More in Seed

May 17, 2012

Article

Pioneer soybeans to be sold by seed counts, not weight

Soybean seed from Pioneer Hi-Bred will be sold by seed count and not by weight for the 2013 planting season. This is a major change for the company that has sold soybean seed by weight. In the future, a unit will be 140,000 soybean seeds instead of 50 lbs. of seed in a unit....More
May 15, 2012

Article

Beck's Hybrids opens Ohio location

Beck’s Hybrids announced it is opening the company’s first permanent location in Ohio. The new facility will be located east of the Farm Science Review show site, at London, Ohio....More
May 11, 2012

Article

Should you replant? Try out Pioneer's online calculator 1

Deciding when to replant a crop that’s been adversely affected by weather, pests or other problems is tough. Now an online calculator will help growers make that decision. A replant calculator is available from Pioneer Hi-Bred on Mobile Pioneer.com....More
May 7, 2012

Article

Innovative solutions needed to feed the world’s growing population

Food experts say that U.S. farmers need to grow an average 300 bu. of corn/acre by 2030 to help feed the world’s growing population. It doesn’t take an expert to see that this goal won’t be reached at our current rate of corn yield improvement. It has taken more than 40 years for corn yields to increase from 100 bu./acre in 1978 to 150 bu./acre, which was first reached in 2007. U.S. growers now have 18 years to double their yield to reach 300 bu./acre....More
May 2, 2012

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Top corn production takes more than traits

jkl...More
Apr. 26, 2012

Article

Is it time to plant soybeans?

Like corn, soybean planting has had an unusually early start in Illinois this year, with some of the crop planted before April 1 and 5% planted by April 22. Was this early planting advisable? ...More
Apr. 26, 2012

Article

Soybean row spacing: wide or narrow?

Average row spacing in Illinois soybean fields has increased over the past decade after narrowing for several decades before that, according to University of Illinois crop sciences professor Emerson Nafziger. This increase resulted from drilled soybeans – those with rows less than 10 in. apart – losing ground to 30-in. rows, which now occupy nearly 1/3 of the soybean acres. Just over 50 percent of Illinois soybean fields remain in 15-in. rows. ...More
Apr. 10, 2012

Article

Monsanto tests drought-tolerant hybrids in on-farm trial program

Monsanto will test its new drought-tolerant corn system, Genuity DroughtGard hybrids, in a new, on-farm trial program called Ground Breakers. Ground Breakers allows farmers to try out pipeline products under commercial-scale planting conditions. About 250 farmers in the Western Great Plains will plant the new hybrids to see how they perform under drought stress....More
Apr. 9, 2012

Article

DuPont opens $40 million agriculture research facility

DuPont opened a $40 million plant genetics research facility in Johnston, Iowa, today to support its commitment to increasing agricultural productivity and food security. Approximately 400 new jobs will be created through the increased research and development capabilities housed in the 200,000 sq. ft. building....More
Apr. 3, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: A look at AgReliant Genetics’ seed facility

The AgReliant Genetics’ seed nursery and research farm in Puerto Rico is a major employer in the Santa Isabel area. It retains 41 full-time employees and 550 seasonal workers for hand pollination and other fieldwork.
Apr. 2, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: AgReliant Genetics operates winter nursery in Puerto Rico

AgReliant Genetics is one of several U.S. seed genetics companies with nurseries and/or research facilities in Puerto Rico. Ramon Molinary, station manager for AgReliant Genetics in Puerto Rico, explains that here they are able to produce three generations of seed from new genetics and traits in one year. And because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, seed and researchers travel quickly between the island country and the mainland. AgReliant includes AgriGold, Great Lakes Hybrids, LG Seeds, Producers Hybrids, Wensman, and Pride Seeds....More
Apr. 2, 2012

Article

Seed companies must weigh multiple factors for seed production

While most corn growers are thinking about the 2012 crop, seed companies are now determining just how much corn seed to produce for the 2013 season, and beyond. It’s a complicated balancing act that uses current sales, product demand, trait choice, customer feedback and sales force projections, among other factors, to determine which corn hybrids to plant, and in what quantities, to meet demand that at the time is probably the farthest thing from their customers’ minds....More
Mar. 30, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: 3rd Millennium Genetics offers seed nursery, DuraYield non-GMO genetics

3rd Millennium Genetics (3MG) offers seed nursery services from its location in Puerto Rico. The company has more than 100 clients in 11 different countries. It has worked with 19 different crops — from corn and soybeans to sunflowers and sesame.
Mar. 29, 2012

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Top images of the week from Farm Industry News

Editor Karen McMahon recently returned from a trip to Puerto Rico, where the seed and research industries are thriving. We chose our top four photos for this week from the six total pieces we have published in a series called “Week in Puerto Rico.” See the rest of the series here: Piece 1: Video: Soybean, seed nursery business thrives in Puerto Rico
Mar. 29, 2012

Article

Week in Puerto Rico series: Move over Hawaii – Puerto Rico takes over U.S. winter seed work

Puerto Rico has become the new Hawaii in the corn and soybean seed business. This small Caribbean island is the new winter home for major seed companies including AgReliant, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences’ Mycogen, Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred and Syngenta. The attraction of Puerto Rico over Hawaii involves the tropical climate, the country’s location and its positive business environment. ...More
Mar. 28, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: Spectrum Seed Solutions uses DuraYield genetics for non-GMO markets

Spectrum Seed Solutions, Crawfordsville, Ind., is moving the new DuraYield genetics into its commercial corn hybrids. Scott Johnson, genetics manager, explains how the new genetics line works with its native traits to withstand heat, drought and insect pressure....More
Mar. 27, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: Major rice company uses Puerto Rico for seed research, nursery

Puerto Rico is home to a large rice nursery owned by RiceTec, the United States’ only hybrid rice seed producer. Headquartered in Alvin, Texas, RiceTec also produces specialty rice products for consumers. The nursery near Lajas, Puerto Rico, encompasses 2,000 acres of land, which includes leased fields. Station manager Jaime Suarez Feliciano says they are able to grow three cycles of rice a year in research plots in the tropical climate. This enables the company to bring new seed products to the market more quickly.
Mar. 27, 2012

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Week in Puerto Rico series: Corn, soybean seed nursery business thrives

Minnesota native Ed Baumgartner founded 3rd Millennium Genetics (3MG) in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, in 2005. The company offers year-round nursery services to global seed customers who need fast conversion from research genetics to seed production fields. The climate in Puerto Rico allows up to four corn crops a year. This is the first piece in our "Week in Puerto Rico" series. Check back for more videos, photo galleries and stories in the series at www.farmindustrynews.com. ...More
Mar. 14, 2012

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Ban air fresheners, not biotech

It’s not often the topic of air fresheners comes up at an ag conference, so imagine my surprise when this flashed on a screen during a seminar at Crop World Global 2011: Every year, 2,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized with injuries due to air fresheners....More
Mar. 14, 2012

Article

Ban air fresheners, not biotech

It’s not often the topic of air fresheners comes up at an ag conference, so imagine my surprise when this flashed on a screen during a seminar at Crop World Global 2011: Every year, 2,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized with injuries due to air fresheners....More
Mar. 14, 2012

Article

Report finds corn yield growth slowing

“Can Corn Keep Up?” report finds it unlikely U.S. corn yields will be substantial enough to significantly increase historically low world grain stocks....More
Mar. 13, 2012

Article

Pioneer’s latest single-bag refuge product approved

DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred just received approval to market its latest single-bag corn product for corn borer and corn rootworm protection. Optimum AcreMax XTreme will be sold for the 2013 season and contains the full refuge requirement in the bag for above and below ground insect protection in corn....More
Mar. 12, 2012

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Above- and below-ground insect protection from Pioneer Hi-Bred

Josh St. Peters, corn marketing manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred, explains the benefits of Optimum AcreMax above-ground insect protection, in addition to AcreMax Xtra for above- and below-ground protection. Pioneer also plans to release a new product called AcreMax Extreme, which is scheduled to hit the market in 2013, pending EPA approval....More
Mar. 8, 2012

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New corn rootworm trait from Syngenta to hit markets in 2014 pending approval 1

Chuck Leonard, key account agronomist for Syngenta, says that Agrisure Duracade is a "game-changing" technology. The new corn rootworm trait is in testing now and on schedule to be released commercially in 2014. Leonard explains the benefits and ways farmers can manage resistance....More
Mar. 1, 2012

Article

Monsanto to add dicamba-tolerant trait to RR soybeans

Monsanto announced at the 2012 Commodity Classic a dicamba-tolerant trait that will be stacked with Genuity RR 2Yield soybeans. The new soybean line will be called RR 2 Xtend. Accompanying the new trait will be a dicamba and glyphosate herbicide premix called Roundup Xtend for pre and post applications....More