Syngenta Thrive

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As the senior lead for federal government relations at Syngenta, Mary Kay Thatcher is an experienced lobbyist on Capitol Hill. But she’s also an experienced fifth generation farmer.

“My life is pretty linear,” Thatcher says. “I grew up on a farm. I have double majors in agriculture business and animal science from Iowa State. I worked in agriculture for the Bush administration. I was a lobbyist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, and now I’m working for one of the world’s largest agricultural chemical and seed suppliers.”

Farming Roots

Thatcher’s lifelong ag journey began on her family’s farm in Cumming, Iowa. Today, she’s still tied to the community through her corn, soybean and cow-calf operation in Corydon, but she no longer lives in the area.

“It’s not ideal. I’d like to be able to show you dirt under my fingernails,” Thatcher says. “I’d love to be out there on the weekends working with the cattle, but typically I manage by phone and email. I try to go to the farm five or six times a year, but I don’t get the opportunity to be there every day or every weekend.”

As an absentee farm owner, Thatcher’s biggest challenge is keeping up with everything from her current home in Washington, D.C.

Though it’s difficult, Thatcher is proud to own her farm. “Certainly owning a farm from afar is much better than not owning one at all,” she says, “and I work with great people whom I trust to get the job done.”

The Perfect Role Model

Throughout her childhood, Thatcher remembers her father working on the farm during the evenings and on the weekends when he wasn’t busy working as the executive director of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

“My dad is my role model, without a doubt,” Thatcher says. “He was the one who really enjoyed showing me the farm, helping me learn things and teaching me to work with the cattle. We used to spend a lot of time training the animals to walk, getting them used to baths, grooming them and shearing them.”

Thatcher notes that her dad was always good at giving advice.

“If I was getting ready to go somewhere and was having a tough day or I didn’t want to go, one of his favorite pieces of advice was, ‘Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic,’” she says. “It was pretty good advice that’s stuck with me.”

From the Farm to the Capital

Thatcher inherited her dad’s enthusiasm for farming and believes staying #RootedinAg has made her a better advocate for the profession. “It’s always been very important for me to keep farming,” she says. “Being a farmer gives me added credibility as a lobbyist. I know firsthand what the pain points are. If I wasn’t a farmer, I may be able to sympathize with farmers, but I couldn’t exactly empathize with how they’re feeling.”

For Thatcher, it’s all about farmers and ranchers. One of her strengths is that she’s seen the agriculture industry from many unique viewpoints. “I can put those different viewpoints and experiences together—especially after all these years in Washington—and make a pretty reasonable judgment on issues,” she says.

In her current role at Syngenta, Thatcher keeps informed on key issues affecting farmers and lobbies on their behalf.

Though she enjoys her work in the nation’s capital, Thatcher’s favorite part of her job is working directly with farmers. “The best part of my job is talking with farmers, hearing what’s going on and trying to share information with them that might be helpful,” she says.

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Awards and Recognitions

Thatcher has been recognized numerous times for her work in the ag industry. In 2014 when she was working at Farm Bureau, the Missouri office honored her with its Outstanding Service Award.

“That was especially nice because I had worked very closely with Missouri farmers and ranchers for a long time,” she says. “And to be a staff person singled out was really quite nice. It was a big surprise.”

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The best part of my job is meeting with farmers, hearing what’s going on and trying to share information with them that might be helpful.

Mary Kay Thatcher

An even larger surprise happened in 2018 when the National Association of Farm Broadcasting honored her with the Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award. “I’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with agricultural media,” Thatcher says. “I think they are a farmer’s best friend, and they work to keep farmers informed. I have a great deal of respect for farm broadcasters, so it was especially meaningful for them to say the respect is mutual.”

Though the awards are nice, it’s the farmers who motivate Thatcher to work hard each day. “There’s so much activity in this town that affects farmers’ freedom to operate and their ability to farm profitably,” she says. “Being able to do something that has the potential to improve their lives and their communities is a pretty cool thing.”

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Year in and year out, professional athletic clubs spend millions of dollars looking for just the right talent to add to their lineups, fill skill gaps and win more games. Much like the athletic scouting process, Syngenta researchers are on a quest to find just the right tools to more effectively fight disease and, ultimately, help growers achieve higher returns. To that end, Syngenta has introduced two game-changing fungicide molecules for the row-crop market in the last three years—Solatenol® fungicide and most recently, Adepidyn® fungicide.

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In laboratory and field tests, Solatenol and Adepidyn fungicides have proven to provide the best-of-the-best disease control and plant-health benefits of any fungicide available.

Eric Tedford, Ph.D.

Not All SDHIs Are Created Equal

While both Solatenol and Adepidyn fungicides fit into the carboxamide chemical class with an SDHI (succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor) mode-of-action chemistry, they have their own characteristics that set them apart from each other—and every other fungicide on the market.

“In laboratory and field tests, Solatenol and Adepidyn fungicides have proven to provide the best-of-the-best disease control and plant-health benefits of any fungicide available,” says Eric Tedford, Ph.D., Syngenta fungicide technical product lead. “In 2019, Adepidyn will be available in multiple custom-designed fungicides under the Miravis® brand to combat geospecific disease threats that growers face.”

Row-Crop Diseases Meet Their Match

New and shifting disease patterns as well as resistance continue to drive the need for innovative technology.

“We’ve put together a robust row-crop fungicide portfolio to allow growers to choose the formulation that fits their specific disease problems,” says Brett Johnson, Syngenta fungicide product lead. Knowing the strengths of each brand will be crucial to selecting the best fungicide for 2019.”

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Syngenta has a winning roster of fungicides. Grower Mark Forsyth of Charles City, Iowa, sprays his soybeans with Trivapro fungicide to effectively manage diseases. He also uses Trivapro on his soybean acreage.

The Syngenta row-crop fungicide portfolio will include the following brands:

Trivapro® fungicide—With first sales in 2016, Trivapro quickly proved its ability to work harder and last longer to fight diseases and help improve plant health for higher yields, versus untreated acres and competitive brands. Powered by three active ingredients—azoxystrobin, propiconazole and Solatenol fungicides—Trivapro has set a new standard for residual disease control for rusts, blights and leaf spots in corn, soybeans and wheat.

“Over the last few years, Trivapro’s consistently long residual control and yield bump have impressed my customers and me,” says William “Bill” Ruzicka with Farmers Feed & Grain in Riceville, Iowa. “In our side-by-side trials where other brands have petered out late in the season, Trivapro keeps protecting crops, which makes it worth the investment.”

One of his customers who has seen these benefits firsthand is grower Mark Forsyth from Charles City, Iowa. “I’ve been using Trivapro for three years now to control Northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot,” he says. “We started off with one field, and now we treat all our acres with Trivapro, because of the consistent stay-green effect and yield bump of 10 to 15 bushels per acre, sometimes more, depending on the hybrid.”

While Trivapro controls many diseases, efficacy ratings from university corn fungicide trials rank its Southern rust control as excellent—an important distinction for growers who face Southern rust pressure. Over the last few years, University of Kentucky Plant Pathologist Carl Bradley, Ph.D., has observed yield losses caused by Southern rust in Kentucky cornfields. “We really don’t have any corn hybrids with complete resistance to Southern rust, so application of an effective fungicide is really the only current method of management for this disease,” he says.

Forsyth checks out a couple of ears of corn on his farm.

Miravis Neo fungicide—Similar to Trivapro, Miravis Neo will help corn and soybean producers combat disease by offering unmistakably superior control from three active ingredients: azoxystrobin, propiconazole and Adepidyn fungicides. Miravis Neo offers the most potent control of blights and leaf spots and will offer a new tool for white mold in soybeans.

Tedford notes that Miravis Neo has benefits beyond robust disease control. “In both lab and field tests evaluating crop stress responses, plants treated with Adepidyn have demonstrated more vigor,” he says. “That means under stressful conditions—like drought or heat stress, or even under light disease pressure—Miravis Neo–treated plants can put all their energy toward yield.”

Ruzicka, who had a chance to field-test the new technology this year, is looking forward to more widespread use of this exceptional product in 2019.

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Miravis Top fungicide—Engineered specifically with Southern soybean growers in mind, Miravis Top contains difenoconazole and Adepidyn fungicides. With two powerful active ingredients, Miravis Top enables growers to control diseases—including susceptible and strobilurin-resistant frogeye leaf spot, target spot and Septoria brown spot—while providing the plant-health benefits they expect.

“Unlike some of the older chemistries growers have used before, both modes of action in Miravis Top will be working to protect their yield from disease,” says James Hadden, Ph.D., Syngenta fungicide technical product lead. “In our trials evaluating control of target spot, Septoria and strobilurin-resistant frogeye leaf spot, we’ve seen anywhere from a 3 to 5 bushel-per-acre yield increase with Miravis Top over competitive brands.”

In addition to outstanding disease control, Miravis Top will help alleviate the growing threat of disease resistance, Bradley says. “We all know about strobilurin-resistant strains of the frogeye leaf spot fungus,” he says, “and we have confirmed cases of strobilurin-resistant strains of the Septoria brown spot fungus. It’s really only a matter of time before we find and document strobilurin-resistant strains of the target spot fungus, too.”

Growers shouldn’t overlook the importance of having a new active ingredient to help combat growing resistance challenges, Bradley adds. Currently, control of frogeye leaf spot is coming from the triazole component of most fungicide products, since the fungus has exhibited widespread resistance to strobilurin fungicides. This is making the triazoles do all the “heavy lifting” and sets up a scenario where resistance to triazole fungicides could eventually develop as well. Using new chemistries from different chemical classes will help sustain management of frogeye leaf spot with fungicides for a longer period of time.

A healthy stand of corn flourishes on Forsyth’s farm.

Miravis Ace fungicide—Wheat growers have long battled Fusarium head scab (blight) with relatively few modes of action and constrained application flexibility. In 2019, that situation will change with the introduction of Miravis Ace.

Containing Adepidyn and propiconazole, Miravis Ace will not only be the first SDHI-containing product available for Fusarium head scab control, but it will also be the first new mode of action for the disease in many years. Field tests across the country—from North Dakota to Pennsylvania and Kentucky—demonstrate that Miravis Ace will enable wheat growers to have more flexibility to treat all their acres at the right time for better, more predictable results.

In field tests, Syngenta has demonstrated that Miravis Ace can be sprayed as early as 50 percent head emergence, without sacrificing efficacy or yield. And because it delivers excellent control of Fusarium head scab, Miravis Ace can help reduce levels of the profit-robbing mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, also known as DON or vomitoxin.

A healthy stand of corn flourishes on Forsyth’s farm.

A Tailor-Made Portfolio

With the introduction of the Miravis brands, row-crop growers now have four potent fungicides to choose from to fight the specific diseases that threaten their crops, Johnson notes.

“Unlike the repackaging and rebranding of old technology we’re seeing in some products, these brands contain game-changing molecules,” he says. “Solatenol already has completely changed row-crop disease control and plant-health protection as we know it, and Adepidyn will soon follow suit. Once growers try these products, they won’t go back.”

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When Duane Kimball started raising Enogen® corn four years ago, he wanted the premium he could earn from a local ethanol plant. When he started growing Enogen Feed hybrids for his beef cattle this past year, he became even more convinced of the technology’s value.

“Enogen products are a win-win for ethanol and feed,” says Kimball, who has farmed full-time for 21 years in central Nebraska, near Callaway. Today, he runs 200 cow-calf pairs and backgrounds or grows steers and heifers from weaning until they enter the feedlot. He feeds his cattle Enogen Feed corn from wean through finish and has also grown Enogen Feed silage.

The advantages Kimball has experienced with Enogen Feed products come from greater starch digestibility and more available energy. “The word I use to describe Enogen Feed corn is opportunity,” says Easton Eggers, a grower account lead at Syngenta from Nebraska. “Not only can it help provide growers with additional revenue if they’re supplying corn to an ethanol plant, but it also can help improve feed efficiency when they feed it to their livestock.”

University research shows Enogen Feed corn can boost feed efficiency in cattle by an average of 5 percent.1 Duane Martin, Ph.D., commercial traits manager for corn and soybean product marketing at Syngenta, has seen the data—and the results—firsthand.

“This feed efficiency benefit has been observed consistently with Enogen Feed corn,” he says. “We see a consistent 5 percent efficiency gain at all stages of beef cattle production.”1

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The Science Behind the Benefits

During the early 2000s, Syngenta researchers studied ways to modify corn to carry a specific amylase trait that helps convert starch to sugar more efficiently. The original goal? Provide corn hybrids that enhance ethanol production efficiency. “The faster the starch in corn breaks down into smaller, simpler sugars, the better,” Martin says. Enogen hybrids store this special amylase in the corn kernel’s endosperm, ready to be activated when triggered by conditions in the ethanol plant, the animal rumen and/or the silage bunker.

Syngenta first offered hybrids with the Enogen trait in 2011. Enogen corn soon attracted attention beyond ethanol plants. University trials focusing on the benefits of Enogen Feed corn for cattle feed started in 2013. As University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers published their results, the data confirmed that Enogen Feed corn improves feed conversion in feedlot cattle.2

“Because of the unique alpha amylase in Enogen Feed corn, the feed is highly digestible, which means animals can utilize more of the nutrition in corn,” says Eileen Watson, Ph.D., global project lead for corn trait projects at Syngenta. “It has been one positive benefit after another with Enogen Feed corn.”

Dale Blasi, Ph.D., an animal science professor and extension beef specialist at Kansas State University, has studied Enogen corn versus #2 yellow corn in feed rations for post-weaning cattle. “Our studies reflect real-world conditions that growing calves face here in Kansas,” he says. “Our first study showed a 5.5 percent increase in feed efficiency among calves that were fed Enogen Feed corn.”3

There appears to be more complete digestion with Enogen Feed corn, Blasi adds. “The amylase gene provides more readily available energy in the corn, which means cattle producers have the potential to get more bang for their buck.”

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Researchers have observed feed efficiency gains whether calves were fed whole corn or dry-rolled corn. The scientists saw these positive results as early as day 14 in a 90-day study. In addition, researchers tended to see lower dry-matter intake with Enogen Feed corn, Blasi says.3

“I appreciate how Syngenta goes the extra mile to substantiate the science,” says Blasi, who has also conducted Enogen Feed silage research.

Better Animal Nutrition

Enogen Feed corn silage also interests Randy Shaver, Ph.D., a professor of animal nutrition and extension dairy nutritionist from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“In addition to the improved starch digestibility and higher levels of available sugars, there’s also an improvement in fiber digestibility with Enogen Feed corn,” Shaver says, who has been working with Syngenta since 2016 to study the feed efficiency of Enogen Feed silage and dry corn.

This research also appeals to John Goeser, a self-described “dietitian for animals” who oversees animal nutrition research at the Rock River Laboratory, Inc., in Watertown, Wisconsin. “The improved fiber digestibility is wildly intriguing, especially since the average dairy cow only digests 60 to 65 percent of the feed she consumes.”

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There’s a big difference between Enogen Feed corn and other corn when it comes to feed efficiency. It’s such a simple switch to make it part of your operation.

Duane Martin

The variation around this average digestion is substantial, with figures ranging from 50 percent to 75 percent, Goeser adds. “Improving these numbers could have big benefits,” he says.

Practical, Proven Solutions

Syngenta also plans to expand Enogen Feed corn research into swine and poultry in the next few years. Eggers welcomes opportunities to have more data on the potential benefits of feeding Enogen Feed corn to livestock.

“With Enogen Feed corn, you don’t sacrifice yield or standability,” Eggers says, who adds that the Enogen trait is available in many corn hybrids from Syngenta. “You also have the flexibility to harvest Enogen Feed hybrids for grain or chop it for silage, with no additional agronomic challenges—unlike some silage-specific hybrids.”4

Martin encourages corn producers who grow their own grain or silage for cattle to take a close look at the benefits of Enogen Feed hybrids, with proven genetics and traits that deliver excellent agronomic performance. “There’s a big difference between Enogen Feed corn and other corn when it comes to feed efficiency,” he says. “It’s such a simple switch to make it part of your operation.”

1. University of Nebraska Lincoln Research Studies, 2013-2017; Kansas State University Research Study, 2017
2. University of Nebraska Lincoln Research Study, 2013-2017
3. Kansas State University Research Study, 2017
4. Enogen growers must comply with specific yet simple stewardship requirements.

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It seemed a nearly impossible idea: hybridized wheat sold across North America in the first half of the 21st century. Wheat self-pollinates, so crossing it with other varieties has proved challenging. Still, what began as a promise in 2010 may be poised to become a reality in the early 2020s. By combining a broad genetic portfolio with a globe-spanning, prestigious research team, Syngenta is developing hybrid wheat that shows the potential of increased yield and sustainability.

“In the next five years, we’ll be targeting launches for growers across major wheat growing regions,” says Darcy Pawlik, head, cereals portfolio at Syngenta, North America. “When you combine the strong agronomic characteristics of our wheat portfolio, it will result in a very nice package for the farmer to take advantage of.”

Though it’s the top crop planted globally by acreage, wheat remains one of the few crops without a successful hybridized variety on the market in North America. But Carlos Iglesias, North American head of wheat seed development at Syngenta, and his team may soon add wheat to the list of crops that reap the benefits of hybridization, which can include improved, consistent yield and quality.

Riding the Cutting Edge

The secret to the wheat seed development team’s success is a process known as doubled-haploid technology.

Iglesias’ team uses corn to pollinate specially selected wheat plants. Because corn is distantly related to wheat, its pollen can induce the plant to make a seed, but that seed will only have one copy of the wheat’s genes—a haploid.

“We rescue that seed and treat it with a product that allows for normal duplication of the wheat parent’s genes,” Iglesias says. “Right away, we end up with a plant that is homozygous, which means it has pure genes from a single parent with the traits we want to see.”

These traits include high, consistent yield and vigor, high protein content, and robust root systems for better water use and nitrogen efficiency—all of which can add up to a greater potential return on investment.

“One great aspect of this technology is that doubled-haploid technology is natural,” Iglesias says. “We were able to take this process from nature and use it as a tool to work in our favor. There is absolutely no genetic modification in this whole process.”

Traditional breeding practices can take up to 12 years to produce a desirable cross. With doubled-haploid technology, Iglesias’ team can whittle down tens of thousands of wheat lines to a few, with the most positive attributes in just two years. The ability to explore the vast array of traits from multiple parents enhances the capacity of Syngenta to provide a superior product.

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Because we’re using multiple lines of wheat instead of just one, we should be able to unlock some of the diversity and get more improvements faster.

Darcy Pawlik head, cereals portfolio at Syngenta, North America

“We continue to stay on track from a development perspective for all the breeding characteristics growers look for, such as insect tolerance, disease tolerance, harvestability and resiliency against drought,” Pawlik says. “We expect hybridized wheat to possibly amplify these effects by using multiple parents.”

That’s really the key with hybrids, Pawlik explains: “Because we’re using multiple lines of wheat instead of just one, we should be able to unlock some of the diversity and get more improvements faster.” When added up, all of these characteristics can potentially maximize a farmer’s return on investment.

Commitment to Growers

In addition to these amplified effects, hybridized wheat is expected to have an increased sustainability score by producing more bushels, with the same amount of water and nitrogen, per acre planted. Sustainability, as it is referred to today, was not an initial goal for Syngenta when the hybrid wheat program began in 2010, Pawlik says. But as the program developed, customers talked—and Syngenta listened.

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“Sustainability comes up as an issue that growers and consumers, in general, really care about,” says Pawlik. “As a result, we’re trying to more efficiently develop crops that can do more with less, whether that means less water, nitrogen or land. We want growers to get more yield for the same amount, or less, of their input.”

Exceeding Expectations

The North American cereals research team is one of the world’s most experienced, offering valuable insights into how hybrids respond to diverse weather and disease conditions. “We have experts, who have been developing wheat varieties for 30 years, and they’re working with a new generation of specialists, who bring the most up-to-date skills and technology to the table,” Iglesias says. “We’re lucky to have such a ripe, well-integrated educational environment.”

It’s also an environment that fosters a close connection to the real world of agriculture. “Our team gets to participate with the sales and marketing end of wheat as well, allowing us to hear feedback from farmers to help in future decision making,” Iglesias says. “It is invaluable input.”

Syngenta stands above its peers in its hybrid technology investment, and that investment is paying off. “We’re exceeding our expectations in what we hoped to see in factors like increased yield and performance,” Pawlik says. “We’re bringing to market a differentiated product from varietal wheats available today. This will be a step change in wheat production.”

Iglesias agrees. “We are seeing a qualitative jump in yield,” he says. “And we continue to aim for higher gains as our program matures.”

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The Attribute® II trait stack is available in a number of TripleSweet® corn varieties with different characteristics to meet grower needs and consumer demands:

  • Remedy is a BC0805-type sweet corn with improved insect resistance through the Attribute II trait stack. With consistently high yields, Remedy produces long ears with tender, sweet kernels for excellent eating quality. This bicolor variety reaches maturity in approximately 82 days to meet grower needs.
  • Milky Way is a white variety that is well-suited for local and roadside markets in the Midwest and Northeast and reaches maturity in approximately 82 days. Protected by the Attribute II trait stack, Milky Way offers growers and consumers excellent ears to meet market expectations with outstanding eating quality and consistent yields.
  • Aspire is a yellow variety ideal for main-season plantings in the Midwest and Northeast. Aspire sweet corn can reach maturity in approximately 80 days for earlier harvest. With built-in Attribute II protection against key lepidopteran pests and tolerance to glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides, Aspire offers growers the opportunity to maximize marketable ears.
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Growers continually seek opportunities that will maximize their farms’ efficiency and profits. When those opportunities mean producing high-quality sweet corn made easy, the rewards can be especially sweet.

Syngenta develops its sweet corn hybrids with this premise—and growers’ needs—top of mind. By giving field corn growers a sustainable way to incorporate sweet corn acres into their existing operations, these hybrids are helping to bring satisfaction to them, their families and anyone else who consumes their sweet corn.

Herbicide Tolerance

In 1998, Syngenta laid the foundation for its traited sweet corn offerings with the introduction of the Attribute® trait stack. Attribute sweet corn hybrids offer tolerance to LibertyLink® herbicide and contain a gene that expresses Cry proteins for built-in, season-long control of key lepidopteran pests.

As the next evolution in its line of sweet corn hybrids, Syngenta introduced the Attribute II trait stack in 2014. Attribute II hybrids feature the power of Vip3A and Cry1Ab proteins, providing added protection from harmful lepidopteran pests, while offering additional herbicide tolerances that other commercially available sweet corn varieties don’t.

“Growers are looking for convenience,” says Mark Jirak, Syngenta Eastern vegetable commercial unit manager. “They want a herbicide program that can go across their field and sweet corn acres, without having to worry about their herbicide choice damaging their sweet corn crops.”

Attribute II can also help growers manage herbicide-resistant weeds in their fields by offering tolerance to two different nonselective herbicides.

“Growers who are struggling with glyphosate-resistant weeds have the option of using either glyphosate or glufosinate,” says Ryan Walker, Ph.D., head of global LSV (large-seeded vegetables) research at Syngenta.

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Powerful Protection Against Insects

In addition to herbicide tolerance, Attribute II provides protection from harmful sweet corn pests, including European corn borer, corn earworm, fall armyworm and Western bean cutworm. Attribute II combines the Cry1Ab protein found in the Attribute trait stack with the proprietary Vip3A protein from Syngenta to provide broader, more effective protection against pests. These proteins bind to different receptors within an insect’s midgut membranes, greatly reducing the risk of insect resistance.

“Attribute II has the best insect resistance by far,” Walker says. “Based on trial data* and what we’ve seen in the field, it’s head and shoulders above any other product in the market as far as performance goes—both in the range of insects it protects against and its ability to help growers maintain damage-free ears to harvest.”

The high-level protection that Attribute II offers can also help growers cut down on insecticide sprays, saving time and money while reducing the impact on the environment.

“If you’re looking for environmentally friendly tech that can help you reduce your number of insecticide sprays, Attribute II is the best thing that’s out there,” Walker says.

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”[Growers

Thank You!
want a herbicide program that can go across their field and sweet corn acres, without having to worry about their herbicide choice damaging their sweet corn crops.” credit=”Mark Jirak”]

No Task Too Small

Growers with smaller operations who have used Attribute II for its insect control capabilities have also seen its benefits. Jirak advises his brother Ron, who runs the family farm they grew up on, Jirak Brothers Produce, in Tampa, Kansas. Ron also sells the farm’s sweet corn directly to local residents and grocery stores.

To maintain the operation’s success, Jirak Brothers Produce depends on Attribute II sweet corn hybrids. “My brother uses Attribute II on the farm because the worm control is unsurpassed,” Jirak says. “When you’re selling to consumers who are used to buying sweet corn without any damage, it becomes an issue when your corn has worms. Attribute II gives us the best opportunity for worm-free corn, which is especially important when we sell produce at the farmers market or at the family’s roadside stand.”

For smaller acreages or planted areas, Syngenta offers Attribute II in convenient smaller-size 2,500-seed packets.

Jirak says that advising the home farm operation gives him a unique perspective on trait selection and efficacy. “I’m able to experience firsthand the benefits of using Attribute II on my family’s farm,” he says. “This real-world vantage point makes my work with these traits at Syngenta even more relevant and rewarding.”

*Data comes from Galen P. Dively, Ph.D., Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, who conducted individual sweet corn field trials at 15 locations across seven states (NC, VA, WV, MD, DE, NJ and NY) in 2017. The purpose of the trials was to compare the insect control efficacy of different Bt hybrids with non-expressing isolines.

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Growers, get ready for the next big transformation in farm technology—the driverless tractor. After two decades of building on a precision platform that started with GPS navigation, farm equipment manufacturers are getting close to realizing the much-anticipated milestone of having fully automated tractors on farms.

Right now, the driverless tractor still needs an operator, whose role is to intervene frequently to keep the tractor on task. But the ultimate goal is to offer growers driverless equipment that is smart—or autonomous—so they can perform tasks without human intervention. In other words, the driverless tractor would act as its own operator.

This goal requires equipment with sensors and cameras to relay data to onboard computers, which need artificial intelligence, so they can instantly respond to anything affecting the equipment’s current task. The technology will require minimal outside help.

Driverless tractors will allow growers to monitor field operations remotely from their computers.

Race to Autonomy

While the farm equipment industry has spent a couple of decades moving toward developing autonomous equipment, the race to commercially market that equipment has recently moved into high gear.

“Key farm manufacturers are all working in some way on autonomy,” says Dan Halliday, global product manager of precision land management at New Holland Agriculture. Niche companies and after-market suppliers also are developing autonomous solutions, which adds pressure across the industry to keep moving ahead, he says.

In 2016, both New Holland and Case IH introduced autonomous tractor prototypes, which the companies are still testing in the field.

“We’ve done a lot of work since then,” Halliday says. “We are working on sensor technology to make the driverless operation viable. And we launched smart auto-turn features last year.”

But there’s still work to be done, he adds. “There are applications that will need more work before we can fully automate them. If you want to till a field, it’s relatively easy to automate. However, if you’re combining, there’s a lot more going on.”

John Deere signaled its commitment to autonomous machinery when it acquired Blue River Technology. Blue River specializes in computer vision and machine learning, which are key technologies for developing task-oriented autonomous equipment.

“Frankly, we know that the move toward autonomy is about more than just a tractor driving across the field,” says Than Hartsock, manager of production system solutions at John Deere. “The quality of the job that the implement is doing matters, because that’s what ultimately impacts the crop that’s being grown. It’s not just the combine, but also the header that really matters. We are focusing our efforts on sensing, controlling and automating those functions.”

Blue River’s work on an advanced sprayer system illustrates the potential of automated technology. Computer vision allows the sprayer to sense the environment around it and look for weeds. The machine learns through artificial intelligence to identify weeds from soybeans, and then it precisely sprays individual weeds. This labor-free operation uses a minimum of chemicals and captures crop data to document the entire process.

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Autonomy takes out potential human error and gives the user a choice to operate overnight or for 24 hours. Clearly growers can benefit from increased efficiency on their farms utilizing these technologies.

Dan Halliday

The Digital Component

The ability to capture data from autonomous machinery will benefit farmers, according to Dan Burdett, global head of digital agriculture at Syngenta.

“The driverless tractor and automated farm equipment will be able to record any field event, which is important for developing insights, such as calculating return on investment [ROI],” he says. “Capturing timely and accurate data to document field applications for reports and stewardship requirements will also be possible.”

Because various sensors, tools and artificial intelligence will automate data collection, Burdett says the data will “enable a whole new level of decision-making capabilities. Growers will benefit from all of it.” He says the adoption of digital technologies in the ag industry is inevitable and moving fast.

“It’s escalating, and that’s driven partly by farm economics,” he says. “It’s very important for farmers to know their numbers. Digital tools and information technology can help farmers be better business people.”

Also driving the move to digital is a demographic change. “There are younger growers coming back on the farm who have a different way of doing things, including how they make decisions for the farm,” Burdett adds. “They do much more online research and consume a lot more information than previous generations.”

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The Future of Autonomy

For many years, the high cost of components needed for autonomous vehicles was partially responsible for ag manufacturers not bringing the vehicles to market. But that is changing.

Uber, Google and Tesla have made big investments in technology for their self-driving cars. This development has substantially lowered the cost of some components that are also used in automated farm equipment.

“We are seeing tremendous progress and innovation in cameras that are more capable and less expensive,” Hartsock says. “The sensors they use to look for obstacles in the road are becoming more effective and less expensive, too.”

As more industries use these components, prices will further drop, making autonomy within reach of farmers.

“We continue to see farmers who want products that make them money in a safe environment and that make fieldwork easier,” Hartsock says. “And as circumstances continue to compromise viable labor in our industry, farmers will need this help. All of these technologies make things easier and often have a substantial ROI for farmers.”

Autonomous and semi-autonomous equipment also may do the job better. “Autonomy takes out potential human error and gives the user a choice to operate overnight or for 24 hours,” says Halliday. “Clearly growers can benefit from increased efficiency on their farms utilizing these technologies.”

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U.S. farmers are among the most efficient in the world, says Ryan Findlay, industry relations lead for Syngenta. “We have the most abundant, most affordable, safest food supply, because of our technology and the farmers who implement that technology,” he says. “We are able to produce far more than we consume, making global trade crucial for U.S. agriculture.”

But the complexities of selling U.S. commodities internationally are constantly increasing. Staying ahead of it all are many agricultural associations and Syngenta employees who work every day with foreign countries to develop a marketing preference for U.S. commodities.

Negotiating Tariff Barriers

Tariff barriers have long been the impetus for free trade agreements beneficial to agriculture. “After we established NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement], we experienced rapid growth in trade with Canada and Mexico in agriculture,” Findlay says. With NAFTA under renegotiation, Syngenta is engaging with U.S. government officials to monitor and discuss the impacts of that renegotiation—and of any other free trade agreement.

“We have partnerships with groups like BIO [Biotechnology Innovation Organization], U.S. Grains Council and others to review proposals, make comments and discuss the impacts on farmers,” Findlay says. “The partnership with U.S. Grains Council is critical, because it is doing a lot of the work in trade agreements that’s going to be extremely beneficial for farmers moving forward.”

Tom Sleight, president and CEO of U.S. Grains Council, points to a current example of concern: a 5 percent tariff inhibiting exports of grain to Vietnam. “Vietnam is the fastest growing feed market in the world,” he says. “That 5 percent tariff was removed under the Transpacific Partnership, but we pulled out of that agreement, so it’s back on the table. We’re always on the lookout for similar tariff barriers. We’ve made a lot of progress, but taking their place have been nontariff barriers.”

Overcoming Nontariff Barriers

Those nontariff barriers encompass a variety of trade impediments. Maximum residue limits (MRLs) on approved pesticides are among the most crucial currently. “MRLs, in the last several months, command much more attention in global trade, almost rivaling biotech,” Sleight says. “Some people say they could become the new biotech in terms of trade barriers.”

A global standard exists for those residues, called Codex Alimentarius, but some countries are establishing their own MRLs. “That becomes a challenge when countries’ MRLs are below Codex,” Findlay says. “MRLs are a trading standard used to ensure the product was used as directed by the label. There is a rise in countries developing their own national MRL lists, instead of using Codex. This lack of acceptance and use of Codex MRLs may create nontariff trade barriers.”

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Ninety-seven percent of anticipated population growth over the next 35 years will take place outside the U.S. The international market is where U.S. agriculture needs to be focused—and it is.

Tom Sleight

Europe, for example, has effectively created a ban on neonicotinoids, as officials there decide where to set the MRL, a major concern for U.S. farmers, Findlay says. “We’re meeting with the Europeans to explain what the products are, why we use them, their safety and the impact of MRLs on their access to grain.”

Approval of Genetically Engineered Traits

Biotechnology approvals can also present a kind of nontariff barrier and are a key focus for some agricultural associations. “The most important thing we can do for our members is advocate for biotech regulations around the world to be based on the best available science and not factor in issues, such as social or economic considerations,” says Matt O’Mara, vice president of BIO.

China and Europe are the two most significant markets of concern today, he says, where the average approval timeline lasts roughly five years. (The U.S. process typically takes two years or less.) He describes Chinese approval processes as unpredictable, nontransparent and often asynchronous—meaning technology is approved here, but not there.

“That time gap between approvals in exporting countries and approvals in importing countries represents a very significant problem for biotech companies,” O’Mara says. “Often a company will decide to restrict the commercialization of that product in the countries where the product has been approved.”

Part of the problem is that China won’t allow companies to even submit a product for review, until it is already approved in the cultivating country, creating an immediate delay of about two years, says Sarah Lukie, managing director of regulatory and multilateral affairs for plant biotechnology at CropLife International. China’s often-unscientific requirements further delay the process.

“In-country field trials are required, for example, for a product that’s simply being brought in for food or feed processing,” Lukie says. “If it is a product intended to just be used for food and feed processing, then obviously the risk assessment should flow from that use.”

Trade will continue to be the lifeblood of U.S. agriculture, given that about 97 percent of the world’s population lives outside its borders. “And 97 percent of anticipated population growth over the next 35 years will take place outside the U.S.,” Sleight says. “The international market is where U.S. agriculture needs to be focused—and it is.”

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For more than 50 years, U.S. corn, sorghum and sugar cane growers have depended on atrazine herbicide to produce food sustainably. They trust that its safety and efficacy are well documented, as are its environmental, economic and production benefits.

In fact, atrazine is one of the most closely examined herbicides in the world. “This herbicide has gone through a tremendous amount of scientific testing, both with regard to managing its risks and measuring its benefits,” says Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America. “I doubt there is any compound used in agriculture—or anywhere else in society—that has been more thoroughly evaluated on its presence in surface and groundwater and its potential effects on wildlife.”

Toxicologist Timothy Pastoor, Ph.D., who spent much of his career at Syngenta studying atrazine, agrees. “When I talk about the science behind atrazine, I talk about the more than 7,000 studies that support the registration, which is far more than any other active ingredient on the market,” he says. “Atrazine is inexpensive, and it works. It’s the all-star of agriculture.”

Atrazine Advantages

All of that research has brought to light atrazine’s many benefits. For example, without atrazine, crop yields would potentially diminish, making U.S. growers less competitive compared with other global producers.

“If you significantly reduce yields, you’ll likely drive up production acreage,” says David Bridges, Ph.D., president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “Well, there’s not a lot more acreage out there that’s prime farmland, so what do you do? You put marginal acreage that is currently in conservation programs—protecting streams and wildlife habitat—into production, which has negative consequences for the country as a whole.” Research shows that using atrazine helps keep an average of 513,000 acres in a noncrop scenario, allowing for more biodiversity on this acreage.

On farmed acres, atrazine helps reduce soil erosion by enabling no-till farming and conservation tillage. “Atrazine gives growers residual weed control, so they’re not having to do deep plowing every year, reducing soil and pesticide runoff,” says Dennis Kelly, head of state affairs at Syngenta. “Without atrazine, the fields may not be no-till any longer, and that’s going to decrease water quality due to increased sediments, especially in sensitive watersheds.”

According to studies, some 3 million dump trucks worth of soil are kept in place each year because of atrazine. Less plowing also means less petroleum burned, which means less carbon dioxide emitted.

Atrazine is highly selective and inhibits photosynthesis in weeds, while corn is very tolerant. According to Bridges, “It tends to make other corn herbicide products even better, leading to more than 60 prepackaged mixtures with other herbicides in the market.

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Farmers know that when they apply a product containing atrazine—of which there are more than 60—they’re going to get the broad-scale weed control they’re looking for.

Timothy Pastoor

Economics Upsides, Production Pluses

Atrazine is crucial economically, too. According to studies, the use of atrazine supports 85,000 jobs across the ag industry. It also means a boost of more than 900 million bushels of corn output each year.

Without atrazine in their toolboxes, growers would feel the financial implications quickly. “It makes a $34 to $48 positive difference per acre for a corn grower,” says Bridges. “When you’re talking about farmers with a couple thousand acres, that big difference in weed control and yield protection results in a large increase in their bottom lines.”

As one of the few herbicide modes of action available to growers, atrazine offers another benefit to growers, notes Ethan Mathews, director of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association: “It’s one of the last lines of defense we have against weeds that are resistant to other herbicides.”

It’s, therefore, not surprising that growers and herbicide manufacturers alike often turn to atrazine for more effective weed control. It’s frequently sold in combination with newer active ingredients because it makes those products work better. “Other active ingredients might not have the span of weed coverage that’s necessary for the farmer; the addition of atrazine gives the product formulation the span of activity farmers are looking for,” Pastoor says. “Farmers know that when they apply a product containing atrazine—of which there are more than 60—they’re going to get the broad-scale weed control they’re looking for.”

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Strong Grower Support

Given atrazine’s central role in the production of corn, sorghum and sugar cane, it’s understandable that concerns were raised last June when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an unfavorable preliminary draft ecological risk assessment on the herbicide. In response, the scientific and agriculture community submitted hundreds of thousands of comments in support of the product.

“The retailer and grower response and support were amazing,” Kelly says. “We believe that once EPA reviews the overwhelming evidence on the safety of atrazine, it will make changes to its assessment and farmers will be able to continue to use atrazine.”

Although EPA’s public comment period for that draft has concluded, the agency’s review process is ongoing. Next, EPA will review the provided information, amend the draft report as appropriate, and hold a Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) meeting. Then the agency will publish a preliminary reregistration decision and ask for further public comment.

In addition to all the public comments, EPA will consider the volume of data that atrazine has on its side. “It’s one of the best-studied, most extensively regulated molecules on the planet,” Pastoor says. “Thousands of scientific studies have demonstrated that, when used properly at the labeled rate, atrazine has not, will not and, in fact, cannot adversely affect human health.”

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Syngenta scientists have solved the mystery behind an abnormal corn line responsible for revolutionizing corn breeding. Discovered in 1959 by University of Missouri Professor Edward H. Coe, Ph.D., the line produces haploid plants that contain just half the DNA of normal corn.

The ability to use this line to speed up breeding caught the attention of the corn-breeding industry. Today, all corn-breeding companies use haploids to shorten the time required to produce parent lines by several years. Reduced time and increased efficiencies for scientists to develop new hybrids have the potential to bring about higher-yielding, better-adapted seed options for growers at a faster pace.

But the reason why this odd and naturally evolved line produces haploids was never understood until recently. In 2007, Syngenta scientists began a quest to locate the genes responsible for haploid production. They found their answer by 2013 and followed up with gene editing to verify the discovery in 2015.

Solving this mystery will help Syngenta improve how scientists use haploids in current breeding systems and may lead to applying the technology in other crops. It also shows how new biotechnology can find solutions located deep in genetic coding.

Doubling Haploids

Some basic corn biology helps explain why haploids are so important to corn breeding. Corn is a diploid, meaning it has two copies of every chromosome in every cell. That’s 10 chromosomes that come from the female parent and 10 from the male parent. A haploid occurs when there is only one copy of every chromosome coming from one of the parents, while the copies from the other parent are gone.

Haploids become valuable when scientists double them and use them to produce homozygous breeding lines. In homozygous lines, all genes on each pair of chromosomes in every cell of the plant are identical. These homozygous lines are 100-percent inbred lines, which otherwise would have to be produced by repeated forced self-pollinations. The haploid method lets breeders produce inbred lines within just two generations, while traditional breeding takes 10 generations.

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We had this one huge-effect gene, the big gun. It was exciting that it was a major gene contributing so much of the trait.

Brant Delzer

“It speeds up parent line development for hybrid crops by several years,” says Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, Ph.D., head of Syngenta Seeds Research. “The way we do this is by regenerating new plants out of pollen or egg cells, which each have only one set of chromosomes, and then doubling the chromosomes of these plants through a chemical treatment. The end result of this process is a doubled-haploid plant.”

The most efficient way to produce doubled haploids in corn is through haploid induction, he adds. “It can be done cheaply in the field and is broadly applicable across all genetic starting material.”

Haploid induction requires taking pollen from a haploid-inducer plant and putting it on any female ear of corn. The result will be an odd-looking ear that’s populated with about 13 percent haploid kernels.

The Search for Answers

The discovery of corn haploids has been around since 1959, but its use really took off in the 1990s, as scientists learned how to effectively double the haploids and breeders efficiently used them in their breeding programs, says Brent Delzer, Ph.D., Syngenta corn breeder. Delzer was part of the team that searched for the gene source of the haploid induction.

“As scientists, we have inquiring minds and want to know what the genetic basis is that is contributing to haploid induction,” he says. In 2007, Syngenta made the first crosses of haploid inducers with non-inducers, while also developing a mapping population to search for the chromosome position of the genetic trait.

“We initiated that work in our nursery in Hawaii,” Delzer says. “We were able to get several generations a year and set up the breeding population so we could map the gene.”

In the summer of 2008, Delzer planted some of the first crosses at his location near Janesville, Wisconsin. The next winter, his colleagues in Hawaii grew fields with crosses for evaluation. The team was looking for the chromosome region containing genes contributing to the haploid-induction trait.

“Chromosomes are rather big with a lot of genes on each one,” Delzer says. “So after we mapped a spot on the chromosome, we had to do fine mapping.” Syngenta geneticist Satya Chintamanani, Ph.D., became involved with the search and during 2009 and 2010 helped hone in on a small region of a chromosome.

The team was able to identify six different genes in the region. Using gene sequencing, they found one of the genes had a mutation that produced haploids. They baptized it as the MATRILINEAL (MATL) gene.

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The Big Gun

The results surprised the team. The MATL gene was responsible for nearly 70 percent of the haploid-induction trait. “Corn has as many genes as people do—about 30,000—and almost all traits are controlled by many, many genes,” Delzer says. “But we had this one huge-effect gene, the big gun. It was exciting that it was a major gene contributing so much of the trait.”

There was another surprise ahead, which came during the verification process. Tim Kelliher, Ph.D., principal scientist for reproduction biology at Syngenta, led the verification to prove the gene was the correct one. The team used gene editing to recreate the small mutation in a normal inbred. By doing the minor edit, the plant produced a working haploid inducer, just like the one found decades ago in Missouri.

During the process, the team discovered the gene’s unusual type. “The gene produces a protein that modifies pollen fats or lipids,” Kelliher says. “Lipids are an important but poorly understood part of cellular biology. Now we are looking at the lipid composition of pollen grains and how they change to figure out ways to make haploids without editing genes.”

Future Work

The team’s work on the haploid mystery is not done, Kelliher says. Syngenta will continue to study the MATL gene and also identify the other minor genes involved in haploid production.

The value of this long-term research for Syngenta is two-fold, according to van Lookeren Campagne. The first comes with “making existing haploid-induction systems more efficient and thereby saving costs.”

The second is “deploying the technology to other crops that do not have any doubled-haploid production system,” he says. “That is where the real value would be, as it could really make a breakthrough in the breeding of these crops.”

Corn is a prime example of what can happen when scientists use the doubled haploid. “The line that Professor Coe found, the haploid inducer, has really underpinned the success of corn as a crop in the marketplace,” Kelliher says. “Corn is king, and a lot of it is due to this line.”

For Syngenta scientists, helping another crop achieve similar success and sustainably feeding the world are high on their list of priorities.