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74 SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2015 Bayer Group grew sales in the second quarter of 2015 and earnings increased. At CropScience sales matched levels at this time last year while earnings improved. Sales increased by 10.2 percent to 2.723 billion euros. After adjusting for currency and portfolio effects sales were level with second quarter 2014. Monsantos The Climate Corporation sold its crop insurance business to AmTrust North America. Through the sale AmTrust gains exclusive access to certain technologies of The Climate Corporation that can be applied in the crop insurance industry for three years. DuPont opensits Integrated Seed Science Center in Johnston Iowa. This is the second facility in the DuPont Integrated Seed Science Network that is dedicated to developing and testing seed treatment formulations applica- tions and seed handling techniques. Cargill completed its new seed innova- tion center in Fort Collins Colo. The facility will be the center of Cargills spe- cialty canola hybrid development. Cargill invested 10 million to build the new facil- ity where it will select the next generation of Victory seed varieties. Victorycanola hybrids are grown and harvested in Canada and the United States before being crushed and refined to become Clear Valley high oleic canola oils. In August Kansas-based Star Seed cele- brated the reconstruction of its produc- tion plant after being destroyed by a fire nearly two years ago. Today capacity is four times greater than it was in the old facility and operations throughout the plant are computer-controlled. The com- pany also installed a new pallet racking system for seed storage and quality control that has increased available floor space nearly five fold. In its 2015 second quarter and first-half results Novozymes revised sales growth expectations.Total sales in the first half of 2015 increased by 5percentorganically compared with the first half of 2014. Ball Horticultural Company purchased Conard-Pyle which brought the Knock Out family of roses to market. Among the acquired assets are Conard-Pyles in-house breeding division NovaFlora and its intellectual properties and the distribution production and administration facilities of its wholesale division. The Indiana Crop Improvement Association ICIA is now con- sidered a Non GMO Project approved laboratory. The polymer- ase chain reaction PCR testing protocol used by ICIA meets the standard requirements of the Non GMO Project for all crop species. ICIA received its ISOIEC 17025 2005 accreditation in October of 2014 which is a requirement of the Non GMO Project Standard. Evogene in partnership with Syngenta intends to establish transformational and validation capabilities for biotech soy- beans. Activities will initially focus on soybean cyst nematode resistance. The resulting candidate genes willthen be provided to partners for transformation and validation in the target crop allowing for further development. Syngenta intends to divest its flowers seeds business from its lawn and garden operating unit. Divestment would enable the new entity to play a role in the consolidation of the home gardening market. Syngenta also announced the divestment of its global vegetable seeds business in an effort to boost shareholder value creation. Additionally the company intends to return significant levels of capital to shareholders through a share repurchase program of more than 2 billion. AgriNomix brokeground on a build-out that expands its manu- facturing capabilities in Oberlin Ohio. The 15000-square-foot expansion will be complete in November and increases the com- panys operation to more than 70000 square feet under roof. AgBiome raised 34.5 million from investors to putinto research and development and the launch of its first product. AgBiomeexpects to add a half-dozen or more research and development employees this year and more than a dozen next year. The company also anticipates assembling a sales team but wouldnt begin to do that until next year in conjunction with the expected regulatory approval of its first product. Becks announces a collaboration between its secure web- based precision ag tool FARMserver and John Deeres Operations Center in MyJohnDeere.com to improve data flow and connectivity. The collaboration will allow users the ability to transfer data and field prescriptions between their FARMserver account and John Deere equipment. United Suppliers Inc. merged with Land OLakes crop inputs business. The merger builds on the successes of the two com- panies and aims to create a single relevant and competitive system of independent agricultural retailers. Vivid Life Sciences acquires the rights to Agrichem technol- ogy and products in the United States and Canada. Through the acquisition Vivid Life Sciences will sell nutritional seed