabilizers also contain preservatives, which inhibit bacterial growth and extend package shelf life.
    • “That’s where the science comes in,” Cottle says. If the formula isn’t correct, for example, the product might thicken during cold springs, which are common in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota.
    • “If the product is too thick, it slows down flow rates and can even burn out pump motors,” Cottle says. “Syngenta adds anti-freezing agents that enable liquid water-based formulations to endure natural freeze-thaw cycles without compromising product performance.”
  • Physical stability of active ingredients. Hot weather creates its own challenges. “Heat can be detrimental to many active ingredients,” Cottle says. Generic mesotrione or S-metolachlor herbicides, for example, are known to have issues with stability. When hot weather hits, those products may not deliver the performance growers need in their fields.
    • “We study active ingredients’ physical stability at various temperatures,” Cottle says. “Then we add the right stabilizers to ensure our products deliver consistent, robust results at different temperatures.”
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Service After the Sale Drives Performance

None of this comes quickly or cheaply. The average time it takes to bring a new crop protection product to market can exceed 11 years and cost more than $265 million. Syngenta invests $1.3 billion in research and development each year, with 5,000 Syngenta scientists around the globe working on new and improved technologies.

McAllister finds field trials to be a particularly valuable test of the products, helping to ensure reliable results and crop safety. “When you explain to customers these differences between branded products and generic products, including service and support, the customers sell themselves on Syngenta products,” he says.

Service after the sale impresses Adam Dexter, a certified crop specialist with West Central FS in Williamsfield, Illinois. When some local growers had an issue with a corn herbicide last year, he recalls, “Syngenta had boots on the ground here within 24 hours.”

This support drives loyalty for West Central customer Grant Strom. “Price definitely factors into our choices, but service is important, too,” says Strom, who raises corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle near Dahinda, Illinois. “I really like having the assurance of performance guarantees that come along with branded products versus generics.”

Strom continues to add more Syngenta products each year. In 2021, these include Bicep II Magnum® and Lexar® EZ corn herbicides, and Miravis® Neo fungicide on some corn and soybean acres. “Our salesman does an excellent job of supporting the products he sells,” Strom says. “He also deals with any issues of underperformance for us.”

Key for Willard Agri-Service is that the products they recommend deliver results for their customers. “As a retailer, we have to provide results,” Twining says. “We’ve vetted Syngenta products against the competition, and we know they’ll work consistently for our customers. We win when our customers win.”

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Corn growers now have a new decision-making tool for choosing the right fungicide for their operations: the Trivapro® fungicide yield calculator. With the yield calculator, growers can make data-driven decisions by comparing the yield potential of Trivapro with competitive fungicides and untreated acres.

Also, corn and soybean growers, retailers, and consultants will soon be able to explore an online hub to review data from local trials that include Miravis® Neo and Miravis Top fungicides. With this tool, visitors to the site will be able to evaluate data from local fungicide trials with a customized search by crop and state.

For more information about the Syngenta fungicide portfolio, talk to your local Syngenta sales representative.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently granted federal registration to Vayantis® fungicide seed treatment. The new registration gives corn growers access to the new systemic fungicide seed treatment picarbutrazox, the most intrinsically active compound ever developed to protect corn from Pythium* — the No. 1 seedling disease threat in corn.

With a completely new mode of action, Vayantis will be available in select areas for the 2021 growing season and is expected to be available nationally for 2022 planting.

*Studies comparing the sensitivity of metalaxyl-M, ethaboxam and picarbutrazox on 420 Pythium isolates collected in the U.S. and belonging to 35 Pythium species; Gilberto Olaya, et al., Syngenta Vero Beach Research Center; November 2020. 

Cover image: This image shows a rhizotron comparison between corn seedlings from The Syngenta Seedcare Institute™ trials in Stanton, Minnesota, 2020. Photography by Syngenta. 

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Sticky traps allow growers and consultants to monitor adult insect populations for foliar insecticide thresholds. To better manage corn rootworm (CRW) in their fields, corn growers in northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and southern Wisconsin partner with Syngenta to place sticky traps in expected high-pressure areas.

“The project really allows us to showcase what we’re doing to control CRW populations and mitigate insect adaptation,” says Todd McRoberts, agronomy manager for NK Seeds. “When you have growers with no CRW in their fields in high-pressure areas, the results speak for themselves.”

By working with growers who place the traps in their fields, Syngenta learns more about how to use the traps to inform CRW management strategies. The traps also provide population checks in areas expected to have high pressure.

“We work with agronomists and our retailer partners to find growers already engaging in progressive management of their fields,” says Andy Heggenstaller, head of agronomy for Syngenta Seeds, U.Strap. “These growers with multiyear containment approaches are best positioned to benefit from using these traps.”

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When you have growers with no CRW in their fields in high-pressure areas, the results speak for themselves.

Todd McRoberts Agronomy Manager at NK Seeds, Syngenta

In some areas, population numbers have exceeded expectations, sparking local awareness campaigns to teach growers and retailers how to best handle the threat that CRW larvae and beetles pose.

The growers who deploy the traps already use several best practices, including crop rotation, trait packages and insecticide treatments. Combined with diligent scouting, these practices help some growers — even those in high-pressure areas — manage CRW populations in their fields.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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