JUNE 2017 SEEDWORLD.COM / 45 have a new inbred tough enough to handle these various challenges, the rewards are great. We’re seeing much higher yields from our second-gener- ation products under a variety of conditions.” Testing is indeed intense at 3MG. They operate a 600-acre research farm at Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, which generates up to three cycles of testing observations each year. Since their start in 2004, that puts them at 32 crop cycles and well into their third generation of breeding work on selected material. “Over the years, we have developed a pro- prietary breeding methodology in corn that uses the fast environment of Puerto Rico and harnesses all of its various growing season chal- lenges to develop very tough products,” explains Baumgartner. “The products from this methodol- ogy we label as Durayield, our trademark for prod- ucts with high levels of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. ‘”Durayield uses many genes that already exist in corn. The good Lord has provided everything we need in our crops to be successful. We see no need to insert something extra from another species. Durayield genes have been selected to express themselves when challenged by the environment in which they are grown. This means they turn on when needed and off when not needed, keep- ing as much energy as possible focused on grain production.” Baumgartner challenges current thinking. He says many in agriculture believe we will not be able to keep up with world climate change and the predicted disasters it will contain. “To the contrary, it is our belief we can actually head off these disasters by the extreme stress- breeding segment of our proprietary breeding methodology,” he shares. “We need to be breeding new seed products today to accommodate all the stresses of the future. We ensure adaptability by properly testing new products where they are to be grown. We also believe our proprietary breed- ing methodology is transferable to other crops.” Yes, Baumgartner envisions a new future for seed production to meet the needs of a growing world population and a changing world climate. “And if we selectively breed the right kind of tough- ness into this seed it will also dramatically reduce pesticide and other chemical inputs,” he says. “A total seed that is ‘farmer friendly’ is my ambition.” Baumgartner questions if transgenic hybrids have soon run their course. 3MG has done lots of contract research work on GMO crops. But he wonders if the industry has plateaued. “Today, many seedsmen and farmers are seeing real value is back in the genetics,” he says. “That has been our focus since Day 1. Transgenic traits of today are more like accessories…. they protect but they do not enhance. Instead, we’re incorporating these tropical genes expressing toughness to dif- fering environmental challenges into our 100-day and earlier inbreds. It’s a slow, tedious process but developing new seeds that can produce food in a variety of different environments around the world is exciting.” “The reality today is that corn breeding is becoming consumer driven. If a farmer growing and feeding non-GMO corn to his livestock better connects with the consumer on both value and taste than it’s a win-win situation for growers and consumers. This farm to fork movement is very real out there. “As we get deeper into working with the genetic toughness of selected inbred lines to the extreme variations of Mother Nature, we think hybrids of the future will be more able to withstand challenges of pests, insects, weather stresses, even variations in the soils of a given production area.” SW Ed Baumgartner is president of 3MG North, the Olivia, Minn. seed research and development firm. “The reality today is that corn breeding is becoming consumer driven.” — Ed Baumgartner