54 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM INDUSTRY NEWS TAILORED TO SEED PROFESSIONALS, INDUSTRY NEWS DELIVERS THE PEOPLE, RESEARCH, BUSINESS AND PRODUCT NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW. SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME. EMAIL US AT NEWS@ISSUESINK.COM. INDUSTRY NEWS Technology innovation and integration help advance modern agriculture, and an example of this progress comes from Dow AgroSciences LLC, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), and MS Technologies, LLC, as the companies announce receipt of a signifi- cant patent covering soybean plants and seeds containing the innovative Enlist E3™ event. U.S. Patent No. 9,540,655 acknowledges the proprietary work done to develop new soybean products toler- ant to three herbicides’ modes of action, providing farmers significantly improved cropping systems to address resistant and hard-to-control weeds. The ability to combine multiple herbicide tolerance genes of interest in a single location in high-performing soybean genetics ulti- mately benefits farmers through bring- ing forward improved products like Enlist E3 soybeans. The Enlist E3 soy- bean event includes, for the first time, three herbicide tolerance genes com- bined in a genetic event in the soybean genome. These genes provide tolerance to Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist Duo® with Colex-D® Technology (a combination of new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate) as well as glufosinate herbicide. A prod- uct offering of the Enlist system, Enlist E3 soybeans will be brought to market in high-yielding varieties for farmers who want improved weed control and high yields. The innovative product is being developed through a collabora- tion between MS Technologies and Dow AgroSciences. The patent also covers methods of controlling weeds in a field of Enlist E3 soybeans by applying herbi- cides, including Dow AgroSciences’ new 2,4-D choline product, glyphosate, and/or glufosinate, over the field. BUSINESS NEWS Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa, founder of the PanAfrican Tobacco Group, has announced the forthcoming official open- ing of Meridian Tobacco Company (MTC) factory, together with its farmer develop- ment program, and food crop and forestry improvement, scheduled for May 2017. The project comprising the US $8 mil- lion factory, US $10 million, leaf-grower program, and US $2 million food crops and forestry development, have been operational since 2015/2016. MTC factory directly employs 352 workers and empow- ers 15,000 small farmers that supply the facility. An additional 1,600 workers and small businesses such as transporters expand the workforce seasonally. Bayer, in coordination with the new Feed a Bee steering committee, announced a call for proposals to establish additional forage for pollinators in all 50 states by 2018. Bayer’s Feed a Bee program, cur- rently in its third year, has rallied more than 900,000 individuals and 117 part- ner organizations to plant more than two billion wildflowers across the U.S., creating and expanding forage areas for pollinators. Through this new initiative, Feed a Bee will build on the success of the program to fund forage initiatives and plantings for pollinators in every state in the U.S., working with organi- zations across the nation. To further the reach of Feed a Bee and contribute to additional forage development, the Feed a Bee Steering Committee, comprised of more than a dozen Feed a Bee partners, including R.D. Offutt Company, Sweet Virginia Foundation, Project Apis m., amongst others, as well as representa- tives from the Bayer Bee Care Program, will distribute $500,000 in funding over the next two years. The committee is requesting forage initiative proposals that will promote pollinator health and help provide a tangible solution to the current lack of forage. Organizations including, but not limited to, non-profits, growers (individual and trade groups), beekeep- ers (individual and associations), busi- nesses, schools, clubs, gardening groups, government agencies, etc. are encouraged to submit a proposal. PEOPLE NEWS A federal jury convicted Chinese sci- entist Weiqiang Zhang of stealing hundreds of samples of genetically engi- neered rice seeds from his employer, Ventria Bioscince, Inc, based out of Kansas. He was convicted of on three counts, including conspiracy to steal trade secrets and interstate transpor- tation of stolen property, the US Justice Department said in a statement. Zhang stole the seeds in 2013 and got them to Chinese crop researchers, who were plan- ning to smuggle the seeds out of the US. US Customs discovered the seeds in the travellers’ luggage. The rice seeds are genetically programmed for use in the medical and therapeutic fields.