Syngenta Thrive

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Syngenta researchers fine-tune formulations to meet these challenges. This might mean adding a nonionic surfactant to change the surface tension of a liquid so the droplets don’t bounce off the plant and hit the soil.

For instance, coverage is essential when the goal is weed control. “If you’re spraying small, upright, grass-like weeds, our formulations will stick to the target,” says Mark Ledson, Ph.D., group leader of the lead application technology group in formulation development at Syngenta.

Syngenta works closely with equipment manufacturers to optimize spray nozzles’ effectiveness. “While there haven’t been a lot of new active ingredients coming along, there’s a lot of research going on with nozzles,” Ledson says.

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Our goal is to ensure that Syngenta chemistry is applied in the most effective way to maximize efficacy, which leads to higher yield potential and profit potential for growers.

Mark Ledson, Ph.D. Group Leader, Lead Application Technology Group, Formulation Development at Syngenta

Among the successes over the last 25-plus years of working with equipment manufacturers, Syngenta helped develop the Hypro GuardianAIR with a 10-degree angle for increased spray coverage. The success of the GuardianAIR spurred the creation of the 3D nozzle, whose 40-degree angle outperforms flat-fan nozzles for pre-emergence weed control.

“Our goal is to ensure that Syngenta chemistry is applied in the most effective way to maximize efficacy, which leads to higher yield potential and profit potential for growers,” Ledson says.

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Cover image: Equipment manufacturers and Syngenta work together to optimize the effectiveness of nozzles. Photography courtesy of Pentair. 

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Wheat growers are all too familiar with the stress of managing Fusarium head blight or head scab. Narrow application windows, booked applicators and unpredictable weather delays can make it challenging to effectively protect wheat from this disease.

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The key to easing that stress is extended residual control. With Miravis® Ace fungicide, growers can now treat head scab earlier — as early as 50% head emergence up to flowering1 — and see the benefit longer.

Averaging 12 bushels per acre more yield over untreated,2 Miravis Ace delivers extended residual control and superior head scab protection. Plus, trials show that Miravis Ace helps reduce the incidence of deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin that can negatively impact grain quality at harvest.

1The optimal timing for maximum yield and DON level reduction is still full-head emergence to full flowering.
2Data from 22 trials in IL, MN, MO, OH, SD, WI; 2018–2019.

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Saltro® fungicide seed treatment is the 2020 AgriMarketing New Product of the Year. Available for commercial use following its September 2019 registration, Saltro provides stronger emergence and higher yield potential.

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“Many soybean growers think they have to give up early-season plant health to get Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) protection. But with Saltro, that’s no longer true, and growers confirmed the excellent performance against SDS and soybean cyst nematode that we had seen in our trials,” says Paul Oklesh, Syngenta Seedcare product lead. “We’re very proud to be named AgriMarketing’s New Product of the Year — and it feels great knowing that we’re helping growers get better yield and a better deal.”

To learn more about Saltro and see more local trial results, visit whysaltro.com.

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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.