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S E E D V S . C U T T I N G S T H E F U T U R E O F P L A N T P R O D U C T I O NT H E H I S T O R Y T H E T E C H N O L O G Y T H E D E B A T E June 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM Yes No Is Your Plant Breeding Software Working for You Find out why plant breeders in over 40 countries around the world use Contact us at infoagronomix.com Providing software solutions for plant breeders since 1990 www.agronomix.com ...in their research programs. Create your own free account on our Learning Centre and watch the short AGROBASE Discovery Tutorials. Ask us for a personal internet demonstration to learn how our software can empower your breeding program. Let us do the heavywork AGROBASE Cloud Do you want to know more about AGROBASE Generation II or AGROBASE Cloud Our website has all the information JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 1 CONTENTSJUNE2016 GMO Crop Breakdown Review the crops approved for commercialization in the United States. Whats At Stake University researchers depict what a world without GMOs might look like. Around the World Get a regional overview on the acceptance of GMOs. A Different Perspective Understand the concerns associated with GMOs. Protecting Pollinators Neonicotinoid treated seeds bring value to todays farm. Regulatory Review USDA FDA and EPA review procedures and structures. The Debate Three passionate people share their position about the safety sustainability and science of GMOs. Lessons Learned Monsantos Robb Fraley shares tips for having a conversation about GMOs and other agricultural technologies. Whats in a Label A contentious topic Vermonts labeling law might become the de facto law of the land. The History of GMOs From Corgis to corn explore the long history of GMO technology. Features 08 12 16 22 24 26 34 42 46 50 4234 12 Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously and we believe we have a right to know whats in the food we buy. Peter Shumlin Page 46 4 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 CONTENTSJUNE2016 In Every Issue Strategy Explore the benefits of nutrition in seed development during the seed production phase and on the farm. Cross Pollination Regulatory Roundup World Status Industry News Since 1915 38 54 56 58 60 63 Columns 44 64 International Agricultural Development Dennis Thompson shares how crop rotation or lack of and gender intertwine in Ghana. Giant Views Adrian Percy of Bayers Crop Science Division shares the importance of continued public investment in plant science. 54 Special Section Introducing INSIDERS Here experts from around the seed industry and those who service the seed industry will share their perspective and provide recommendations on everything from seed treatments to equipment and from engineering to content marketing with the goal of helping you make better more informed business decisions. Its actually a more nutrient-dense seed. The seed does better in the first 30 days coming out of the ground which sets farmers up for success. David Sippell Page 38 30 In a letter to George Washington penned in 1787 Thomas Jefferson observed that Agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth good morals and happiness. Jeffersons words are truer now than ever. For so many agriculture is a source of nourishment purpose and prosperity. At Bratney Companies we support the rich traditions of our countrys farming history and we will remain in constant pursuit of the innovations that help advance the agriculture industry. AGRICULTUREISSTILL OURWISESTPURSUIT Cimbria DS 1250 Drum Scalper CIMBRIA COLOR SORTER 3400 109th Street Des Moines IA 50322 800-247-6755 www.bratney.com 6 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 JUNE 2016 THE INKERS MAIN OFFICE 1395-A S. Columbia Road PMB 360 Grand Forks ND 58201-9907 SUBSCRIPTIONS Seed World is published six times a year. North American subscription rates are one year USD 70 two years USD 120. The international rate for one year is USD 200. To subscribe please email subscribeissuesink.com. WANT MORE SEED WORLD Follow us online at facebook.comSeedWorld twitter.comseedworldmag SeedWorld.com Please recycle where facilities exist. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States. EDITORIAL BOARD R.B. Halaby AgriCapital Betty Jones-Bliss Purdue University John Schoenecker HM.CLAUSE Jim Schweigert Gro Alliance Karen Withers Pennington Seed PUBLISHER Shawn Brook sbrookissuesink.com EDITOR Julie Deering jdeeringissuesink.com STAFF EDITORS Mark Halsall Lindsay Hoffman Shannon Schindle Marc Zienkiewicz MARKETING Craig Armstrong carmstrongissuesink.com Hiten Shah hshahissuesink.com CREATIVE Theresa Kurjewicz Lesley Nakonechny DIGITAL Kyle Dratowany Caleb MacDonald Lynne Roy CIRCULATION Dean French dfrenchissuesink.com CONTRIBUTORS Gabriel Rangel Melissa Shipman Dennis Thompson Brian Wallheimer Frank Zaworski Q. WHATS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF SCIENCE 1. Yikes I remember creating a water filter system it didnt work well but I worked on it with my dad. Thats what I remember most. 2. For a grade school project I experimented to find out in what room of the house a green bean plant would grow best. Plants were placed in the bathroom bedroom living room and the basement with varying humidity temperature and light conditions. 3. I hate to admit it but the memory that will live with me to my dying day was in junior high. I sneaked into the chemistry lab with a friend and stole a jar of elemental phosphorus highly combustible and thus kept in water. My friend and I spirited it to the photography dark room I took the sample out and started writing on the wall. My writing glowed beautifully. But phosphorus is phosphorescent until it ignites. From manual treaters andFrom manual treaters and basic pump stands to fullybasic pump stands to fully automated prescriptiveautomated prescriptive treating systems USC offers the most diverseoffers the most diverse product line available inproduct line available in seed treating solutions.seed treating solutions. Industry Leader.Industry Leader. Industry Innovator.Industry Innovator. www.uscllc.com 866.729.1623 USC LLC. 2320 124th Rd Sabetha KS 66534 8 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 The latest report from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications shows the number of biotech hectares globally increased from 1.7 million in 1996 to 179.7 million in 2015. This 100-fold increase makes biotechnology the fastest adopted crop technology in recent times and the United States leads the way. Currently there are nine crops approved for commercial planting in the United States. These include apple alfalfa canola corn cotton papaya soybean sugar beet and squash according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Crop Apple USDA deregulated Feb. 18 2015 Developer Okanagan Purpose Non-browning Commercial Name Arctic Commercially available 2015 Crop Alfalfa USDA deregulated June 14 2005 fully deregulated Developer Monsanto Forage Genetics International Purpose Tolerant to glyphosate Commercial Name Roundup Ready Commercial Availability 2005-2007 2011 Lawsuit filed USDA deregulated Feb. 18 2015 OkanaganOkanagan Non-browning Commercial Name Arctic Commercially available 2015 The Breakdown applealfalfacanolacorncotton papayasoybeansugarbeetsquash applealfalfacanolacorncotton papayasoybean applealfalfacanolacorncotton bean applealfalfacanolacorncotton sugarbeetsquash applealfalfacanolacorncotton sugarbeetsquash applealfalfacanolacorncotton Crop Corn USDA deregulated May 17 1995 Developer Ciba Seeds Purpose Resistant to Lepidopteran 10 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Crop Canola USDA deregulated July 18 2013 Developer Pioneer Purpose glyphosate tolerant Commercial Name Optimum Gly sugarbeetsquashCrop Papaya USDA deregulated Sept. 5 1996 Developer Cornell U Purpose Resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus Crop Soybean USDA deregulated May 18 1994 Developer Monsanto Purpose Tolerant to glyphosate May 17 1995 Crop Sugar Beet USDA deregulated March 4 2005 Developer Monsanto and KWS SAAT AG Purpose Tolerant to glyphosate Commercial Name Genuity Roundup Ready Commercially Available 2008 Lawsuit filed Crop Squash USDA deregulated Dec. 7 1994 Developer Upjohn Purpose To make it resistant to Watermelon Mosaic Virus and Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus. Crop Cotton USDA deregulated Feb. 15 1994 Developer Calgene Purpose Tolerant to Bromoxynil Crop CottonCrop Cotton USDA deregulated CalgeneCalgene Tolerant to BromoxynilTolerant to Bromoxynil glyphosate tolerant Commercial Name glyphosate tolerant To make it resistant to Watermelon Mosaic Virus and applealfalfacanolacorncottonapplealfalfacanolacorncotton sugarbeetsquash applealfalfacanolacorncotton sugarbeetsquashsugarbeetsquashsugarbeetsquash MEET OUR INSIDERS Check out Page 30 for expert advice on everything from biologicals to software and data management. Advice from industry experts ABM 1ST CEO AND CO-FOUNDER DAN CUSTIS EES COMPANIES OWNER AND PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER JEFF ELWER ISSUES INK DIRECTOR CLIENT SERVICES LINDSAY HOFFMAN KSI CONVEYORS DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JASON KAEB AGRONOMIX PRESIDENT CEO AND FOUNDER DIETER MULITZE GRO ALLIANCE PRESIDENT JIM SCHWEIGERT EUROFINS BIODIAGNOSTICS VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS DENISE THIEDE As CEO Dan Custis oversees all company financial marketing and sales operations as well as new product development. Custis agricultural expertise is centered in the fungicide and insecticide seed treatment and legume inoc- ulant markets. He has worked for and held various positions with national and multinational companies. Custis received his Bachelor of Science in agriculture from Eastern Kentucky University and his masters in business with a focus on small business develop- ment and startups from Regent University. Jeff Elwer a Professional Engineer is the founder owner and presi- dent of EES Companies an engineering procurement and construction company head- quartered in Des Moines Iowa. With more than 39 years of expe- rience Elwer has completed proj- ects across various industries in several states within the United States as well as Mexico Puerto Rico Guatemala Argentina South America India Bulgaria and Romania. Throughout his career he has helped clients develop solutions to improve efficiency productivity and safety. Passionate about agriculture Lindsay Hoffman serves as direc- tor client services for CREATE by Issues Ink. In this role she is com- mitted to finding solution-driven options for clients to create a plat- form for success. Prior to joining Issues Ink Hoffman worked in the agribusiness sector and brings expertise in agronomy sales and marketing to the table. At Issues Ink she has worked as part of both the content and business development teams. She brings a unique perspective to any CREATE project she works on. A Kansas State University gradu- ate Jason Kaeb earned a degree in management information sys- tems and operations manage- ment. After graduation he worked for Sprint Nextel before joining KSi Conveyors. Kaeb has served in various positions including operations automationcontrols service and sales. As director of business development he lever- ages his broad understanding of the seed handling and treatment industry to provide solutions to customers and maintains relation- ships with some of the largest and most influential companies. Drawing on his experience in developing plant breeding soft- ware since the 1970s and working as a plant breeder Dieter Mulitze Ph.D. released the first version of AGROBASE and incorpo- rated Agronomix Software in 1990. In June 2001 AGROBASE Generation II a fully relational soft- ware system was released. Then in 2009 a more powerful ver- sion was released using MS-SQL Server as the back-end database. Seed companies government research centers and universities in more than 40 countries now use AGROBASE Generation II. A third-generation seedsman Jim Schweigert grew up in the busi- ness. He earned a degree in public relations from the University of Minnesota and worked for corpo- rate public relations firms before joining the family business full time in 2003. He has since been active in the American Seed Trade Association the Independent Professional Seed Association and earned his masters in seed tech- nology and business from Iowa State University. As president Schweigert manages client con- tracts and crop planning as well as business development and new market opportunities. Denise Thiede is a Ph.D. and a Registered Genetic Technologist RGT and has been with Eurofins BioDiagnostics for 14 years. Eurofins offers a portfolio of more than 100000 reliable ana- lytical methods for characterizing the safety identity purity com- position authenticity and origin of products and biological sub- stances. Thiede holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Olaf College a masters from the University of Illinois and her doctorate in evolutionary plant biology from Michigan State University. 12 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 U.S. RESEARCHERS HAVE a mathematical model at their disposal which allows them to envision what the country and the world might look like if a certain situation were to play out such as differing levels of biofuel production. Thats exactly how Wally Tyner started using Purdue Universitys computable general equilibrium CGE models. Most recently Tyner a Purdue agricultural economist and other researchers asked what the economic and greenhouse gas emission impacts would be if genetically modified organisms GMOs were banned in the United States. Knowing that 18 million farmers in 28 countries planted about 181 million hectares 447 million acres of GMO crops in 2014 with about 40 percent of that in the United States they fed that data into a version the CGE model thats designed to examine the economy-wide impacts and land use consequences of agricul- tural energy trade and environmental policies. The results paint a surprising picture of what would be in store if GMOs were banned in the United States. Lower Yields Higher Emissions We use this model all the time but its the first time weve used it for the GMO question says Tyner who co-authored the study funded by the California Grain Feed Association. The results really surprised us. The results serious yield declines higher food prices and a major loss of forest and pasture land. Corn yield declines of 11.2 Imagining a world without genetically modified organisms isnt hard to do but researchers say the prospect is detrimental to both farmers and consumers. Marc Zienkiewicz percent on average would be seen across the United States according to the results and soybeans would lose 5.2 percent of their yields and cotton 18.6 percent. To make up for that loss about 252000 acres of forest and pasture land would have to be converted to cropland. Those results are startling but theyre not what surprised Tyner most. The study demonstrates that if GMOs were banned in the United States greenhouse gas emissions would increase significantly because more land would be needed for agricul- tural production. When yields go down you need more land to meet demand Tyner says explaining that forest and pasture land A WORLD WITHOUT GMOs Some of the same groups that oppose GMOs want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ... The reality of it seems to be that you cant have it both ways. Wally Tyner 14 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 The adoption of Bt cotton led to profit gains of 50 percent for smallholder farmers in India. would get converted to cropland. That releases stored-up carbon and so you have an increase in emissions. In other words the increase in greenhouse gas emissions that would come from banning GMOs in the United States would be greater than the amount needed to create enough land to meet federal mandates of about 15 billion gallons of biofuels Tyner shares. Some of the same groups that oppose GMOs want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the potential for global warming he says. The reality of it seems to be that you cant have it both ways. If you want to reduce greenhouse gas emis- sions in agriculture an important tool to do that is with GM traits. GMOs and the Developing World The extra quarter-million acres of land that would have to be cultivated in the United States if GMOs were banned is sig- nificant but is minor when compared to the amount of extra farmland that would be needed on a global scale if GMOs were banned in the developing world. Matin Qaim a professor of international food economics and rural development at the University of Gttingen in Germany has studied GMO policy for 20 years. His book Genetically Modified Crops and Agricultural Development was released earlier this year. If we banned GMOs worldwide we would require around 25 million hectares almost 62 million acres of additional land to be taken into cultivation to make up for the production loss these crops currently produce Qaim says. Thats huge. Its double the cropland in Germany alone. Qaims research examines the impact GM crops have had in developing nations specifically Africa South America India and China. His research finds that GMOs are even more beneficial for farmers in the developing world than in developed nations. The effects of a total GMO ban would be larger in developing countries since the benefits are larger there he says. When we look at Bt crops that provide resistance to insect pests this is a technology that is particularly useful in areas where you have a lot of pest pressure. In the typical situations faced by small-scale farmers in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia you do have a lot JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 15 Designed to set the standard for plant growth the Percival LED Series offers research chambers that allow for specific control over the one research variable that has eluded precision light MULTI-SPECTRUM LAMP BANK The LED Series provides the correct spectral quality at the correct irradiance with exceptional environmental control every time Helping You Create Better Science www.percival-scientific.com Featuring LED Multi-Spectrum Lamp Bank LEDLEDLEDLEDLEDSeries THE Wally Tyner Purdue University agricultural economist Matin Qaim University of Gttingen international food economist of uncontrolled pest damage. Once farmers switch to those resistant crops they are not only able to reduce pesticide use but they also have more effective pest control and that means higher yields. If a Bt crop can boost yields in the United States by 10 per- cent in many other parts of the world including India China South and West Africa farmers see yield gains of 30 to 40 per- cent and sometimes higher than that Qaims research shows. Take those GM crops away and those benefits disappear as well he says. Its not just their yields that would suffer though. When they switch to growing GMOs they suddenly have 50 to 60 percent higher profits Qaim explains. The reason for that is most of the GMOs are not patented in developing countries. That means the seeds are relatively cheap so farmers use them and gain most of the benefits. In the United States a lot of these seeds are patented which means some of the financial benefits are captured by the innovating companies. Lower profits translate into a lower standard of living for farmers in the developing world if GM seeds are banned. Qaims research on Bt cotton in India tracked a sample of several hun- dred farmers for many years and Bt adoption led to profit gains for these farmers of 50 percent. They had more money to spend on food and other things and overall we found it did contribute significantly to reducing poverty and reducing food insecurity by about 20 percent among those growing cotton Qaim says. GMOs have a real measurable impact on farmers livelihoods at the micro-level. Tyner and his team are working on a GMO study that will take a more global look at what might happen if GMOs were banned. The global study will not only take yield declines into account but will also factor in the effects of increased costs which directly impact standard of living. People tend to fight GMOs because they think only corpo- rations benefit but Bt cotton provides a real-world example of small-scale farmers in India and China benefiting and lifting them- selves out of poverty because of biotechnology Qaim adds. SW No two regions are alike when it comes to the acceptance and adoption of biotechnology. Here youll explore the GMO environment across continents.Marc Zienkiewicz Julie Deering with beta-carotene and iron and the banana is one of Ugandas staple foods consumed by more than 70 percent of the population with almost every meal. The country is second only to India in the production of bananas and most are consumed locally. While Ugandans consume sev- eral biofortified crops most are achieved through conventional breeding methods however breeders say the technicalities in banana breeding present chal- lenges that genetic engineering has helped to overcome. The banana is ready for human trials to test whether the banana produces enough vitamin A to be effective at treating nutrient deficiency. But Uganda does not have a biosafety law that allows scientists to conduct human trials. Any attempt to pass such a law Around the World TWENTY YEARS IN and the adoption of genetically engineered crops around the world continues with 179.7 million hectares planted in 2015 down from 2014s 181 million hectares according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri- Biotech Applications ISAAA. However some coun- tries such as the United States are decreasing the number of acres planted while others such as Brazil are increasing acres. The Top 5 countries planting biotech crops in 2015 are the United States Brazil Argentina India and Canada. South Africa ranks ninth planting 2.3 million hectares of biotech maize soybean and cotton down from expectations due to drought. More farmers are planting biotech crops in developing countries precisely because biotech crops are a rigorously-tested option for improving crop yields says Clive James founder and emeritus chair of ISAAA. Despite claims from opponents that biotechnology only benefits farmers in industrialized countries the continued adoption of the technology in developing countries disproves that. Biofortification in Africa While GM technology can deliver agronomic benefits to farmers it can also deliver nutritional benefits to consumers. The potential of the GM banana is just one product of biotechnology that excites Mark Lynas a former anti-GMO activist who is now a pro-GMO author and journalist who focuses on climate change. Iowa State University has developed a GM banana that produces higher levels of Pro-vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is responsible for stunted growth and devel- opment as well as impaired vision. In rural areas an increasing percentage of the population is at risk of malnutrition. According to the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey Vitamin A deficiency affected one out of five young children and women of reproductive age resulting in impaired resistance to infection and consequently higher levels of illness and mortality. Its out of need that Uganda and its crop breeding programs are placing a priority on enhancing crops 16 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 The banana is a staple crop in Uganda and biotech makes biofortification possible. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 17 has always been resisted by anti-GM activists although most Ugandan stakeholders including the president understand the need for it. This is just one example of the complexities amongst legal political and cultural frameworks that must be addressed in helping bring more nutritious food to more people. There are numerous products in the pipeline for developing countries Lynas says. Theres drought-tol- erant maize for Africa. Theres virus-resistant cassava in Uganda and other East African countries. All these use GM technology because there is no way to make these improvements with conventional breeding. However a lack of science-based and effective regulatory systems is a major constraint to adoption. Despite the anti-sentiment there are a number of African countries that grow biotech crops and thats only forecast to grow in the future. In 2014 South Africa planted 2.7 million hectares which was less than in previous years due to drought according to ISAAA. Sudan increased Bt cotton acreage by nearly 50 percent. Cameroon Egypt Ghana Kenya Malawi Nigeria Swaziland and Uganda conducted field trials on priority African crops the next-to-last step prior to approval. Additionally the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project commonly known as WEMA is scheduled to deliver the first stacked biotech drought tolerant maize with insect control in South Africa in 2017. From a nutritional standpoint one can only hope that Africa will see the same adoption of biofortified GM crops that China as seen with Bt cotton. Food Security in Asia After the commercialization of Bt cotton in 1997 about 7.1 million Chinese farmers had adopted the technology by 2009. Now it accounts for more than 85 percent of the total cotton area in China according to Jikun Huang a professor at the School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at Peking University. Huang is also the director of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy. Our empirical studies show that the impacts of Bt cotton have been impressive Huang says. On the average Bt cotton increased cotton yield by 9.6 percent reduced pesticide use by 34 kilograms per hectare reduced labor input by 41 days per hectare and despite higher seed costs net profit increased by about 225 per hectare. But Huang says the anti-GM sentiment has had a big impact on consumers attitudes toward GM food in China. Our surveys show that the percentage of urban consumers who perceived such food as unsafe for consumption increased by more than 30 percent from 2002-2012 he says. The publics concerns about GM food have obviously affected Chinas policy on the commercialization of GM technology. Bt cotton accounts for more than 85 percent of cotton production in China. GM technologies will play more important roles in improving agricultural productivity ensuring food security and improving farmers welfare. Jikun Huang However given the significant socioeconomic impacts of GM technologies the Chinese government has reemphasized the role of biotech in ensuring the nations food security Huang adds. GM technologies will play more important roles in improving agricultural productivity ensuring food security and improving farmers welfare he says. Earlier this year the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture reported that is has mapped a plan for the future of GM crops giving priority to the development of non- edible cash crops. For GM crops China only allows the planting of insect resistant cotton and antiviral papaya for commercial purposes explains Wu Kongming of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Chinas safety evaluation system on genetically modified crops is the worlds strictest in terms of tech- nical standards and procedures Wu says. The country also imports GM soybean corn rape- seed oil cotton and sugar beet. China the worlds largest net importer of soybeans imported 81.7 million tonnes of in 2015 which was 87.8 percent of its demand. According to Liao Xiyuan of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in the coming years China will plant more non-GMO soybeans and improve yields to fill the gap between supply and demand. By 2020 China will expand its soybean planting area to 9.3 million hec- tares and work to more than triple yields. Liao says that next in line comes indirectly edible and then edible crops. Within the next five years China could push for- ward with the commercial cultivation of pest-resistant GM corn according to Liao who believes China cannot afford to be left behind in the GM sector and will con- tinue to push forward with its innovation efforts. This ease into the commercial cultivation of GM technology in China is designed to help bring members of the public along and allow for the proper educa- tion and communication. However concerns about 18 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Chinas growing dependence on food imports might be causing policymakers to rethink. This years annual statement on agriculture that was released by the leader- ship in January said that for the first time China would carefully promote GM food crops. Matin Qaim a professor of inter- national food economics and rural development at the University of Gttingen in Germany notes that China faces a similar situation as Europe where much of its research on GMOs has not gone beyond the limits of the laboratory setting. They have not brought most of these products to market simply because theyre concerned about consumer sentiments Qaim says. Innovation Stifled in Europe An understanding of the real- world importance of GM crops is essential to countering anti- GMO sentiment notes Justus Wesseler an economics professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He says the conse- quences of banning GMOs are being clearly seen in Europe. Europe does import GMOs that it needs but currently only culti- vates one crop Bt maize in Spain Portugal Czech Republic Slovakia Romania and Poland. This is not necessarily bad for large seed and chemical companies according to Wesseler as they can continue to sell their old products in Europe and the pressure to inno- vate is low. However he says the high regu- latory costs of the EUs cultivation restriction on GMOs is a barrier to entry into the market and therefore harms smaller seed companies. We did calculations for herbi- cide resistant maize. The EU would have gained about 82 million euros per year in 2005 prices which roughly speaking has been a loss of about 820 million euros from 2005-2015. For herbicide resistant sugar beets we calculated annual benefits of roughly 170 million euros every year for that 10-year period. These net benefits would be distributed between farmers and the downstream supply chain including consumers. Furthermore Wesseler notes that if the importing of GMOs to Europe were suddenly banned this would be extremely harmful to agriculture in the EU as well. Feed prices would substantially increase in the short term. Of course markets would adjust in the long run but this would be a very costly strategy. We would need more land to produce the same amount of goods wed see an increase in pesticide use and as a result damage to the environment and to human health he says. Like Qaim Wesseler has also studied the consequences of a GMO ban in the developing world and the results of regulatory delays or outright bans on GM products paint a dire picture for the econo- mies of developing nations too. For example regulatory road- blocks that prevent a bacterial wilt-resistant GM banana from being grown in Uganda cost the African nation as much as 300 million a year according to the study results. Reduced yields and higher prices for consumers aside the social ramifications of a GMO ban are something not often consid- ered by the people who advocate for such a ban. Thats according to Britains Mark Lynas a former anti- GMO activist who is now a pro- GMO author and journalist who focuses on climate change. Imagine if mobile phone tech- nology had been banned when it was beginning to emerge 30 years ago. Our lives would be very differ- ent than they are now he says. Back then I think it would have been impossible to quantify the effects of such an approach but it illustrates the dangers that could result if you try and ban science and the progress it results in even more so when its based on fears that are entirely unsubstantiated and misinformed. As anti-GMO sentiment in Europe rages on Lynas witnesses firsthand the very real social impact of that sentiment which has all but closed the door to GMO crops being grown in Europe and resulted in a shallower talent pool in the scientific community. A lot of scientists are leaving Europe. A lot of research is no longer being done here because they know their work will not be deployed outside the laboratory he says. Europe is losing its edge in all sorts of new technologies. Its more likely to go elsewhere unfortunately. Wesseler agrees. Research is already moving to other places. Banning GMOs would only speed the process. We see this in the decline of patent applications in the life sciences field he says. We not only observe it in the field of GMOs but also in biological control meth- ods new enzymes pharmaceutical products and others. 820 million euros have been lost from the EUs economy for corn alone due to GMO restrictions. 179.7 million hectares of biotech crops were planted worldwide in 2015. 2020 China will expand its soybean planting to 9.3 million hectares. The only GMO crop approved for cultivation in Europe is Bt maize and thats not for all of Europe. C O N S U LT I N G KONNERTH QUALITY AUDITS ENSURE SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND PLANS ARE CORRECT AND BEING FOLLOWED. INFOKONNERTHCONSULTING.COM PH 636-336-6958 KONNERTHCONSULTING.COMAGRICULTURAL QUALITY PRODUCTION LEADERSHIP QUALITY IS YOUR BUSINESS 20 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 South America Excels Brazil is the second largest grower globally with 44.2 million hectares planted thats 25 percent of global production. Farmers in Brazil planted the stacked heat toler- ant insect resistant soybean on a record 11.9 million hectares in 2015 just three years after its launch according to ISAAA. Argentina saw 24.5 million hec- tares planted with GM crops. While many farmers in South America have access to GM tech- nology the controversy here lies with royalty collection. More and more companies are resistant to bringing their newest innovations to the market without having some form of compensation in place for the research and development that went into those new innovations. In South America royalty col- lection systems vary from country to country. For example Uruguay is known to have a good system in place while Brazil and Argentina do not. This leads to consternation in the market. For instance Monsanto recently canceled its plan to sell its new bio- tech seeds in Argentina because of disputes over royalty payments. Monsanto had been discussing a royalty collection plan with government officials but agricul- tural authorities under Argentine President Mauricio Macri ques- tioned Monsantos efforts to collect payments from farmers. In a statement Monsantos Brett Begemann president said that the governments actions were not consistent with its past promises to support intellectual property rights and private agreements. In order to bring more inno- vative products into the region frameworks such as royalty collec- tion need to be developed. Controversy in North America Moving north to the United States there are currently nine crops are approved for commercial plant- ing maize soybean cotton canola sugar beet squash alfalfa and papaya and potato. In Canada four crops are approved. This year the United States saw a number of firsts including the commercialization of Innate Generation potatoes Arctic Apples and GM salmon. Additionally the first non-transgenic genome- edited crop to be commercialized globally SU Canola was planted in the United States. The big issue here is consumer acceptance and whether the U.S. would follow Europes lead. The seed industry continues to try and educate the public about the sci- ence and technology but it can be difficult to cut through all the noise. The biggest question is how new breeding technologies will be received by both regula- tory authorities and consumers Wesseler notes. Companies are innovative enough to develop new tools to respond to the challenges agri- culture is facing in developed as well as developing countries he says. The most significant bottle- neck isnt the technology itself its the regulatory systems. They can speed up or delay the innovation process. Influencing those system in a positive way is key Qaim says but is anything but easy. Consumers are so misinformed and theres so much pressure on poli- cymakers not to move forward and approve various technologies that could have many benefits he says. I have a lot of optimism that in the long run people will come to their senses and we will realize that without modern biotech and genetic engineering we will not be able to manage the challenges of sustainable development in the future. But in the short term Im not optimistic well see dramatic new GM crops being released and accepted worldwide. SW Farmers in Brazil planted the stacked heat tolerant insect resistant soybean on a record 11.9 million hectares. 44.2 million hectares of biotech crops planted in Brazil. 25 of global GM crop production goes to Brazil. 24.5 million hectares of GM crops were planted in Argentina. Plant Breeding Coordinating Commitee Improving Efficiency in Breeding Programs National Association of Plant Breeders Annual Meeting Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee Annual Meeting Registration at plantbreeding.org The NAPB PBCC joint meeting aims to discuss current topics in plant breeding research. Topics ranging from CRISPR-Cas9 to high-throughput phenotyping will be discussed as they apply in row horticultural and tree crops. Graduate student presentations are a prime focus of the meeting as well as interactions with scientists and industry sponsors. A pre-conference field tour will feature the breeding programs of crops important to North Carolina. Campus site tours of SAS and Cotton Incorporated will conclude the meeting. Raleigh North Carolina August 15-18 2016 Speakers this year include renowned scientists Rex Bernardo Nicolas Champouret Luca Comai Mike Gore Wayne Hanna Jim Holland Steve Knapp Ramsey Lewis Steve McKeand Jesse Poland Bob Stupar Jennifer Yates Craig Yencho NEVER BEFORE HAS the debate around GMOs been more polarizing than it is today. A number of states have proposed labeling laws and the White House has directed the three federal agencies that oversee these products to develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for the future. Regarding the labeling issue as more than 30 states intro- duced legislation to require GM labeling in 2013 and 2014 an array of groups have been campaigning for the Right to Know. The Just Label It campaign cites that more than 90 percent of Americans support mandatory labeling of GMO foods. The Center for Food Safety underwrote the legal petition calling for mandatory labeling of GMO foods. The group had dubbed Sen. Pat Roberts R-KS effort to prohibit states from requiring genetically modified food labels as the DARK act Deny Americans the Right to Know. The defeat of the DARK act is a major victory for the food movement and Americas right to know says Andrew Kimbrell executive director of the Center for Food Safety. It also is an important victory for Democracy over the attempt of corporate interests to keep Americans in the dark about the foods they buy and feed their families. The Just Label It campaign is a project of the Organic Voices Action Fund and Organic Voices which is designed to educate and empower consumers by promoting the benefits of organic food Supporters of Organic Voices include Amys Kitchen Clif Bar Family Foundation Honest Tea Lundberg Family Farm National Cooperative Grocers Association Organic Valley Stonyfield Farm and Horizon Organic Dairy among others. A number of states have passed mandatory labeling laws one of which is Vermont with the law scheduled to go into force July 1. Just as the discussion heats up the National Academies of Science published a comprehensive study that examined the safety of food produced from GM crops. NAS is just the latest to assess the technology found in up to 80 percent of pack- aged foods and determined that data on incidence of cancers and other health problems over time found no substantiated evidence that foods from GE crops were less safe than from non-GE crops. More Action Wanted However Food and Water Watch a government accountability group in Washington said the committees ties to the biotech industry and other corporations create conflicts of interest and raise questions about the independence of its work. Critics have long been marginalized says Wenonah Hauter Food and Water Watch executive director. In the report NAS said regulators including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency need to change the way they approve new seeds to focus more on the product and not the process used to create it. In determining whether a new plant variety should be subjected to safety testing regulators should look at novel characteristics and the uncertainty about risk. Scott Faber who serves as the Environmental Working Groups senior vice president for government affairs is optimistic the report will spur the need for additional research and trans- parency for GM crops and the products that contain them. If nothing else the report will create more urgency around the need to revamp the regulatory framework Faber says. The labeling aspect is just one of many issues around bio- technology and GMOs. Others include unknown risks to human health the environment and beneficial insects as well as seed purity and sustainability. SW For some the words genetically-modified or GMO conjure up images of Frankenfoods. Seed World reached out to a few of these groups to better understand their perspective and get their take on the potential risks and benefits. Julie Deering A Different Perspective 22 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Planning Quality Reporting Off-line apps Production Inventory Processing Sales Software solutions for field crops vegetables flowers Agro Business Solutions Het Voert 9 1613 KL Grootebroek The Netherlands www.agrosolutions.nl 24 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Neonicotinoids prove their value compared to other systems. Melissa Shipman PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS AWORLDWITHOUTSEEDTREATMENTS IN A WORLD without neonicotinoid seed treat- ments agriculture would look quite different. Entire production strategies for corn cotton soy- beans and sorghum are built around early planting made possible by the use of seed treatments. Loss of these seed treatments would require signif- icant changes in those production strategies including substituting products and treatment times that would cost more says Ray McAllister senior director of regulatory policy for CropLife America. Consequently planting later would reduce season-long yield. Values and Yield For one thing costs would go up significantly says Palle Pedersen Syngenta Seedcare head of prod- uct marketing. He cites a recent study The Value of Neonicotinoids in North American Agriculture Estimated Impact of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Pest Management Practices and Costs for U.S. Corn Soybean Wheat Cotton and Sorghum Farmers that found removing and replacing neonicotinoids as part of the nations overall pest management toolkit would cost U.S. farmers around 850 million per year. Soybeans in particular are an important crop to consider. AgInfomatics an agriculture research firm studied the effects of neonicotinoids in soybeans using a tri- angulated data system of more than 400 field studies 500 farmer survey responses and data from insecti- cide treatment plans. Their goal was to place a monetary value on the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments says Pete Nowak Emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and AgInfomatics principal. Overall their research determined that farmers who use neonicotinoids seed treatments received an 11.23 per acre advantage for the 2013-2014 growing seasons. Commodity prices have shifted since then but the dif- ference is clear. Some seed treatments also include a growth agent that encourages better yields but even treatments without this additive have a positive effect on yield. When you use a neonicotinoid treated seed there is also a yield enhancement and the leading idea behind ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator aSyngentaglobalinitiative. this is that the treatment is so effec- tive at keeping pests away the young plant has much more vigor and develops into a healthier better- producing plant Nowak says. The specific yield increase varies by region but overall its an average of 3 percent across the entire United States according to Nowak. That yield increase is on top of the value advantage in input costs he adds. Time is money too so they say and with seed treatments conveni- ence and immediate efficacy are also key benefits. The seed treatment chemical moves into the plant immediately as the seedling starts to grow and protection begins from day one protecting the seed itself from maggots or wire worms before germination. Ray Knake of Ray Knake Consulting started working with seed treatment science in 1975 and has seen the complete transition from the old system to the new one. You have to be out scouting for damage constantly and then you begin treatment after the first signs. By then its too late and yields may already be reduced Knake says. Add in weather delays and a crop could be severely impacted. Its hard to get those spray applications done in a timely manner. You cant spray when its raining or windy and thats tricky in the spring he says. Pete Nowak Emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and AgInformatics pincipal says seed treatments help produce a healthier plant. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 25 Pedersen agrees. Foliar appli- cations efficacy may be depend- ent on environmental conditions. Seed treatments are in the plant itself so it doesnt matter if its hot or cold or windy or rainy. Its going to work he says. Chemical Volumes Providing a targeted approach also means fewer chemicals are needed per acre. For soybeans depending on the product and application the amount of active ingredient used per acre could be 60 percent less when compared to a foliar appli- cation according to an example provided by Pedersen. With a seed treatment youre only talking about using one-third of an ounce or 10.5 grams per acre. Thats why farmers love these products they are so accurate and so precise he says. For corn the difference is even more noticeable since a foliar prod- uct must be used with a granular product to get similar efficacy increasing chemical volumes and application costs even more. Safety and pollinator health Increased safety is also significant. Humans animals and beneficial insects such as honeybees benefit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is completing risk assessments for neonics such as imidacloprid. Final results are not yet available but an agency spokesperson says risk mitiga- tion will be proposed if and where appropriate. Runoff of pesticide from the planting of treated seeds is usu- ally reduced compared to foliar or soil applications in part because overall application rates for seed treatments are usually lower and because seeds are in the soil reports the spokesperson noting that concern for birds or mammals who eat treated seeds could be of greater concern. In addition exposure to residues in the plant would generally be less from treated seed than from a foliar treatment. Data show that residues of one neonicotinoid imidacloprid in the pollen and nectar of seed treated crops are lower than residues from foliar and soil applications to those same crops according to the EPA spokesperson. Only pests who bite into the seed or the plant itself are going to be impacted Nowak agrees. A few beekill incidents involving treated seed have been reported but were related to pesticide dust released during planting. EPA rec- ommends treated seeds be planted consistent with the EPA-approved label using best management prac- tices. If instructions are followed the potential for exposure is limited. Perfectingagriculturalpracticeswhilemanagingenvironmentalimpactsis key.Seedtreatmentsplayanimportantrole.operationpollinator.com TIP Remember once treated that seed goes in the ground so accidental exposure to pollinators is very unlikely. We arent dealing with wind or dust or drift or any of those concerns if the seed is in the ground Pedersen says. McAllister agrees that a targeted approach is safer both for humans and for beneficial insects. The potential for environmental and handler expo- sure is much less for seed treatment than for cor- responding foliar treatments that would be targeted against the same pest problems he says. This targeted application also guards against pesti- cide resistance a growing concern. Were trying to avoid that build up in the system and looking for sustainability by keeping beneficial insects around and reducing over-exposure Nowak says. Other environmental effects to consider include increased carbon emissions and fuel consumption. Foliar applications require farmers to drive across the field more times not only when applying the treatment but also for routine checks before application begins. An Essential Element Seed treatments are an important part of an overall pest management plan. They arent a total replace- ment for other insecticide applications. Pedersen says farmers need a variety of options in their arsenal. Seed treatments are only intended for early-sea- son protection against pests and diseasesthe critical first four to six weeks to help seeds and seedlings get off to a healthy start he says. Late-season infestations can only be treated with foliar products. McAllister agrees foliar applications of other insec- ticides help handle pests that are not susceptible to seed treatments as well as pest problems occurring later in the season however seed treatments could make later season issues less severe. Early season protection by a seed treatment gives the crop a healthy head start and increases its toler- ance to pest attacks coming later he says. Overall its hard to imagine a world without neoni- cotinoids now that farmers have come to depend on their many benefits. With the worlds population growth expected to increase food production needs by nearly 70 percent by the year 2050 perfecting agricultural practices while managing environmental impacts is key and seed treatments play an important role in those efforts. SW Ray McAllister senior director of regulatory policy for CropLife America PHOTOCROPLIFEAMERICA. LAST JULY THE White House issued a memorandum directing the Environmental Protection Agency the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture the three agencies with jurisdiction over biotechnology products to update the federal regulatory policy for ensuring the safety of biotech products. The focus of these efforts is on plants animals and microbes but not human drugs and medical devices. In general the FDA regulates the use of biotechnology prod- ucts as food or food additives EPA regulates the use of biotech- nology products as pesticides or plant incorporated protectants and USDA regulates the release into the environment plants seeds and other regulated articles altered or produced through genetic engineering that are deemed to be a plant pest. As part of the memorandum the three agencies have been asked to update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for future biotechnology products and commission an expert analysis of the future landscape of bio- technology products to support this effort. While the current regulatory system for biotechnology prod- ucts effectively protects health and the environment advances in science and technology since 1992 when the framework was last updated have been altering the product landscape writes John Holdren director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In addition the complexity of the array of regulations and guidance documents developed by the three federal agencies with jurisdiction over biotechnology products can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated and navigating the regu- latory process for these products can be unduly challenging especially for small companies. Industry Welcomes Review The Biotechnology Industry Organization commonly known as BIO welcomed the White House memorandum. BIO com- mends the White House for recognizing that coordination between the agencies that oversee the approval of biotech products must be a priority to encourage innovation by improving transparency timeliness and predictability of the regulatory system says Matt OMara acting vice president of BIOs Food and Agriculture Section. According to BIO the coordinated framework has come under criticism in recent years for impeding the timely approval of much-needed and long-reviewed biotech products. However the organization reports that USDA has since implemented new After more than 20 years since the last update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology undergoes a formal review and update. Julie Deering BIOTECH UNDER REVIEW 26 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS BEGIN WITH SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS. SUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFUL PROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTSPROJECTS BEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITHBEGIN WITH SUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFULSUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS.PARTNERSHIPS. 2202 Wolf Way Suite 1110 West Des Moines Iowa 50265 515.276.2588 infoEESCompanies.com The success of facility design construction and operation relies on numerous factors none of which may be as important as selecting the right project partners. EES Companiespartners with our clients to create a collaborative environment assuring projects areperformed safely completed on time and within budget. 28 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 processes to address the issue and similar efforts across all three agencies would prove increasingly beneficial. BIO supports a regulatory system that is timely predict- able based upon the best available science and incorporates 20-plus years of experience with the technology OMara says. We look forward to reviewing the proposal in more detail and working with the administration moving forward. Holdren says the goal of this effort is to ensure public confidence in the regulatory system and improve transparency predictability coordination and ultimately efficiency of the biotechnology regulatory system. Under the Radar GE Crops In 2014 Alan Bennett director of the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture at the University of California Davis and colleagues submitted information to the editor of Nature Biotechnology highlighting technologies that did not require full assessment under the existing Coordinated Framework and call- ing for its reconsideration. In the correspondence Genetically engineered crops that fly under the U.S. regulatory radar Bennett cited that in recent years products emerging from the technology development pipeline are increasingly falling outside the scope of USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regulations. The analysis highlights the incongruity of regulation that is based on process rather than product. The authors analyzed the 26 inquires that were made to USDA-APHIS during the past 20 years seeking a determination on regulatory status. They divided the inquiries into five catego- ries based on the final plant product transformation processes or the use of recently developed technologies. These catego- ries were null segregants classic gene delivery systems cisgen- icsintragenics site-directed nucleases and miscellaneous. Of these 26 inquires only four were determined to be regulated. In their correspondence the authors wrote The fact that the U.S. Coordinated Framework is on the one hand failing to over- see these new product types and on the other overregulating GE crops and technologies with proven track records of safety should be a cause for concern. The United States remains the only country with a case history of challenges and determina- tions on the regulatory status of crops modified using modern technologies and genetic elements. The authors argue that a rational science-based regulatory system should not regulate products based on null segregants because they contain no genetic modification. Similarly they say products generated by site-directed nucleases should not be regulated because they use the natural DNA repair and replication enzymes found in living organisms and result in changes that could be a result of conventional breeding. It is time to build a system of oversight that is product- and science-based the authors wrote. This system should have enough flexibility to evolve with accumulating scientific knowledge and new technologies and importantly allow the participation of small companies and public sector institutions to fulfill the range of innovation needed to sustainably meet the next decades agricultural needs. While the end product is yet to be seen and much work has to be done this gives industry an opportunity to educate others about the new breeding techniques being used today and expand the Coordinated Framework with input being gathered from stakeholders and the public. As part of the process to update the Coordinated Framework three public engagement sessions have been held. Stay tuned to SeedWorld.com as the editorial team will follow the process on updating the Coordinated Framework. SW WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM THE COORDINATED FRAMEWORK REVIEW First the administration has asked the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine to conduct an outside independent analysis of the future landscape of the products of biotechnology. Due to the rapidly changing landscape the memorandum calls for an external analysis at least every five years. Second after gathering public input the administration will update the Coordinated Framework to include clearly defined roles and responsibilities of the Environmental Protection Agency Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration in the process. This update is suppose to help clarify which biotechnology product areas are within the authority and responsibility of each agency and outline how the agencies work together to regulate products that may fall under the authorities of multiple agencies. Third to ensure that the federal regulatory system is well-equipped to assess any risks associated with the future products of biotechnology the administration will develop a long-term strategy. This will include performing periodic horizon- scanning of new biotech products coordinating support for the science that informs regulatory activities developing tools to assist small businesses as they navigate the regulatory system and create user-friendly digital tools for presenting the agencies authorities practices and basis for decision-making. While the current regulatory system for biotechnology products effectively protects health and the environment advances in science and technology since 1992 when the framework was last updated have been altering the product landscape. John Holdren PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Register for the Seed World Strategy Webinar at seedworld.comwebinar THURSDAY JULY 14 1 P.M. EASTERN DURATION 50 MINS How Does Nutrition Impact Early Seed Development New research demonstrates the importance of nutrition to seed development both during the seed production phase and on the farm. During the webinar participants will learn How to create a more nutrient-dense seed. The importance of strong roots. What nutrients to place where. 30 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 INSIDERSADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS INTRODUCING INSIDERS A NEW SEED WORLD DEPARTMENT Here experts from across the industry will discuss issues that are top of mind share technical advancements talk about tips for success and provide perspective on policy. Readers can hone in on areas that are of particular interest and get a snapshot of whats happening and how it impacts the seed industry. BIOLOGICALS Focused on Below-Ground Synergies Since the hybridization of corn followed by the development of genetically modi- fied crops and the race to improve crop genetics little attention has been given to the soil and whats happening below ground. As seed and chemical companies focused on genetics traits and chemis- tries for the plant to thrive above ground I knew we had to start thinking about the soil organic matter and what was hap- pening below-ground. Theres a natural synergy between crops and the myriad of organisms living in the soil. Each plant has a true relation- ship with the environment that surrounds it both above ground and below. Some organisms are beneficial while others are detrimental. Some can be more or less active depending on varying conditions such as tem- perature and weather. For instance cool wet weather can cause root rot or Pythium in a crop. At ABM we understand the relationship between the soil and crops. Just 16 years ago many thought I was crazy ABM 1ST CEO AND CO-FOUNDER Danabm1st.com ABM1st.com DAN CUSTIS to register a biopesticide. Today its common practice for farmers to consider using a biopesticide to help control insects disease and weeds. And others have since recog- nized the importance of helping to manage the relationships of plants and how they interact with the organisms in the soil and the soil itself. The dynamics change as you shift crops soil types varieties and growing zones. During the past five to seven years millions of dollars have been invested into the biological space. Companies have been acquired and new companies have been formed. This is an area that largely remains untouched in terms of scientific exploration and experts predict this is where the next big yield gains will be made. To best manage the intricacies of these below-ground synergies we partner with seed companies fertilizer companies seedsmen and farmers to find the best agronomics for not only a particular region but also a farm. With scientific advances we are able to isolate beneficial microorganisms by magnifying the properties of the soil profile. The process is lengthy to isolate microbes such as Rhizobia and Trichoderma. We can process up to 100000 screenings of different microbes to fit into one specific category that will be beneficial for farming. Some of the areas we specialize in include Disease resistance insect control nutrient uptake drought resistance and root systems. These are just a few of the benefits that biologicals can have in helping farmers get the most from their seed. Its these naturally-occurring organisms that allow us to provide the best products possible. In the end the main purpose is to maximize plant potential and microbes are the way of the future to gain higher yields. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 31 BULK SEED SYSTEMS AUTOMATION The Importance of Gentle Seed Handling Whether you are dealing with seed or grain handling is important. Most grain handling equipment is designed around the importance of delivering product at a high capacity while seed handling equipment is designed around the importance of gentle product handling. The seed is essentially an embryonic plant comprised of a seed coat endosperm and embryo. All of the above parts of the seed are delicate and must be handled with care as damaging a seed could cause a reduction in the germination rate. We understand that every single seed matters and it is this value that continues to drive the design of not just our conveyors but also our entire bulk seed and treating product line. In a bulk seed system a seed is handled anywhere between three and 10 times which emphasizes the importance of using equipment capable of transferring or treating seed gently while maintaining KSI CONVEYORS DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JasonKaebksiconveyors.com KSiConveyors.com JASON KAEB the appropriate speed and capacity. In designing the cleated belt conveyor safety and gentle handling were the primary drivers. We quickly learned that not only are conveyors much gentler in handling a product than a traditional auger but also that not all conveyors are created equal. The KSi cleated belt conveyor is designed with 2-inch raised cleats that help carry the seed from one point to another without damaging or harming the seed. Without cleats a conveyor belt must run at a higher speed and use momentum to transfer the seed especially at steeper angles leading to potential seed damage. The patented cleated belt design and slow belt speed work together to maintain seed quality and consistent germination. We know that speed and capacity are important but we maintain that you do not have to sacrifice gentle handling. Our conveyors provide advanced seed movement capacity moving up to 5000 pounds per minute. Before investing in new equipment I encourage you to consider the end use and research the equipment thats available to help you meet all your needs. Remember You can have the best equipment but if its not properly maintained it will not last and can damage your seed. Maintenance is a must. CONTENT MARKETING How to Make Customers Listen Really Hear What You Say Im sure youve all said it before If I could just get five minutes with customer X to tell him about our new widget Im sure I could make the sale. But when you get those five minutes how did you use them Did you spotlight all the benefits of your widget and how it can save money Did you recite from memory the contents of your brochures Or did you go beyond the facts and tell a story By definition storytelling is the interac- tive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listeners imagination. In business when its done well storytelling can illustrate an otherwise difficult concept drive home a point or encourage consumer loyalty through entertainment or emotional connection. Storytelling allows a business to communicate with its target audience. This can be done through websites blogs articles emails video and social media. As a tactic storytelling is based on the concept that people remember information better when it is told as a story rather than presented as a list of facts. Why Stories ISSUES INK DIRECTOR CLIENT SERVICES IssuesInk LHoffmanIssuesInk.com IssuesInk.com LINDSAY HOFFMAN make presentations better. Stories help ideas stick. Stories per- suade. Leaders tell stories to inspire and motivate. Content that generates an emotional response whether it is empathy sym- pathy anger or laughter is more likely to be remembered. So whats your story Here are some simple dos and donts to get started. Do Have a brand storytelling plan. Consider your audience. Choose a framework and details that will best resonate with your audience. Identify the moral or message you want to communicate. Maintain message consistency. Always tell a consistent story about your company product or service. Keep it interesting. You need to keep the reader engaged long after theyve heard the story. Dont Preach. A brand story should not read like marketing copy. Overwhelm your story with unnecessary details. Lie. People will pick a story that is not genuine a mile away. Whether youre a publically traded company or a small family- run business there is power in telling stories. Maybe its about why you founded the company and the values you instill in your team. Or maybe its about the development path of a new prod- uct or service youre bringing to market. Whatever the story may be in todays marketing environment you need tell your stories. 32 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 DESIGN ENGINEERING Six Questions to Form a Successful Partnership The success of facility design construction and operation relies on numerous factors none of which may be as important as selecting the right project partners. Too many times Ive seen clients select a design firm that they end up disappointed with. This leads to strained relationships and unmet expectations. Based on my experience ideal partn- erships are a collaborative dialogue between owners operators and engineers. Developing the correct scope of work identifying and implementing engineering solutions and procuring the proper equipment can be adversely impacted by a number of issues including a lack of shared values or vision a lack of design-intent and definition of long-term needs. When these happen deadlines are missed costs exceed budgets and the client decides not to work with the engineering or construction firm again. EES COMPANIES OWNER AND PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER JElwerEEScompanies.com EEScompanies.com JEFF ELWER One crucial requirement of a design firm is to never assume they should always be prepared to explain designs. Assuming a client is accurately interpreting and reading drawings is often an area of conflict that arises after the project erection or installation begins causing delays and increasing expense. A design firm or contractor has an obligation to clearly explain the designs prior to commencing work. To avoid these potential pitfalls there are six questions you should address when initiating capital projects and selecting a design firm or contractor. These include 1. What values are necessary in a partner 2. What is the design-intent What is the desired outcome and what problem is being solved 3. Is there a clearly articulated scope of work 4. What are the performance requirements for equipment 5. Is there an established timeframe and budget for completion 6. What type of support is required post-completion Successful projects begin with successful partnerships. Identifying the right partners and forming collaborative partnerships is the first critical step to assure the long-term success of capital investments. PRODUCTION SERVICES Big Data Will Drive Genetic Diversity It continues to be a headline Genetic diversity of our food crops is dwindling. Historically this might have been the case but its changing and big data is driving it. Despite what many people might think big data and precision agriculture are not only creating opportunities for multinational companies but also smaller independent breeders. With the recent advancements in genomics knowledge and techniques plant breeding is becoming less expensive and more accessible. Because the initial investment for a breeding effort is now less the size of the microclimate or end-use market being targeted doesnt need to be as large. This means that its now economi- cally feasible to breed for specific soil types in specific counties whereas before one needed to paint with a much broader brush. In our custom breeding and nursery ser- vices business we are seeing this change take place. Smaller organizations are able to used advanced analytics to precisely mea- sure product performance in specific soil conditions and maximize yield for farmers GRO ALLIANCE PRESIDENT jim_schweigert GroAlliance.com JIM SCHWEIGERT in that area. Additionally companies are able to breed for specific oil content nutritional composition or grain color that meet the needs of smaller industrial or consumer markets. The excitement and technical sophistication of these efforts is high. However some organizations lack a robust product development and commercial deployment plan. This is where we recommend a start-up or smaller breeding organization seek support from a company with custom breeding and nursery service expertise. We offer a range of solutions that provide risk mitigation and cost savings to our clients. The first solution is having multiple locations. This is important for all areas of seed production and hybrid testing but is critical for a new breeding effort. If all the breeding work is being done at one location the entire program is one hail storm from being over. Second we offer drip or pivot irrigation at all our nurseries. While water isnt the only stressor it might be the most important to protect against. Finally we can provide a road map for turning the breeding vision into reality. We know the steps how to take them and how to most efficiently use resources which is especially important in the early stages. Large companies will likely continue to develop dominant genetics in the more homogenous large acreage areas but pre- cision breeding efforts from smaller more focused companies will continue to gain traction in an increasingly complex and decentralized agricultural landscape. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 33 SEED QUALITY TESTING The Need to Know Whats In a Seed Since its commercialization biotechnology has been widely adopted which has led to the need to really understand what technology is or is not present in seed. The presence of unintended biotech material in seed is known as adventitious presence AP and companies test to ensure that the seed they are selling or buying is what they think it is. Countries too will test for AP to detect if a trait or event that has not been approved is present. Its not just a companys or a countrys reputation thats on the line. A mislabeled product or grain shipment containing an unapproved trait can lead to rejected shipments and even lead to the loss of market access ultimately hurting our customers. At Eurofins we help seed companies practice good stewardship by providing accurate and reliable testing services to verify seed quality. Eurofins licenses all detection methods from the biotech companies and is able to provide event-specific methods for EUROFINS BIODIAGNOSTICS VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS DeniseThiedeEurofinsUS.com EurofinsUS.combiodiagnostics DENISE THIEDE all commercial products. These detection methods for AP testing use Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR-based technology to detect a specific event. Eurofins offers services for domestic and international seed producers. A pooled-seed or semi-quantitative approach is used to estimate whole seed contamination. For example an inbred supplier can confirm that their lines are free of any unintended events using this approach. This verification ensures that the hybrid seed producer will not have any contaminants coming in from the parent lines. Non-GMO seed producers can use this approach to make sure that their seed is free of any biotechnology products. Additionally AP testing can ensure that the refuge component of a Refuge-in-a-Bag product is free of any insect resistance events. In other words this testing ensures that the quality of the product is going to meet the customers expectations for a specific market. PCR technology also provides consistency in method determination when shipping large amounts of seed internationally designed for low-level presence of biotech seed within non-GM shipments. Stringent testing protocols such as this ensure that seed companies are not bringing in any unintended events. Its important to know whats in the seed and to use accredited and regulated Eurofins technology because the entire value chain can be impacted around the world. SOFTWARE DATA MANAGEMENT Are You Losing 2.5 Weeks of Work We all know that plant breeding is a numbers game. Twenty years ago a plant breeder would make as many crosses as possible from hundreds to even thousands. As more crosses were made so did the odds for suc- cess. While that notion still holds true breed- ers are limited or empowered by their ability to work with these numbers or data points. Too often I see plant breedersstillworking in Excel or custom built programs that are outdated hard to manipulate limiting and inefficient. For instance consider a breeder in the field recording data. Think about how many times he or she may hit the Enter or Tab key to move data columns. Lets say you have 100 plants with 10 measurable character- istics such as plant height and width number of leaves leaf angle leaf rolling and so on. It could easily be a 1000 times a day when a breeder is phenotyping plants in a nursery or plot. That 1000 times a day equates to 16 minutes a day or eight hours per month or 2.5 work weeks throughout the course of a year just spent on hitting Enter. AGRONOMIX PRESIDENT CEO AND FOUNDER MulitzeAgronomix.com Agronomix.com DIETER MULITZE Whatifthecursorautomaticallymovedfrom field to field during the data entry process Your breeder just gained an additional 2.5 weeks of their time back. Its the little things that add up. As a former breeder I knew there was a need for software specifically designed for the task at hand no matter the type of crop. So it seemed natural to create a plant breeding software company that could adapt to the specific needs of the industry be it breeders working for small- and medium-sized independent companies multinationals universities and governmental organizations. Todays software is made for the breeder and allows them to take photos that coincide with observations record measurements in the field and auto upload to a server and access data from other internal breeding stations around the world as needed. If you or your breeders are still using pen and paper Excel or an older custom-built program I encourage you to explore the plant breeding software thats available today. If youre wor- ried about learning a new program there are plenty of resources to help. While different companies offer different programs and levels of services there are onboarding programs site visits and further customizations available. Remember Data is just data unless you can use it and extract information then it has meaning. 34 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 SINCE THE ADVENT of genetically modified organisms decades ago the debate about the technology and its risks or lack thereof hasnt ebbed. On one side GMOs are said to hold promise for feeding a bal- looning world population for creating crops that can withstand a changing climate and that can reduce the need for the chemicals and fertilizers widely used on farm fields. The other side questions the safety of GMO crops saying they have never been properly tested. The opponents say the genetic characteristics of GMO crops are more about selling herbicides than saving the world and that were damaging the agricultural economy through cross contamination. We talked to three biotechnology experts about the ques- tions surrounding yield sustainability safety and adventitious presence commonly known as contamination of GMOs. THE EXPERTS Michael Hansen is a senior scientist for Consumers Union the policy and action arm of Consumer Reports. He is an ecologist and biologist with expertise in integrated pest management. Mischa Popoff was a grain farmer from Saskatchewan Canada and is a former U.S. Department of Agriculture contract inspector. He is a speaker columnist and radio host as well as the author of the book Is it Organic Kevin Folta is a professor and chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida where he specializes in the genomics of small fruit crops. He has a podcast called Talking Biotech. Three experts share their perspective about major issues surrounding genetically modified crops. Brian Wallheimer Safety Sustainability Yield and Risks YIELD Michael Hansen Hansen says he has yet to see genetically engineered crops that improve yields despite promises of such when GMOs were first introduced. He notes a recently published National Academy of SciencesNational Research Council report stating no signifi- cant changes in the rate at which crops yields increase could be discerned from the data and that including such GE traits in policy planning as major contributors to feeding the world must be accompanied by strong caveats. Hansen points to work from Pennsylvania State University recently reported in Nature in which a conventional breeding technique led to the development of a common bean that takes in more phosphorus from soil and tripled yield in low nutrient soils while genetic engineering has failed to produce such varieties. What theyre finding is theyre much more successful using conventional breeding compared to genetic engineering Hansen says. Mischa Popoff Popoff says whether yield improves or not isnt actually the point. Genetic engineering is a proven method for improving plants. If population estimates of 9 billion people on Earth by 2050 dont pan out we will still have better crops that use fewer inputs and can withstand a changing climate. We just improve because its good to improve he says. We dont need a reason to improve. Improving efficiency is just inherently good. Kevin Folta Folta says we havent seen consistently increased yields because companies havent had the need to develop those traits. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 35 For a catalog call 303.431.7333 salesapplewoodseed.com applewoodseed.com Seeds of Wildflowers Garden Flowers Since 1965 Regional Special Use Custom Mixtures Hundreds of Species in Stock We havent tested any genes associated with yield Folta says. When people say they havent improved yield well theyre not supposed to. He says the technology to improve yield is available but American growers dont have a need for improved yields and he blames misguided activists for keeping those crops from developing countries that could use them. He points to cassava crops that feed 1 billion people that have been devastated by viruses. You cant give away a crop that will help someone in the developing world because of activist pushback Folta says. We have a disease-resistant version that could go in tomorrow it could have been in years ago. SAFETY Michael Hansen Hansen believes safety standards for GMOs are simply too lax in the United States where he says there is no requirement to prove a new plant is safe. This is a new technology. There should be required safety assessments before the products are allowed into the market as is required in Europe and most other developed countries he says. A recent Pew survey found 88 percent of the sci- entists surveyed believe that GMOs are generally safe to eat. Thats just like asking the question are food additives generally safe or unsafe to eat Unless you do specific tests on a par- ticular food additive you dont know if its safe. Thats the same with GE foods. You say there hasnt been any evidence that GE foods have had negative health effects. How would you know who is getting sick since without labeling you have no idea who is exposed and who is not exposed or the relative levels of exposure he adds. Hansen also says there are questions about whether GE crops are linked to the significant increases in food allergies during the past 20 years but no strong studies have been done to prove or disprove that theory. Mischa Popoff Popoff says the lack of safety testing is something thats both- ered him. The anti-GMO people are right about one thing and its pretty big. There was no safety testing. There are no safety issues but there was no safety testing up front he says. Still he adds that the chance of a GMO causing sickness or death is not worth increasing the cost of bringing a new crop to market which already stands in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Something could happen but its so remote as to be incon- sequential Popoff says. The organic activist the anti-GMO people are correct in principle but does that mean you want to start testing GMO crops Do we want to double the cost of bringing them to market For what Kevin Folta The genes used to alter GMO plants are already found in nature and companies are assessing risks from the time an idea is conceived Folta says. The processes are just too thorough for there to be concern over safety. There has not been one single case of a health problem in humans or other animals based on foods derived from these plants. That says a lot. Thats a 20-year track record Folta says. We understand a lot about the biology and we only put in genes that we understand very well. You can really come up with a pretty fair assessment. All of these are genes are somewhere in nature already so we know their relative risks. Plus he adds the companies developing GMOs only lose if their products arent safe. Companies make no money if they poison their consumers he says. SUSTAINABILITY Michael Hansen Glyphosate by far the most widely used herbicide in the world was once considered benign but Hansen says there is growing concern about its toxicity. Its in the air its in the groundwater its in many streams and since were increasingly spraying more and more crops with it there is going to be more residue on the foods that we eat he says. And last year the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC concluded glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. He points to glyphosate-resistant weeds and insects becom- ing resistant to Bt crops as the beginning of a growing problem 36 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 that companies are trying to solve by stacking traits that lead to more chemical use. And he says other methods such as a four- crop rotation developed in Iowa that reduce input requirements arent adopted because there is no product to sell. Rather than try to find other non-chemical ways what the companies are coming up with is stacking resistance to multiple herbicides in the same plants. Thats just not sustainable in the long term Hansen says. Mischa Popoff Popoff says farmers who make a living off the land and the companies that sell products to those farmers have an eco- nomic incentive to be good stewards. There might be a few bad apples but the bunch wont be spoiled. If youre genuinely unsustainable and youre just growing corn crop after corn crop and just pouring on chemicals ... if we believe the rules of ecology youre going to pay for this he says. But farmers are in it for the long term. Kevin Folta One of the biggest reasons to develop GMO crops Folta says is to reduce the economic and environmental costs associated with inputs such as fertilizers herbicides and insecticides. He points to significantly reduced insecticide use since the intro- duction of Bt crops as an example. You always worry about soil. You always worry about the environment. I like to think genetic engineering is a way to grow plants with less fertilizer and less water. We know we can do that. Its sustainable technology if we choose to use it that way. He adds the increase in glyphosate usage that anti-GMO activists point to as a problem is because of the increased number of acres planted with glyphosate-resistant crops not because growers are using the herbicide recklessly. And he adds that glyphosate has replaced other herbicides that do have envi- ronmental and health concerns. Farmers adopt technology that works Folta says. Its one of the least invasive herbicides imaginable. ADVENTITIOUS PRESENCE Michael Hansen Since many countries do not allow genetically modified crops or seeds contaminating non-GMO crops either by the accidental release of GMOs in testing or cross-pollination can be a major economic problem Hansen says. Farmers adopt technology that works. Its one of the least invasive herbicides imaginable. Kevin Folta Dealer Enquiries Welcome Dealer Enquiries Welcome 1.800.418.9461 convey-all.comconvey-all.comconvey-all.comconvey-all.com Looking for reliable equipment for your agribusiness Check out our extensive line of Portable Belt Conveyors. We also produce an large array of Commercial and Standard Seed Tenders. Our products are produced in North America with North American made components. Contact your local dealer ask them about CONVEY-ALL JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 37 The trade disruptions that can happen from contamina- tion are serious he says. This has been a huge problem for the United States. Just a few years ago there was a genetically engineered wheat that ended up in a farmers field and for three or four months that year markets for wheats in Korea and Japan closed to U.S. farmers. In 2005 an experimental GE rice variety ended up contaminating more than half of all U.S. long-grain rice exports causing more than 1 billion dollars worth of damage to the U.S. rice industry. He says there is also no requirement to disclose the genetic sequence of the inserted GE trait during experimental crop trials meaning its virtually impossible to detect or trace any potential contaminationcross-pollinating coming from such field trials. Were one of the few countries that does not require genetic sequence information for GE traits during field trials he says. Mischa Popoff Popoff says the non-GMO push comes mainly from support- ers of organic agriculture but he believes its all hype and little substance. Theyve created this marketing system and a big part of that system is that they are non-GMO Popoff says. The argu- ment is political. Theres no science there. He says there is cause for concern over contamination of seed crops that must be GMO-free but he adds that the percentage of crops grown for seed is small. He thinks organic advocates will drop the anti-GMO stance in time. I think its inevitable. It might be in 30 years but I hope its in 3 years Popoff says. There are a lot of crops out there and theres a potential for more to exist that would be totally accept- able to organic growers. Kevin Folta Folta believes most if not all of the problems associated with contamination can be dealt with through improved communica- tion. A farmer who doesnt want his non-GMO crop to be cross- pollinated by a nearby GMO crop can talk to his neighbors and develop a schedule that offsets their flowering times. The way around it is that farmers can talk to each other. If youre planting organic sweet corn and you plan on selling it as organic sweet corn you have to be cognizant of when your neighbors are planting transgenic corn and offset the flowering time and work together to create buffer zones Folta says. He says concerns by organic advocates are misplaced because their adoption of GMO products would lead to decreased need for inputs. If you had organic growers planting GMO sweet corn that had insect protection youd have good yields and you wouldnt have to use the large amounts of organic pesticides that are available Folta says. They created an arbitrary standard of avoiding things that dont matter. SW STRATEGY A featured segment designed to share business- critical information to seed-selling professionals. Visit SeedWorld.com to download this department and other tools to help you sell seed to farmers. Nutrition Plays an Increasing Role in Seed Vigor Nutrition plays a critical role in early seed development and new research demonstrates its impact at the farm level. EVERYONE INVOLVED IN the supply chain from seed companies to chemical companies and from equip- ment dealers to cooperatives is working to help farmers maximize the genetic potential found in every bag of seed. While its important to note that not all seed is created equal steps can be taken to help that seed produce to the best of its ability. Some of the newest research shows that emphasis on nutrition during the seed production phase and early season nutrition on the farm are two areas that can lead to increased yields. The concept of delivering a more nutrient-rich seed is new says David Sippell CEO of AgriThority a consulting group based out of Kansas City Mo. that focuses on the science of agriculture. New research shows that micro- nutrients applied during seed production results in a much stronger seed for farmers. This means increased seed vigor a better germination rate and higher yields. Its actually a more nutrient-dense seed. The seed does better in the first 30 days coming out of the ground which sets farmers up for success. Sippell explains a few seed companies are applying micronutrients as a fertilizer when they sell the seed but an additional approach is the use of micronutrients during the seed production phase. This is an area that Ismail Cakmak a plant scientist at Sabanci University in Istanbul Turkey specializes. He says that little attention is paid to the importance of seed nutri- ent reserves in production agriculture but its well known that larger seeds represent better seed vigor and field establishment. These larger seeds Cakmak says are often attributed to increased seed nutrient density. Depending on the crop some of these nutrients include zinc phosphorus iron boron and nitrogen. Cakmak says that plants need up to 75 percent of their total phosphorus during the early growth stage. Very early season phosphorus is more critical in achieving better yields than the supply of phos- phorus at a later growth stage Early season nutrition makes a difference in root development of these cotton seedlings. 38 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 PHOTOVIVIDLIFESCIENCES. he adds highlighting the importance of seed phospho- rous reserves. When seeds have sufficient nutrient reserves the results are noticeable to the eye when looking at above ground bio- mass germination and stand uniformity Cakmak says. Seed quality is so impor- tant Sippell adds. Good seed with uniform establish- ment positions the plant for 30 days of rapid growth. If you dont have this the chance of having a really good crop decreases. While seed production companies can hone in on developing a more nutrient- dense seed dealers and agronomists can help make sure the seed has the nutrients it needs once its in the ground. Nutrition in the Field Nutrient management involves complex interactions between the soil plant and nutrient explains Josh Krenz CEO and strategic counsel of Vivid Life Sciences a company that specializes in advanced nutritionals bio- logicals and enhancement technologies. For instance a plant needs zinc to use phospho- rus he says. If a field is defi- cient in phosphorus it doesnt matter how much zinc you apply the plant cant access it. They all feed off each other its managing that interaction to get the ideal reaction and keeping every- thing in balance. One nutrient that experts are honing in on to help increase corn yield is zinc. Zinc is an essential ele- ment that helps the seed break dormancy Krenz says. When the plant produces seed it naturally produces zinc in the seed but at a lesser amount than what is needed to get it out of the ground and sustain early growth. Krenzs team is adding zinc as a treatment to seed in a number of forms to see what works best in different regions soils and hybrids. The result is early consistent emer- gence with bigger and better root systems he says. Two other micronutrients that soybean and wheat farm- ers should monitor are manga- nese and copper. Krenz says these help with cell develop- ment and are crucial in the first 14 days. They too can be applied as a seed treatment. Spring weather often brings varying unfavorable weather including cold and saturated soil. If its cold having these nutrients right on the seed is better than broadcast Krenz says. Putting zinc directly on the seed gives the plant what it needs and is more sustainable. With increasing fertilizer regulations coming down the pipeline we are putting those nutrients right where they need to be they get used up and are essentially gone. So what are the measurable results According to Winfields Answerplot.com the average yield increase for corn with a zinc seed treatment is 3.5 bush- els per acre. But Krenz says yield isnt necessarily an accu- rate indicator of performance when evaluating the efficacy of nutrients. There are so many vari- ables that must be taken into account when it comes to yield weather insect and disease pressures water avail- ability he says. When analyzing the results the first thing that Krenz measures is root size. We measure the plant stand both above and below ground he says. Above ground measurements include weighing the dry matter taking tissue samples and phenotyping. The tissue samples help us understand if the nutrients made it to the right place and they are in the plant. We also check chlorophyll levels and measure NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Krenz says early results show that the treatment does what we want. We do everything we can to get the plant off to the right start he says and then we do measure yield. Krenz says theres a great deal that needs to be done to ensure growers get the most value out of every bag of seed. Thats why you see the big seed and chemi- cal companies spending so much money and energy on biostimulants and microbi- als early seed development is so critical to the rest of the growing season he notes. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 39 Its actually a more nutrient-dense seed. The seed does better in the first 30 days coming out of the ground which sets farmers up for success. David Sippell 40 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 A part of early seed devel- opment is getting a good root system in place. Taking Root This is especially critical in corn says Doug Kirkbride a product development agron- omy manager at Syngenta who says the focus should still be nitrogen phosphorus and potassium and then sulfur manganese and calcium. Its important for growers to use a good seed treat- ment to protect the seed from insects diseases and nema- todes so the plant can have maximum nutrient uptake. Kirkbride says Syngentas Avicta Complete Corn and Clariva Complete Beans are good options. Any time the root is damaged it limits uptake and efficiency. He explains that greater than 90 percent of the plants nutrients are taken up through the roots the roots act as a super highway bringing up water and nutrients. Thats why early season develop- ment is so critical he says. Phosphorus plays a pivotal role in root development. The first root system is the seminal root system of which water uptake is 98 percent of its function. Between the V3 stage when the plant has three leaf collars and the V5 stage it switches from getting nutrients from the seminal system and the seed to get- ting them from the nodal system. For this reason Kirkbride prefers a 2x2 application put- ting the nutrients 2 inches from the seed and 2 inches deep. This puts the nutrients a little farther away from the seed reducing the risk of seedling damage he says. You dont want to exceed 70 pounds of nitrogen plus potash in that type of environment or it can become too salty. Yet you get a quicker response compared to a general broad- cast application. Kirkbride says that by the time the plant switches from the seminal system to the nodal system the roots are long enough to be in that 2x2 zone right where those nutri- ents are located. This will give the seed an overall nutrient benefit instead of trying to build the soil he says. Have you ever seen a crop look stagnant Thats an indicator that those roots are looking for nutrients. With regard to zinc and manganese growers only need about nine-tenths of a pound of zinc and one-half pound of manganese to get 300 bushel per acre corn Kirkbride says. Its such a small amount that a seed treatment is a good option he notes. Some farm- ers are adding it in-furrow. It all comes back to man- agement styles and nutrient availability. Keep in mind this all takes time some farmers choose to manage nutrients up front while others choose to get the crop in the ground and then manage nutrients. Managing for Todays Environment Given the low commodity prices farmers see today many are looking for ways to decrease input costs. We know how much it takes for 300 bushel per acre corn and 100 bushel per acre soybeans Kirkbride says. Anytime farmers cut back they might not be hitting the bare minimum. Farmers have to hit the base. If a farmer is looking for ways to decrease their costs Kirkbride recommends encouraging them to look at when and how those nutrients are applied. With a 2x2 application those nutrients are right there and more available to the plant which reduces the amount needed he says. Additionally encourage them to seek out alternative nutrient sources such as livestock producers who have poultry litter or swine manure. But before all of this Kirkbride says soil pH and liming practices must be in line. If this is wrong it can be more detrimental to the crop he says. Farmers can apply all the nutrients they want but the soil can tie it up and make it unavailable to the plant. The experts agree overall early season nutrition is highly important. Early season is not the time when the plant takes up the most nutrients but its the most important because the plant is putting down its root system Kirkbride says. SW Doug Kirkbride Syngenta product development agronomy manager Josh Krenz Vivid Life Sciences CEO and strategic counsel BACK IN THE 1990s when products such as Roundup Ready soybeans were new Robb Fraley Monsanto execu- tive vice president and chief technology officer explains that researchers and the agricultural industry believed that the sci- ence would speak for itself and that the regulatory approvals were the end of the commercial process. Then we realized that there was a lot of work to be done to communi- cate to growers and get the technology adopted says Fraley who helped pio- neer the technology. That part went really well. GMO technologies are grown in 30 countries on about 25 percent of the worlds farmland. But questions around consumer acceptance and public accept- ance still dominate conversations. We should have put more effort back then in talking to the public and really understanding that seeds are the begin- ning of the food chain Fraley says. We have a responsibility and obligation to address the publics questions and now were doing that. Unfortunately its a little late but I see lots of opportunity and lots of progress. Today Fraley is the face of biotechnol- ogy and is often asked to speak about his experience discuss the science and participate in debates. He continues to answer questions and works to edu- cate consumers and the general public. Through these activities hes learned what works and what doesnt. What was really important for me to think about is that there are extreme voices on both sides of this debate Fraley says. There are critics who will never like new ag technologies or GMOs and there are advocates like myself. But theres a group in the middle probably 80 percent or so who are just interested in learning more about food how food is produced how its nutritious and how its affordable. Thats the group that we need to speak to. When I see us doing that we can change views we can change attitudes and people understand. Thats the first thing. Common Ground Fraley has also learned the value of being able to connect. The second thing Ive learned is that when we have those conver- sations as a scientist its hard for me to say but science is second he says. This is really about trust and establishing a connection. Finding a common ground is what I speak a lot about. Some people care about food nutrition and affordability for their families and thats a great conversation. Some folks think about a growing world and feeding people who are not as fortunate and thats a great basis for a conversation. Others really focus on the envi- ronment and how we can use technologies to minimize the impact that agriculture has on the environment. In these dialogues it is so important to find that common ground and build on that. Then talk about the science and the tools. SW Lessons LearnedWhen it comes to communicating about GMOs and other modern agricultural practices some say its too little and too late. A pioneer in the development of this technology Robb Fraley shares what he has learned in having these conversations. Julie Deering 42 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 44 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 INTERNATIONALAGRICULTURALDEVELOPMENT DENNIS THOMPSON is dedicated to delivering solutions and empowering people and organiza- tions to solve complex problems related to international agricul- tural development and global food security. His career experience and international credentials include Extension educa- tion agronomy and administration. Findeis team focuses on soybean value chain issues in Mozambique while Ragsdales does so in Ghana. Initial findings in Mozambique indicate that only 17 percent of women compared to 42 percent of men are engaged in the full range of food crop decision-making. Findeis is implementing an intensive Soy Uptake and Network Survey to better understand the role of networks in soybean adoption which includes family consumption and commercial production. The Soybean Innovation Lab is designed to help improve food security and household nutrition sustainable agricultural productivity and economic empowerment by providing farmers with income. The partnership between the applied social science team and agricultural bench science colleagues within the Soybean Innovation Lab has been effective. Early in her career Ragsdale learned first-hand just how embedded women are within agricultural systems especially in low-resource and developing countries as farmers and mothers producers and consumers. Read-Wahidi provides a more holistic under- standing of daily lives of male and female farmers. When shared with the non-sociocultural members of the research team all become better positioned to improve the lives of the target population. We get to talk to the farmers spend time in the villages and understand peoples lives beyond their crop yields and cost of production says Read-Wahidi. Agricultural development conundrums such as this in Ghana are not isolated incidents. Their presence sends a clear message to seed industry representatives contemplating bold market development initiatives in uncharted waters. Soybean primarily a commercial non-native non-staple labor-intensive crop in sub- Saharan Africa can serve as a good case study. One must first determine if and how a given crop kind might fit within a culture and lifestyle. Then the focus can shift to determining the agronomic and environmental fit. In the end biological sciences and good business practices likely will prevail however the impact on human life might be achieved more quickly when credence is given to the work of colleagues from the social science field and allowed to supplement con- tributions from biological and bench science. SW THE GHANAIAN WOMAN farmer simply laughed at any thought of switching her soy plot with that of her husbands maize plot for the next planting season. Neither questioning nor considering the potential bio- logical benefits commonly associated with rotational corn-soybean crop management systems she rejected the concept. But why Size quality and location all add to the prestige associated with ones plot thus the price of rotating crops might actually be more costly than the price of not rotating suggests Mary Read-Wahidi a Mississippi State University postdoctoral research fellow. Not all costs can be measured in currency. Access to land for female farmers in many develop- ing lands is often controlled by the husband. However men must first receive a land allocation from village leaders. Women generally end up with the smaller more distant and less productive fields. The common practice of plural marriage in rural areas further compli- cates the land tenure system in much of sub-Saharan Africa according to Kathleen Ragsdale a Mississippi State University associate research professor. The ramifications of gender and household dynam- ics of the statement rotate your soy plot next season with your husbands maize plot might well over- shadow any biological benefit that could be obtained from rotating corn and soybean fields. The English term acre is often found to have different meanings in various regions of Ghana. Consumer discussions about soya foods become fuzzy until one realizes that it depicts a specific prepared dish as opposed to being a broad term describing foods that contain soy. Might other production use or storage practices based on conventional thinking be similarly skewed Understanding Culture Ragsdale and Read-Wahidi are joined by Jill Findeis a University of Missouri professor of agricultural and applied economics. They comprise the socio-economic research team within The Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab led by the University of Illinois. Their research probes sustainability asset ownership and allocation to soybean labor allocation decision-making and soybean income control along gender lines. She Just Laughed Give us a call 608-744-7333 SEED Email us infogroalliance.com BREEDING FOUNDATION AND NURSERY SERVICES INBRED INCREASES CROSSING BLOCKS HAND POLLINATION IRRIGATION Delivering Trust through Transparency Turning Your Breeding Vision into Reality Mt.Pulaski IL Breckenridge MN Cuba City WI Howe IN 46 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 JULY 1 2016 is an important date for the seed industry and every other industry associated with the production of food. On that date Vermont will implement a law passed in 2014 the first of its kind in the nation mandating that food offered for retail sale which is entirely or partially pro- duced with genetic engineering must be labeled as containing such ingredients. Chaos could erupt. Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously and we believe we have a right to know whats in the food we buy said Governor Peter Shumlin at the signing of the bill. More than 60 countries have already restricted or labeled these foods and now one state Vermont will also ensure that we know whats in the food we buy and serve our families. The Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food a coalition sup- ported by many food industry- related trade groups and food companies calls the Vermont labeling law a nightmare scenario come true as the Vermont state government that represents only 600000 people is now set to dic- tate food labeling policy to a nation of 300 million unless the U.S. Senate votes to stop the states GMO labeling law. The group said that food com- panies are labeling their products sold across the country to comply with the Vermont on-package labeling mandate. That means the Vermont law is the de facto law of the land the group reports on its website. It is absurd to think that any state has been given the power to determine national food labeling standards and ultimately the future of American agriculture. The American Seed Trade Association ASTA has long advocated for a uniform national food-labeling solu- tion based on sound science says Andrew LaVigne ASTA president and CEO. Federal legislation would eliminate the confusion and uncertainty of a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws. Consumers and the food and agriculture com- munity alike deserve consist- ency and transparency in the marketplace. ASTA and many other groups such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association GMA have been urging the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that would establish a national food labeling standard. They have had no success. Through the use of modern scientific practices and research seeds enhanced with biotechnol- ogy traits have been proven over and over again by a wide variety of credible organizations to be safe for people and the environment says Pat Miller ASTA director for state affairs. Unfortunately the unnecessary disparagement of this safe technology is already begin- ning to impact the market. With Vermonts law looming some companies have begun to reformulate their products away from GMOs causing the price of FRANK ZAWORSKI Frank Zaworski is a veteran journalist native of Minnesota and former Seed World editor who dropped out of the rat race in 2013. He and his wife Linda live on the shore of the Sea of Cortez near the southern tip of Mexicos Baja California peninsula. When he is not freelancing Zaworski enjoys fly fishing for dorado golf and expanding his search for the perfect carne ahumada. With the Vermont GMO labeling law scheduled to go into effect July 1 Americas food industry anxiously awaits federal action. LABELING CAUSES CHAOS certain commodities such as cane sugar to soar. By Vermonts action and Congress inaction production agriculture will be set back 25 years. We need a national solution to bring certainty to the marketplace. A patchwork of confusing state regulations will only serve to drive up food costs and decrease food availability to the American public. Generally Recognized as Safe GMO foods were approved for human consumption in 1995 but the Food and Drug Administration never required any labels pointing them out as such. Despite a pleth- ora of studies during the past 20 Campbell Soup Company designed a sample of the SpaghettiOs label for use in Vermont. Participate in a management education seminar created specifically for you a seed industry professional. Surrounded by your peers you will discuss what key factors are driving the industry and learn the concepts and tools you will need to be a successful leader. WWW.AGRIBUSINESS.PURDUE.EDUSEEDWORLD F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N CELEBRATING 30 YEARS MANAGEMENT ACADEMY MARCH 6-10 2017 WEST LAFAYETTE IN 48 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 NEW CLIPPER CERES 686-2-4 CLEANER Utilizes Standard Clipper Screens Over 150 Different Sizes Available Counter Balanced Shoes Integrated Centrifugal Blower Variable Speed Electronic Vibratory years on the safety of GMO foods and GE crops no linkages to health concerns have been found. This reality received further support May 18 when the National Academy of Sciences NAS released a report Genetically Engineered Crops Experience and Prospects that states GE crops are generally rec- ognized as safe GRAS. Were pleased the NAS has taken the time to perform a thorough scientific review of GE crops LaVigne says. Their find- ings reinforce what weve known all along GE crops are safe. ASTA is thoroughly reviewing the study. However we are con- cerned that the committee did not sufficiently recognize the role that plant breedings long history of safety has played in bringing new and improved seed varieties to the marketplace. The evolution of plant breeding is the foundation of Americas safe nutritious and diverse food supply. New plant breeding methods build upon our strong history of innovation and will help meet the challenges faced by agriculture in an efficient and sustainable manner. It is imperative that both public and private plant breeders and seed companies of all sizes have the opportunity to employ new and evolving breeding methods in the future without being hindered by overly-burdensome regulations. Continued innovation and the improvement of breeding meth- ods are paramount to the future of agriculture and our quality of life. Pamela Bailey GMA presi- dent and CEO says that unless Congress passes a uniform national law on disclosure of genetically engineered food ingredients stig- matization from on-package labels will lead to increased consumer costs and confusion and a para- digm shift in agriculture away from biotech crops. Failure to act will have long-l asting adverse effects throughout the food supply chain and will turn back the clock on American agri- culture Bailey said during the 2016 GMA Science Forum.The Senate needs to act and act quickly or farmers may lose access to bio- tech more food companies may be forced to reformulate and consum- ers will face higher food costs. The time to act is now ... The March Continues Despite all of the science that indicates otherwise a significant segment of consumers continue to believe that GMOs are some- how dangerous. In the world of food marketing the motto of give customers what they want contin- ues to make good business sense. Two pillars of the food industry General Mills and Campbell Soup Company have begun labeling products as containing GMOs in response to Vermonts new law. General Mills said in January that ballot initiatives with require- ments that differ from state-to- state would result in a patchwork of different labels that would increase the cost of products for companies and consumers alike. Denise Morrison President and CEO Campbell Soup Company Pat Miller Director State Affairs ASTA JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 49 We do know that some consumers may prefer products made without GMO ingredi- ents acknowledges the com- pany.Thats why General Mills offers ... a choice of organic and non-GMO alternatives in most of our major categories in the United States. In effect the national organic certification and labeling standards enable us to reliably offer consumers non-GMO product choices in all 50 states.We believe consumers looking for non-GMO products would be helped by a national labeling standard for non- GMO products as well ... thats why we oppose state-based initiatives. Campbell Soup Company sup- ports a national labeling standard for foods containing GMOs. The company also designed labels for its products in preparation for implementation of the labeling law in Vermont. Campbell believes it is neces- sary for the federal government to provide a national standard for labeling requirements to better inform consumers about this issue says Denise Morrison Campbell president and CEO. The company will advocate for federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by theFDA and the USDA to be clearly and simply labeled for GMOs. Campbell is also supportive of a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging. Campbell continues to oppose a patchwork of state-by-state labeling laws which it believes are incomplete impractical and create unnecessary confusion for con- sumers Morrison says. Campbell is optimistic a federal solution can be established ... if all the interested stakeholders cooperate. However if that is not the case Campbell is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs not just those required by pending legislation inVermont. The company would seek guidance from theFDAand approval by USDA. Campbell continues to recognize that GMOs are safe as the science indicates that foods derived from crops grown using GM seeds are not nutritionally dif- ferent from other foods. The company also believes technology will play a crucial role in feeding the world. Morrison notes that the Vermontlegislation does not include products with meat or poultry because they are regulated by USDA.Under Vermont lawSpaghettiOs original variety guided by the FDA will be labeled for the presence of GMOs butSpaghet- tiOsmeatballs guided by the USDA will not Yet these two varieties sit next to each other on a store shelf which is bound to create consumer confusion she explains. Laws May Add to Confusion Everyone in the food chain from seed producers to growers to food manufacturers and retailers are likely to be confused as they scramble to meet the requirements of one states mandate. The situation will become further chaotic as other states chime in with their own versions of GMO labeling laws. Nearby New York may be the next state to adopt a GMO labeling law. A proposed law there faces stiff opposition from various groups. Maine and Connecticut have already passed GMO labeling laws but they will not be adopted until other states in the region adopt similar legislation. Vermont might have tipped the balance. SW 50 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 TO DATE scientists have engineered bacteria that produce medication-grade drugs crops with built-in pesticides and bea- gles that glow in the dark. While these are all relatively recent advances in scientific technology humans have been altering the genetics of organisms for thousands of years. How did the original practice of selective breeding evolve into the con- cept of genetically modified organisms as we know it today Innovators motivated by some of the worlds most critical problems have paved the way for GMOs a path that leads to an unimaginable array of benefits but also raises extremely important questions. The concept of genetically modified organisms or GMOs has received a large amount of attention in recent years. Indeed the relative number of Google searches for GMO has more than tripled since late 2012. However humans have been genetically modifying organisms for over 30000 years Clearly our ances- tors had no scientific laboratories capable of directly manipu- lating DNA that long ago so how did they do it and how have GMOs become such a popular topic Ancient Genetic Modification While our ancestors had no concept of genetics they were still able to influence the DNA of other organisms by a process called selective breeding or artificial selection. These terms coined by Charles Darwin describe the process of choosing the organisms with the most desired traits and mating them with the intention of combining and propagating these traits through their offspring. Repeated use of this practice over many generations can result in dramatic genetic changes to a species. While artificial selection is not what we typically consider GMO technology today it is still the precursor to the modern processes and the earliest example of our species influ- encing genetics. The dog is thought to be the first organism our ancestors artifi- cially selected. About 32000 years ago when our ancestors were hunters and gatherers wild wolves in East Asia joined groups of humans as scavengers. They were domesticated and then artifi- cially selected to increase docility leading to dogs that are closely related to what are known as Chinese native dogs. Over millennia various traits such as size hair length color and body shape were artificially selected for altering the genetics of these domesticated descendants of wolves so much that we now have breeds such as Chihuahuas and corgis that barely resemble wolves at all. Since this time artificial selection has been applied to many different Explore the long history of GMO technology. Gabriel Rangel species and has helped develop all sorts of animals from prize-winning racehorses to muscular beef cattle. Artificial selection has also been uti- lized with a variety of plants. The earliest evidence of artificial selection of plants dates back to 7800 BCE in archaeologi- cal sites found in southwest Asia where scientists have found domestic varieties of wheat. However one of the most dramatic and prevalent alterations in plant genetics has occurred through artificial selection of corn. Corn or maize began as a wild grass called teosinte that had tiny ears with very few kernels. Over the hundreds of years teosinte was selectively bred to have larger and larger ears with more and more kernels resulting in what we now know as corn. A similar process has given us large heads of broccoli bananas with nearly unnoticeable seeds and apples that are sweet and juicy. Although artificial selection is an ancient process that is still used today most current conversations regarding GMOs refer to a much more modern pro- cess of altering the genetics of organisms. The Birth of Modern Genetic Modification A breakthrough came in 1973 when Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen engi- neered the first genetically engineered GE organism. The two scientists devel- oped a method to very specifically cut out a gene from one organism and paste it into another. Using this method they transferred a gene that encodes antibiotic resistance from one strain of bacteria into another bestowing antibiotic resistance upon the recipient. One year later Rudolf Jaenisch and Beatrice Mintz used a similar procedure in animals introducing foreign DNA into mouse embryos. FROM CORGIS TO CORN Herbert Boyer Stanley Cohen Todays corn does not look like the original teosinte with tiny ears and few kernels. 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Box 629 Clay Center Kansas 67432 Ph. 785 632-2161 FAX 785 632-5964 www.hutchinson-mayrath.com THE WORLD OVER MOVES A WORLD OF GRAIN utchinsonH IND USTRIES I NC. www.facebook.comhutchinsonmayrath Follow our Hutchinson-Mayrath channel H-216C.indd 1 42214 1015 AM Although this new technology opened up countless avenues of research possibilities immediately after its development the media government officials and scientists began to worry about the potential ramifications on human health and Earths ecosys- tems. By the middle of 1974 a moratorium on GE projects was universally observed allowing time for experts to come together and consider the next steps during what has come to be known as the Asilomar Conference of 1975. At the conference scientists lawyers and government offi- cials debated the safety of GE experiments for three days. The attendees eventually concluded that the GE projects should be allowed to continue with certain guidelines in place. For instance the conference defined safety and containment regulations to mitigate the risks of each experiment. Additionally they charged the principal investigator of each lab with ensuring adequate safety for their researchers as well as with educating the scientific community about important developments. Finally the established guidelines were expected to be fluid influenced by further knowledge as the scientific community advanced. Due to the unprecedented transparency and cooperation at the Asilomar Conference government bodies around the world supported the move to continue with GE research thus launching a new era of modern genetic modification. Use of Genetically Engineered Organisms In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that scientists from General Electric could patent bacteria that were genetically engineered to break down crude oil to help with oil spill mitiga- tion. This ruling legally permitted ownership rights over GMOs giving large companies the incentive to rapidly develop GMO tools that could both be useful and profitable. Two years later in 1982 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first human medication produced by a genetically modified organism. Bacteria had been geneti- cally engineered to synthesize human insulin allowing them to produce enough of the hormone to purify package and pre- scribe it to diabetes patients as the drug Humulin. While uses for genetic engineering range from oil spills to medication perhaps the most controversial application is for food production. The first field experiments of food crops that had been genetically modified using recombinant DNA tech- nology began in 1987. After five years of extensive health and environmental testing Calgenes Flavr Savr tomato became the first food crop to be approved for commercial production by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These tomatoes were modi- fied to include a DNA sequence that inhibited production of a natural tomato protein increasing the firmness and extending the shelf life of the Flavr Savr variety. In addition to making food more aesthetically pleasing scientists have developed crops that are easier for farmers to cultivate. In 1995 the first pesticide-producing crop was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after rigorous testing. A year later Bt corn was approved and now the majority of corn in the United States has the Bt toxin gene. Crops have also been genetically engineered to resist herbi- cides making it easier for farmers to control unwanted plants in their fields. Perhaps the most famous herbicide resistant crops are the Roundup Ready or glyphosate-resistant plants. The first of these glyphosate-resistant crops was a variety of soybean engineered by Monsanto in 1996. Now glyphosate- resistant technology has been applied to other crops including corn and sugar beets. Scientists have also genetically engineered crops to increase nutritional value. For instance Golden Rice was devel- oped in 2000 with the goal to combat vitamin A deficiency which is estimated to kill over 500000 people every year. Corns wild ancestor is a grass called teosinte. 52 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Seed and grain cleanerS for the world Crippen Northland Superior Supply Co. 8-851 Lagimodiere Blvd. Winnipeg MB Ph 204-925-6141 www.northlandsuperior.com Air Screen Cleaners Indented Cylinder Length Separator Gravity Separator Although many species of animals have been genetically engineered the vast majority of this technology is used for research purposes and to date no GE animals are on super- market shelves. That could soon change with the FDAs recent approval of a GE salmon called AquaAdvantage which grows to marketable size in half the time as conventional farmed salmon. Also in 2009 the U.S. FDA approved the first biologi- cal product produced by a GE animal ATryn a drug used to treat a rare blood clotting disorder. Genetically Engineered Food Controversies There have been many controversies regarding GE technol- ogy with the majority relating to GE food. While some crit- ics object to the use of this technology based on religious or philosophical bases most critics object on the basis of envi- ronmental or health concerns. For instance a 1999 publication showed Bt toxin had nega- tive effects on butterfly populations in laboratory tests which lead to strong objections of Bt use. However follow-up studies in actual farm fields confirmed the safety of this technology. In a different example the economic stress of the poor yield of GE cotton crops in India during the late 1990s and early 2000s was associated by many organizations with a presumed increase in farmer suicides. However it was later concluded that suicide rates were actually unchanged after the introduction of GE cotton and that there were economic benefits of GE cotton for most Indian farmers. During the same time frame public awareness of the exist- ence of GE foods increased and calls for regulation of GE food grew louder resulting in labeling requirements for GE food in many countries. Today 64 countries have mandatory labeling laws for GE food. However the United States still does not have a manda- tory nationwide labeling law although many advocacy groups are lobbying to enact one. These groups argue that labeling GE food is important for consumer choice and for monitoring unforeseen problems associated with the technology. In con- trast groups opposing labels claim a law would unnecessarily eliminate consumer demand for current GE crops causing steep increases in food price and resource utilization. Although the debate about GE food is active and there is no shortage of opponents to the technology the scientific com- munity has largely come together and concluded consump- tion of GE food is no more dangerous than eating traditionally selected crops. This conclusion has not stopped businesses from capitalizing on the current fear of GE food. In 2013 Chipotle became the first restaurant chain to label menu items as GMO and in April of this year the company announced the elimination of all ingredients made with GMOs citing their food with integrity journey. With cases such as this it is safe to say the debate on GE food will continue for some time. The Future of GMO Technology There are countless potential uses of GE technology in develop- ment. These include plants with superior disease and drought resistance animals with enhanced growth properties and strat- egies for more efficient pharmaceutical production.Likewise GE technology itself is quickly advancing. Recently researchers have developed a new technology called CRISPR which takes advantage of bacterial systems to simplify genetic editing allowing for easier development of GE organisms. This technology could be used to expedite develop- ment of useful GE crops facilitate disease elimination or even alter entire ecosystems. Recent advances in plant breeding tech- niques may increase the utility and rebound the popularity of the more traditional GMO method of selective breeding. Indeed new drought resistant strains of various crops have been recently developed using traditional breeding methods. The United Nations predicts that by 2050 humans will need to produce 70 percent more food than we currently do in order to adequately feed the global population. Indeed innovative approaches will be required to solve this problem and geneti- cally engineering our food is a potentially useful tool. As scien- tists look forward at ways to create better crop survival yield and nutrition it is important that we remember where all of this work began and give credit to the pioneers who have made our advancements possible. Our ancestors that selectively bred wolves to eventually develop Corgis could not foresee that today we would be able to genetically engineer corn to withstand pests herbicides and drought. What is the future of GMO technology that we our- selves cant foresee now SW Note This article was originally published on the Science in the News Boston Blog. since 1900 Quality. 866.899.2518 - www.indianacrop.org866.899.2518 - www.indianacrop.org For over 100 years we have built a strong foundation by providing a sound scientific approach to testing. We are proud to be an ISO 90012008 certified organization.ISO 90012008 certified organization. From innovative genetics to the latest in molecular technology we have an uncompromising commitment to method validation and statistical integrity. We are proud to offer Seed Certification Field Inspection Services Identity Preservation IP Laboratory Testing Conventional Seed Tests Genetics andGenetics and Trait Testing Bioassay Herbicide Testing More Thorough. More Data. More Value. 54 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Exploring ideas and views on all aspects of the seed industry. INTERNSHIP HELPS STUDENTS FIGHT HUNGER POVERTY A program created by Norman Borlaug and John Ruan will send 24 high school students abroad for internships at renowned international research centers and non- governmental organizations this summer. During the eight-week internship students will study issues relating to hunger and poverty in Africa Asia and Latin America. The Borlaug-Ruan Internship seeks to inspire the next generation of agricultural scientists as well as expose them to a wide array of fields related to global food security. To date more than 250 students have participated in the internship program. Nearly 1 billion people go hungry every day says World Food Prize President Ambassador Kenneth Quinn. As the world faces a growing population climate volatility and other global challenges the next generation will be charged with continuing the battle against hunger and finding new solutions to feed the world. NEW BILL PRESENTS MORE BAD NEWS FOR CORN MARKET In mid May Reps. Bill Flores R-Texas Peter Welch D-Vermont Bob Goodlatte R-Virginia and Jim Costa D-California introduced a bill to cap ethanol blends to no more than 9.7 percent by volume. Paul Jeschke a farmer from Mazon Ill. and chair of the Ethanol Committee of the National Corn Growers Association calls the bill a step backward for both farmers and consumers. Americans want cleaner air affordable choices at the gas pump and a strong economy that fosters investment in new technology and improves our energy independence Jeschke says. Meanwhile American corn farmers are struggling with prices below the cost of production and the largest carryover stock in two decades. The Renewable Fuel Standard was created to promote American renewable energy while creating a steady market for corn. This bill would undercut the RFS and negatively impact corn farmers and with it the entire farm economy. U.S. BEEKEEPERS LOST 44 PERCENT OF BEES IN 2015-16 The Bee Informed Partnership according to its most recent survey of commercial and small-scale beekeepers reports that beekeepers across the United States lost 44 percent of their honeybee colonies from April 2015 to April 2016. Rates of both winter loss and summer loss were worse than the year prior. This marks the second most consecutive survey years that summer loss rates rivaled winter loss rates. Some winter losses are normal and expected says Dennis vanEngelsdorp an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Maryland and project director for the Bee Informed Partnership. But the fact that beekeepers are losing bees in the summer when bees should be at their healthiest is quite alarming. Survey respondents reported they lost 44.1 percent of their colonies over the course of the year which is a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. Winter loss rates increased from 22.3 percent in the previous year to 28.1 percent this past winter while summer loss rates increased from 25.3 percent to 28.1 percent. The researchers note than many factors contribute to colony loss including Varroa mite. Pesticides and malnutrition caused by changing land use patterns also likely take a toll especially among commercial beekeepers. AMERICAN CORN FARMERS ARE STRUGGLING ... THIS BILL WOULD UNDERCUT THE RFS AND NEGATIVELY IMPACT CORN FARMERS AND WITH IT THE ENTIRE FARM ECONOMY. Paul Jeschke Welch D-Vermont Bob Goodlatte R-Virginia and Jim Costa D-California introduced a bill to cap ethanol blends to no more than 9.7 percent by volume. Paul Jeschke a farmer from MazonIn mid May Reps. Bill Flores R-Texas Peter Welch D-Vermont Bob Goodlatte R-Virginia Welch D-Vermont Bob Goodlatte R-Virginia by volume. Paul Jeschke a farmer from Mazon FIRST TIME IN THE UNITED STATES KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Dr. Robert Fraley Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Monsanto Dr. Patrick Moore Independent Ecologist Environmentalist Ecosense Environmental Inc. Secretary Tom Vilsack United States Secretary of Agriculture scheduled to speak Dr. Kevin Folta Professor and Chairman Horticultural Sciences Department University of Florida Fargo North Dakota USA SEPTEMBER 18-21 2016 Join us for the worlds top agricultural bioscience event Learn more sign up for email alerts and register today for early-bird rates at abic2016.com Hosted by North Dakota State University North Dakota Department of Agriculture and AdFarm 2016 TRACKS Plant Science Animal Health Innovations Food Health 56 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 REGULATORY ROUNDUP Keeping you informed of legislative and regulatory changes at the state national and international levels from lawsuits to approvals to other regulatory issues affecting your business. NATIONAL EPA SAYS GLYPHOSATE IS NOT LINKED TO CANCER As part of its ongoing review of the herbicide glypho- sate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pub- lished its official classifica- tion of glyphosate as Not Likely to be Carcinogenic to Humans. This determina- tion is the conclusion of EPAs Cancer Assessment Review Committee CARC and is based on the overwhelming weight of evidence on glypho- sate. The report isavailableon EPAs glyphosate docket. BASF SUBMITS REGULATORY DOSSIER FOR INSCALIS A new insecticide active ingre- dient Inscalis is from a novel chemical class the pyrope- nes and offers an alternative mode of action for controlling key pests. It provides farmers another tool to use in resist- ance and integrated pest man- agement programs. Inscalis controls piercing and sucking insects such as aphids white- flies psyllids scales and leaf- hoppers. Registration dossiers have been submitted to U.S. and Canadian authorities for use on a range of crops including vegetables fruit row crops and ornamentals. FDA RULES CANARY SEED FIT FOR HUMANS Canary seed which has been used almost exclusively as bird seed recently received Generally Recognized as Safe status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Canary seed flour can be used to make bread cookies cereals and pastas. COURT ALLOWS DOW TO CONTINUE MARKETING ENLIST DUO A federal courtdenied the Environmental Protection Agencys motion to vacate the registration of Enlist Duo Dow AgroSciences new herbicide. As a result of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal decision Dowcan continue to market the product and the registra- tion for Enlist Duo remains in place for all labeleduses. EPA approved Enlist Duo in several states more than a year ago but filed to revoke the regis- tration last fall reportingits assessment of the products two active ingredients was incomplete. PVP VIOLATION RESULTS IN SETTLEMENT Syngentahas obtained a 25000 settlement from Paul and John Mayclin of Mayclin Farms in Plankinton S.D. in response to its Plant Variety Protection PVP Act violation. Mayclin admit- ted unauthorized sales of SyngentasAgriProbrand winter wheat varietySY Wolf. ThePVP Actstates that pro- tected seed may not be sold re-sold or used to produce seed without permission of the developer. MONSANTO SETTLES WITH SEC Monsanto reachedan agree- ment with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission SEC fully resolving a previ- ously disclosed SEC investiga- tion into the financial reporting of its customer incentive pro- grams related to glyphosate products for fiscal years 2009 2010 and 2011. In agreeing to the settlement Monsanto neither admits nor denies the SECs allegations that the company violated certain provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under the terms of the agreement Monsanto will pay an 80 mil- lion civil penalty. MARRONE BIO TO PAY 1.7 MILLION Marrone Bio Innovations enters into a settlement agree- ment with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fully resolving its previously- disclosed investigation which was principally related to the accounting and other matters that were initially identified inSeptember 2014. SBG PATENT UPHELD KeyGenes U.S. patent which protects Sequence-Based Genotyping technology was upheld by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office following ex parte reexamination initi- ated in March 2015 by Cornell University. The patent is part of KeyGenes global patent portfolio protecting methods for simultaneous polymor- phism discovery and genotyp- ing including SBG GBS RAD ddRAD and related methods. INTERNATIONAL CHINA RELEASES NEW GM POLICY ROADMAP China has mapped a plan for the future of genetically modified crops giving priority to the development of non- edible cash crops. To-date it only allows the planting of insect-resistant cotton and antiviral papaya for commer- cial purposes but imports GM soybean corn rapeseed oil cotton and sugarbeet. China could push forward with the commercial planting of pest- resistant GM corn during the next five years. Use and adop- tion of GM crops will focus on cash and industrial crops. COEXISTENCE PLAN FOR ALFALFA HAY RELEASED Following extensive consulta- tion with stakeholders along the alfalfa hay production chain in Western Canada the Canadian Seed Trade Association released acoex- istence plan. The plandoes not advocate for or against the commercialization of GM alfalfa or favor any one system. The result is a science- based document that helps farmers understand and incorporate best management practices into their crop man- agement system. AUSTRALIA APPROVES GM CANOLA Australias Office of the Gene Technology Regulator issued a license in response to application DIR 138 from Bayers Crop Science division authorizing the commercial release ofcanolagenetically modified for dualherbicide toleranceand to facilitate pro- duction. PAKISTAN APPROVES GM CORN COTTON The Pakistan National Biosafety Centre held meetings of the Technical Advisory Committee and the National Biosafety Committee to review pending applications of bio- tech crops for lab work field trials and commercialization. The committees approved wheat for field trials and cotton and corn for commer- cialization. SW Leave Your Mark... Tell Your Story From nurturing an idea to crafting the story to fueling the conversation CREATE by Issues Ink is an extension of your marketing department. The CREATE Content Lab will help you amplify your story in both digital and print mediums by helping you craft curate and deploy relevant and engaging content to your customers. Our depth of knowledge in the seed industry will help you map out a meaningful content strategy and tactics to share your message. Tell Your Story Are you looking for an action plan to connect with your customers Whether you need an impact video website social media setup or content for your next newsletter lets talk. Schedule a 15-minute discovery call with us and learn how CREATE by Issues Ink can help you. 1-877-710-3222 CREATE.ISSUESINK.COM 58 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 STATUS INDIA The Indian government is backtracking a policy which capped royalty fees and prohibited a technology com- pany from denying a license to local companies. On May 18 Indias Ministry of Agriculture put forth an order capping royalty fees payable to providers of genetically modified seed technol- ogy and barring them from denying a license to any local company. According to the notification for any GM trait commercialized in India the technology provider cannot charge a royalty fee that exceeds 10 percent of the maximum sale price of the seeds which is fixed by the government every year. The cap of 10 percent would apply for the first five years. After that the royalty would decrease by 10 percent annu- ally. Additionally the technol- ogy provider could not refuse a license to any eligible seed company. If delayed by more than a month the license would be deemed to have been obtained. The order followed a dispute between Monsanto and the government over the royalty and price of its GM cotton seed. In March the govern- ment cut the price of Bollgard II cotton seeds to 11.86 for a 450 gram packet. Previously the price ranged from 12.31 to 14.83. It also reduced roy- alty fees by 74 percent. According to the notification agreements between seed world STATUS A look at seed industry developments around the globe. Royalty collection and licensing continues to be an issue in India. Meanwhile Malawi South Korea and the United Kingdom look to advance yields partner and innovate. companies and technology providers would be based on principles of Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory FRAND licensing guidelines. Technology companies could not charge a royalty on GM traits that have lost their effi- cacy. They could not charge an upfront fee from domestic seed companies that had already paid these fees in the past. Fees would be limited to 37071 for new licensing agreements whereas in the past Monsanto charged an upfront fee of 74142 for its Bt cotton technology. Less than a week after the May 18 order the government withdrew it and placed it as a draft for public consultation for 90 days. It the original order clearly indicates the intention of the government to disregard research and innovation and thereby not protect intellectual property in the sector says Shivendra Bajaj executive director of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises Agriculture Focus Group. Source Live Mint. STATUS MALAWI Seed Co Malawi Limited which produces hybrid maize and legume seed launched a winter seed distribution cam- paign to enhance irrigation farming. The launch is in line with the governments efforts to revamp the green belt irrigation project according to Hannock Madeira Seed Co sales and marketing manager. The varieties that have been distributed for winter crop- ping are SC 403 commonly known as Kanyani and SC 537 known as Mbidzi. These varieties are drought resistant maize streak virus tolerant early maturing with SC 403 at 90 days semi-flint and SC 537 at 110 days flint and have a yield potential of 6 to 8 metric tonnes per hectare Madeira says. World over we are experiencing climate change effects. This has resulted in low yields. However we can do better through irrigation. The poten- tial is there to turn around our economy if farmers can produce twice or thrice per year. Apart from that our aim is to improve the livelihood of the farmer. As a company Madeira says they have enough seed to meet the winter demand. Source The Times Group. STATUS SOUTH KOREA In mid May a delega- tion including strawberry breeders and directors from South Korea visited the Noordoostpolder in the Netherlands with the goal of initiating a collaboration between the two strawberry breeding programs. Knowledge is being exchanged between South Korea and Europe and people are being trained in plant breeding with the goal of creating improved varieties for the global market. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 59 ernstseed.com salesernstseed.com 800-873-3321 Restoration Reclamation Sustainable Landscapes Pollinator Habitat Conservation Biomass Multi-purpose Re-Useable Waterproof Glues Used Sift Resistance Built In Rugged 100lb. Tag Stock Construction Easy To Use Fold-In Flaps Fold-Down Tuck-In 2802 Hedberg Drive Hopkins MN 55305-3405 Ph 952 545-7124 Fax 952 545-0196 With SPEAR Its In The Bag. SeedGrain Special Safety Envelopes For Sampling and Storage. Call or Send For Free Sample Kit Prices Gummed and Ungummed Coin Envelopes Available In South Korea the breeding of strawberry plants is a gov- ernment task. The agreement was signed by Choi Hyung sik mayor of Damyang County in South Korea and Marcel Sulker of Flevo Berry. The Flevo Berry breeding program focuses on tasty strawberries that have a natural resistance to disease and insects and are available in stores year-round. Source Fresh Plaza. STATUS UNITED KINGDOM A new supercomputing platform at The Genome Analysis Centre TGAC will allow researchers to store categorize and analyze more genomic data in less time for decoding living systems and answering crucial biologi- cal questions. The platform comprises SGI UV 300 sys- tems totaling 24 terabytes of shared memory 512 Intel Xeon Processor E7 v3 cores and 64 TB of Intel P3700 SSDs with NVMe storage technology. Paired with flash storage the combined 24 TB SGI UV 300 supercomputers can increase processing speeds of heavy workloads in scientific research by 80 percent. In particular the system will dramatically reduce the time to perform large genome assembly that TGAC research- ers specialize in as well as the analysis of wheat geno- type and phenotype data generated by the Seeds of Discovery program. TGAC will use the pioneering of SGI HPC technology to speed analysis of complex genomes which require both large memory and fast processing capa- bilities providing a powerful boost to TGACs research. This includes sequencing and assembling multiple lines of wheat with the institutes w2rap assembly software developed by the Algorithm Development team led by Bernardo Clavijo. Knowledge of plant and animal genomes can lead to breakthroughs in drug dis- covery food safety and more helping us to better manage climate change feed a growing population and mitigate the impact of newly emergent dis- eases says Ketan Paranjape general manager of Intels Life Sciences team. With the SGI UV 300 system Intel Xeon Processor E7 v3 prod- uct family and Intel DC3700 SSDs with NVMe TGAC can now assemble large plant and animal genomes in record times that until a few months ago were impossible. For TGAC a key benefit for using this important power- ful system is the scalability and memory capabilities to execute some of the most demanding data and com- pute-intensive workloads including large complex genome assembly and analyt- ics. The SGI UV with the Intel Xeon Processor E7 v3 prod- uct family creates a powerful technology that can advance genomic breakthroughs. Source TGAC. SW 60 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 INDUSTRY NEWS Delivering the people industry business and product news you need to know. Submissions are welcome. Email us at newsissuesink.com. A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh are working to address wheat blast an emerging threat to Asian agriculture. The fungal disease was spotted in Bangladesh in February the first report in Asia. The blast disease has caused up to 90 percent yield loss on more than 15000 hectares. Scientists fear that the pathogen could spread to other wheat growing areas in South Asia. Faced with a pathogen signaling chemicals within plant cells travel different routes to tell the plant to turn on its defense mechanisms according to a University of Kentucky study. Understanding these pathways and chemicals may allow scien- tists to help plants fend off a wide range of pathogens. Two Texas AM AgriLife Research scientists are studying the virtual tug-of-war that takes place when a pathogen attacks a plant. In mid-battle the pathogen and the plant undergo dynamic changes to improve their chances of victory. Better understanding those changes could unlock new ways to improve plants by making them more disease-resistant. Researchers from the University of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Agriculture completed the first comprehensive multi-year study of honeybee parasites and disease as part of the National Honey Bee Disease Survey. The results published online in the journalApidologie provide an important five-year baseline against which to track future trends. Researchers at Monsanto and Harvard University have pub- lished the results of a study using PACE technology in Nature. It showcases how the new application of protein science can be applied to agriculture. The ability to speed the discovery of improved proteins fosters faster crop improvement as proteins New plant evolution simulations by researchers at the University of Warwick and the University of College London Institute of Archaeology reveal an unexpected limit to how far useful crops can be pushed to adapt before they suffer population collapse. The simulations have significant implications for how growers breeders and scientists help agriculture and horticulture respond to climate change. Left This graph illustrates a probability landscape of population survival p for a given number of loci g under a selection coefficient s. are the building blocks to agronomic traits such as insect control and herbi- cide tolerance. A 2.1 million grant will help Iowa State University plant scientists study how corn responds to environmental stress at the genetic level. The three-year grant awarded by the National Science Foundation could set the stage for plant breeders to develop corn varieties that are more resilient to adverse environmen- tal conditions. A team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin Madison horticulture professor and geneticistPhil Simon deciphered the carrots full genetic code. This knowledge could lead to the improvement of similar crops such as parsnip and yellow-fleshed cassava. BUSINESS NEWS Meiogenix a biotech company that develops breeding technologies will collaborate with Bayers Crop Science Division to apply SpiX technology in crops. Under this non-exclusive agree- ment Meiogenix will provide access to the SpiX technology and the know-how that Meiogenix has built through its research with rice maize and wheat. JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 61 NRGene an Israeli genomics company has selected St. Louis Mo. for its U.S. headquarters. NRGene is the fourth company to move to St. Louis through the GlobalSTL initiative which focuses on attracting high-growth international companies to the city. Monsantos board of directors approved a capital expenditure to expand its Luling La. manufacturing site. The company expects the 975 million expansion to be operational in three years enabling the delivery of a strong dicamba formulation pipeline to growers. This investment sup- ports the launch of Monsantos Roundup ReadyXtend Crop System. Israeli startupEQUInom which uses novel computational breeding technolo- gies has closed a 1.25 million financing round which was led by Hazera Ltd. EQUInom has also signed an agreement with Obela a joint venture of PepsiCo Inc. and Strauss Group Ltd. to cooperate in a breeding program using EQUInoms proprietary breeding process and tech- nology. The financing will accelerate the companys plant-protein seed breeding program through bioinformatics genom- ics and phenomics. After favorable product performance results from its new line of improved hybrids Ceresexpands its distribu- tion network for forage sorghum seed. Ceres plans to make its latest genera- tion of products more widely available this season following multiple seasons of pre-market testing and sales to dairies feedlots and forage producers. Through a series of planned facility expansions Valent U.S.A. Corporation will accelerate discovery and early development testing for its portfolio of integrated solutions for plant protection and enhancement.These investments come on the heels of a wide-scale global research and development investment by parent company Sumitomo Chemical. BASF opensa new research and devel- opment center at the Crop Protection Divisions headquarters in Limburgerhof Germany. By housing biological crop pro- tection and seed solutions BASF leaders believe the center will be a hub of expertise for solutions in chemistry and biology to farmers around the globe. DLF acquires a majority share in Estero S.A. in Montevideo Uruguay. DLFs investment is part of its strategy to develop a strong business platform in South America. DLF has acquired 60 percent of the shares in Estero S.A. Carlos Rocha and Jorge Gari directors and founders of Estero own the remaining 40 percent. The company will operate as DLF Estero. DuPont has joined PrecisionHawks round of series C funding. This collaboration is designed to accelerate the commercial use of drones and build the tools that matter for agriculture. The Bayer Group at its annual stockholders meeting in May reported improved sales in the agricultural business Crop Science for 2015 increasing 1.7 percent to 10.4 billion euros. SynTech Research France has acquired land and buildings to establish a Seeds Technical Center atLIsle Jourdainin the intensive agricultural area around Toulouse in southwest France. Star Roses and Plants will purchase Fall Creek Farm and Nurserys BrazelBerries program a branded plant collec- tion of ornamental berry plants. This purchase includes the BrazelBerries program brand variety portfolio as well as man- agement of the grower network and all sales and distribution. Total Seed Production will start another plant expansion in 2016. Highlights include28500 square feet of warehouse space threedock doors seven total a rapid indoor bulk loading system5000 bushel per hour receiving system with receiving bins70-foot semi scale two totalSortex color sorter anda 6400-square-foot facility for its crop spraying operation. PEOPLE NEWS Verdesian Life Sciences addsMarc Treurniet to the plant health and nutrition companys management team as vice president of business development. In this new role Treurniet is responsible for providing overall strategic vision planning and leadership to develop global partnerships and industry relationships. R. K. Malik a senior agronomist in the Sustainable Intensification Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center based in Bihar India is the winner of the 2015Derek Tribe Award. The award is made biennially by theCrawford Fundto a citizen of a developing country in recog- nition of their contributions to research in agriculture or natural resource management in a developing country. Marrone Bio Innovations addsBrian Muellerto its sales and product development team. Previously he served as a Crop Production Services sales manager for specialty crops in Michiganand northern Ohio. Wyffels Hybrids promoted John Wyffels to chief operating officer. In the position of COO Wyffels is responsible for the 62 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 finance and administration department as well as the expanding production and research departments. Syngenta appoints J. Erik Fyrwald president and CEO of Univar Inc. as CEO effective June 1. He suc- ceeds John Ramsay who has been interimCEO since November 2015. Farm Foundation welcomes Constance Cullman as president and CEO of Farm Foundation NFP and president of Farm Foundation. Cullman was formerly government affairs leader with Dow AgroSciences. DLF names Sren Ustrup as business director Southern Hemisphere where he will be responsible for promoting and developing the DLF business. PRODUCT NEWS United Kingdom-based Exosect Ltd.receivesa patent in the United Statesfor improved seed flowa- bility and dust drift reduction during planting. The technology uses proprietary lean formulation tech- nology Entostat. Patents for this technology were granted in Canada and the United Kingdom in 2015. Ceres Inc.has been awarded two patents related to crop traits that can increase and protect crop yields under less-than-optimal environmental conditions. The traits have potential application in corn soybean forage sorghum and cotton. Ceres plans to advance traits protected by these patents in its own crops and offer other seed companies a license to the technol- ogy including the option for exclusivity. Wax begonias have long been a staple of Texas landscapes but a recently introduced series has been distinguished as a bigger brighter ornamental Whopper begonias. Whopper begonias have been named a 2016 Texas Superstar plant by Texas AM AgriLife Research and Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service horticulturalists after three years of field trials. Getting rid of gray discoloring in foods such as fresh noodles breads and refrigerated biscuits is now pos- sible thanks to a new white hard wheat breeding line developed byU.S. Department of Agriculture scien- tists. Plant geneticistBob Graybosch developed a wheat that has no polyphenol oxidase an enzyme present in all plants that causes discoloring brown- ing in sliced apples black spots in cut avocados and dark marks on banana peels. The new wheat line 070R1074 was developed by crossing two Australian wheats entered into the ARSNational Small Grains Collectionin the 1930s. SW Buhler Inc. T 209.983.8400 sortexsalesbuhlergroup.com www.buhlergroup.com Superior detection for maximum yield. The SORTEX A MultiVision ensures ultimate quality and yield for agricultural seeds including field crops vegetable seeds lawn seeds and many others. Utilizing its advanced MultiVision inspection system and broadband LED illumination the sorter is exceptional in the removal of contaminants and foreign materials such as discolored broken split spot defects and mud-stained product bird excreta glass stones and other seeds. The advanced inspection system can even detect the most challenging applications such as reduction of mycotoxins oblong soybeans dent corn from sweet corn and refuge-in-a-bag corn separation. Clean Seed. Productive Seed. BSOC 151992 Seed World_Half Page Advt_Apr 2015_20-05-2015.indd 1 5202015 71810 PM JUNE 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM 63 SINCE1915 ThefirstissueofSeedWorldwaspublishedin1915.Heretheeditorswilltakeyoubackintimeto explorethenumbersnewsandissuesthatimpactedtheseedindustryallcoveredbySeedWorld. 1915 1920 1923 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1961 1965 1970 1973 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Henry Wallace develops the first commercial hybrid seed corn. A MOMENT IN TIME This 1975 cover of Seed World features corn a symbol of agricultural greatness. In this issue S.M. McAshan Jr. who serves as chairman for Anderson Clayton Co. calls for An American Food Policy that would allow U.S. agriculture to thrive and better feed a growing global population. While the first field experiments involving GM crops were more than a decade away his words were prophetic American agriculture under maximum freedom of choice can continue to out-produce the world. As long as the world is producing more people faster than it is increasing food production there will always be a demand for everything American agriculture can produce. FACTS AND FIGURES FROM THIS 1975 ISSUE 10.2 MILLION pounds is the tall fescue and seed crop in Oregon. 27.4 MILLION pounds of old crop seed is carried over in the United States as of June 30 the second-highest carryover on record. 200 MILLION is the annual revenue North Carolina farmers earn from vegeta- bles fruits and ornamental crops. 300000 acres of sunflowers are planted in the Texas High Plains a dra- matic increase from just 5000 acres the year prior. 500000 members comprise the National FFA Foundation. USDA and the Washington Oregon and Idaho ag experiment stations release foundation seed for Gaines a semi-dwarf winter wheat. The Plant Patent Act enables the patenting of new plant varieties. After rigorous testing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the first pesticide-producing crop. Scientists successfully transfer the DNA from one organism to another giving rise to genetic engineering. 64 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Is the Green Revolution Going Gray THE U.S. NATIONAL Academy of Sciences recently released its long-awaited report on genetically engi- neered GE crops. More than 50 scientists and agri- cultural experts contributed to the 388-page report which includes a fresh review of 900 studies covering more than 20 years of research. It is an important document not only because it confirms the safety of GE crops but also because it points to new areas of research and calls for a strategic investment in emerging technologies to address our future food security. But how will we rise to meet this challenge A 2015 report entitled The Future Postponed pub- lished by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology raised concerns about how declining investment in basic research threatens Americas preeminent role in innovation. The report highlights the decline in public investment in plant sciences which is far below that of other scientific disciplines despite the fact that the U.S. agricultural sector accounts for 2 million jobs and is a major source of export earnings. With other countries increasing their research investments the United States is at risk of losing its leadership in this critical area. Although public spending does not account for the considerable investment made by the private sector it would be disastrous if the United States were to back away from its longtime commitment to agricultural research. After all when rapid population growth raised concerns of a worldwide famine during the 1960s it was the United States led by Norman Borlaug which spurred the Green Revolution and introduced modern agricultural practices to developing countries. Dr. Borlaug earned a Nobel Prize for his efforts which have saved an estimated 1 billion people from starvation. Fifty years later we see similar food challenges as the worlds population is expected to exceed 9 billion people within the next generation. To feed them we will need to increase food output by 70 percent. As successful as the Green Revolution was it is clear that we must do more to increase our research capabilities. That is why Liam Condon president of Bayers Crop Science Division has called for a New Revolution in Agriculture which will involve innovative solutions and cooperative partnerships to achieve a sustainable system of quality food production. Our understanding of molecular biology has increased with the evolution of GE cropping systems. However the techniques used to modify single genes are not sufficient to address the next wave of traits that will allow us to increase the yield quality stress toler- ance and disease resistance in new plant varieties. Advances in targeted genome optimization such as gene editing will allow us to cleave complex traits at specific locations to disable or edit specific gene expressions. These new tools also will help address insect and weed resistance issues associated with the first generation of GE traits. While such research is exciting it is also expensive. Private companies run the risk that a return on invest- ment in pursuing these technologies may not pay off. However its also true that breakthrough innova- tions will only come from a long-term commitment to research. Im pleased that Bayer has increased its total research and development investment each year for the past several years not only in basic research but also in personnel and infrastructure which are critically needed to overcome our food challenges. Education Needed While its hard to believe there are some who question the very innovations that have helped make food more abundant and affordable to millions of people. We hope the NAS report confirming the safety of GE crops will help dispel such concerns but we cant afford to be complacent. Educating the public and the media on the safety and benefits of novel technologies is a necessity. After all a poor public perception of agricul- ture may lead to bad policy decisions and unnecessary restrictions on breakthrough technologies just when we need them the most. Agriculture routinely copes with insects diseases and weeds but it also must contend with a growing population declining research investments and a society that is largely disconnected from the farm. Nonetheless Im optimistic that we will overcome these challenges by building on our past success to usher in an exciting new era of agricultural innovation. With hard work and a little luck we can keep the Green Revolution from going gray. SW A poor public perception of agriculture may lead to bad policy decisions and unnecessary restrictions on breakthrough technologies just when we need them the most. Adrian Percy ADRIAN PERCY Head of Research and Development Bayer Crop Science Division Understanding Trichoderma takes a little digging . . . Rooted in superior genetics ABM has selected and developed strains that are unparalleled in the industry. To dig up the benefits of ABM Trichoderma and our other biological seed treatments contact an ABM representative today. Biological Enhancements for Agricultural Crops TechnologyiGETInduced Gene Expression Triggers An American Company Producing Global Results for Agriculture. SELECTION S TM SMART Know to Grow.