In today’s episode: agriscience versus nature. The ability to farm land productively and profitably requires that farmers bend nature to their will on some level. But that doesn’t mean that farmers and scientists can’t find ways to work with nature, minimize off-target effects and conserve biodiversity. A great model species to think about these concepts related to farming and nature is the honeybee. Jonathan Nixon is an entomologist at Corteva Agriscience who works within the insect management biology group in the crop health division. Not only are bees his full time job, beekeeping is also his hobby, his side business, and his PhD that he is completing in honeybee genomics. “ What we want to do, first and foremost, is provide some better tools for our growers. Some better solutions for them. And a lot of that is focused on really reducing pest numbers out in the field. And you know, within our group, insect management, those target pests are insects. Honeybees are also insects, and it's a very fine line to walk between balancing that target potency on the pests so that your growers are able to protect their fields while also mitigating the off-target effects on our pollinators.” - Jonathan NixonThese are the complex realities being faced by farmers like Maryland producer Trey Hill. Over the last twenty years, Hill and his team at Harborview Farms have made several intentional decisions to make their large scale farm a more sustainable operation. After Trey found out there were some environmental groups in the area willing to pay for the costs of planting cover crops he decided to give it a try. “ My life's a process. My life's a learning living thing… I always thought there was all this anti-farmer sentiment within the environmental community, and what I found is most people like us. You know, once you start getting in there and you take on a leadership role…people want to hear what you have to say.” - Trey HillSome myths busted in this episode: The myth that companies are only interested in the efficacy of their products and not at all investing in the impacts of these products. In the Bee Friendly Initiative you can see the care that is going into making sure pollinators and other beneficials are considered in the research and development processThe myth that more sustainable farmers need to abandon modern tools altogether. Trey Hill is drastically reducing his environmental impact and moving in this more regenerative and biodiverse direction without taking chemistries or other technologies completely off the table. The myth that we can somehow just reach some sort of ecological balance in which we can let nature do whatever it wants and still farm sustainably. Farmers are stewards of the land, but they’re also running businesses - in some cases large businesses. It’s just not ecologically natural to produce the amount of food needed to feed eight billion people.Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
In today's episode, the challenge and opportunity of hybrid wheat. We've discussed previously how much hybrid corn has increased corn yields over the past century. Wheat is an important crop around the world; but why haven't hybrids been commercialized in the same way? Today we take a look at how agriscience is changing the game for hybrid wheat. Corteva Agriscience is on the cusp of making hybrid wheat a commercial reality. Global Wheat Lead for Corteva Agriscience Jessie Alt works with a team of field breeders to produce new varietal wheat that is suited for local conditions. Originally from a farm in southern Minnesota, Jessie spent the first part of her career as a soybean breeder. She joined the wheat team six years ago and says the challenge of bringing hybrid wheat to the market was a big part of what excited her about the opportunity. “ I think hybrid wheat is the most exciting plant innovation that I have been involved with in my career…It's a hard problem to crack. I think it will really change farmer profitability with wheat. And it brings that next level of tech and innovation that I believe the wheat crop has been missing.” - Jessie Alt, Ph.D.Brad Erker is the CEO of Colorado Wheat, which is an umbrella term used to describe three different wheat organizations that he manages in Colorado. The Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee, the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers, and the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. Brad grew up on a wheat farm in eastern Colorado, but spent part of his early career in the Midwest as a corn breeder. He has been back focused on wheat full-time for the past 21 years. “ If the technology does provide a value to the farmer, they will adopt it…But it definitely is a different scenario than in corn and soy. For one, it's grown in more marginal land. It's grown more out west, where the rainfall is much lower, the inputs are much lower. The mentality of the farmer, I think, is quite different when it comes to input costs in general, whether it be cost of seed or seed treatment or fertilizer rates or cost of equipment. All of those things I think are different in that wheat space than in the corn and soy space.” - Brad ErkerSome takeaways from this episode include: A completely novel approach to the wheat sterility problem of using color sorting technology to separate parent seedAny new commercial innovation is going to begin with return on investment (ROI), but it doesn’t end there. Risk mitigation is also very important, among other considerationsInnovations like hybrid wheat are the result of convergence of years of research and development with large discoveries both inside and outside of agriculture. The wheat genome plus the ability to color sort at scale makes this process possibleAgriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
--------
34:50
--------
34:50
Crucial Conversations About Biologicals in Agriculture
In today’s episode, we start to unpack the category of biologicals. Are biological products ready for prime time on the farm, or still struggling to prove their return on investment? Where are biologicals finding traction and what are the barriers and opportunities for this category going forward? To begin to peel back some of the layers of this nuanced topic, we’ll speak with Corteva researcher Josh Armstrong, who leads Corteva’s integrated discovery and bioprocess department. ”What I see is sort of this confluence of opportunities with new formulation technologies, production technologies, genetic engineering technologies that are setting us up to have a next generation of biological products that are going to truly deliver the kind of efficacy and performance that growers have come to expect from crop protection chemistry.” - Josh ArmstrongWe’ll also visit with California grower, Joe Coelho, a 4th generational farmer who grows a number of specialty crops, including citrus, pistachios, and almonds. Joe also has a day job where he serves as the director of sustainability and member outreach for American Pistachio Growers. Joe brings a deep understanding of the need for any new product to show its value, and has a long history of understanding the importance of enhancing biology on the farm. “You have to consider these things almost like investments that are - if you think about it operationally - capex versus opex. It’s going to take you some time. It's an investment into your soil. And it’s not a bandaid approach, and you're getting more out of everything when you make that investment.” - Joe CoelhoSome takeaways from this episode include: Biologicals are a lot more than just the “bugs in a jug”. This is a vast, complex, and dynamic part of agriculture. With agriscience and technology, new and novel solutions are emerging all the time. Effective and economical uses for biological products are going to require new systems, new mindsets, and new approaches. It's unlikely that farmers will simply apply a biological product instead of a chemical product in the exact same way, at least not in the short run. This is just the beginning. Biologicals have already come a long way over the years, but there is so much yet to come, which makes this an exciting topic to explore but also one that leaves us with a lot of questions yet to be answered.Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
--------
29:01
--------
29:01
Fueling Growth in Winter Canola
In this episode, what would a truly renewable biofuel look like? Well, the feedstock would have to come from a crop that is productive, profitable, and resilient to grow. And one that has a low carbon intensity score that’s going to displace minimal amounts of acres of other cash crops. Could winter canola be that crop? It’s sure looking that way, in the mid-south at least. Today we hear from Chad Berghoerfer, global product director for biofuels for Corteva Agriscience. He shares about the partnership between Corteva, Bunge, and Chevron Ag Renewables to put the technology and infrastructure in place to work with farmers and expand winter canola acreage in the mid-south. Chad has been with Corteva Agriscience for over 23 years and has regularly worked in new ventures from corn breeding to precision agriculture to drones and a lot in between. He has been focused on growing winter canola for renewable biofuels for the past three years. “ There hasn't been a new cropping system in the United States in quite some time to this size and degree..” - Chad BerghoerferYou’ll also hear from Jamison Turner today, a farmer in Western Tennessee who has been growing winter canola over the past two years. Jamison provides a really clear picture of what winter canola looks like from a farmer’s perspective. “ Canola had a bad rap in our area. That was the biggest thing that came up in conversation first is: are you worried about producing this and not getting paid? And I told them ‘no’. No more than I would be any other crop that we've grown. So that's been the first thing.” - Jamison TurnerSome takeaways from this episode include: What it takes to bring a new cropping system to market. Winter canola is not new in the mid-south. But it took a coordinated effort throughout the value chain with Corteva Agriscience, Bunge, and Chevron Ag renewables to make this a viable option for farmers like Jamison Turner. Soil health requires incentives. If we want to keep living roots in that soil, it has to “pencil out” for farmers, especially in tough economic times. This winter canola crop is an interesting way to do that. The importance of resilience in the system. Crops like winter canola can be not only productive and profitable, but also resilient to the tough conditions that Mother Nature can throw at them.\Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
--------
28:09
--------
28:09
Fungicide Timing Solution: Confident Application to Maximize ROI
In today's episode: how can technology help with timing on the farm? We're talking specifically about fungicide applications and a tool that uses the power of artificial intelligence to signal when the optimal time is for a fungicide application within the spectrum of timing per label directions.Today you’ll hear from Corteva Agriscience research scientist Layton Peddicord about this fungicide timing tool, how it works and why it works. You’ll also hear from Illinois farmer Makenna Green about her experiences with the tool on her family’s farm. Makenna is the sixth generation in her family to farm in East Central Illinois where they primarily grow corn and soybeans. After graduating from college she came back to her family’s operation, Heritage Family Farms, a couple of years ago. “ That disease triangle that we talk about with the host, environment and pathogen, I can't put all of those things together as well as something like this model can do. And so we really feel like it gives a peace of mind because it's able to factor in things that we can't factor in to decide on timing.” - Makenna GreenLike a lot of things in farming, fungicide timing is part science, part experience, part intuition and maybe even a little bit of luck. Researchers at Corteva Agriscience saw this as an opportunity to utilize the latest in data and technology to provide more data-driven recommendations to farmers. Layton Peddicord says the idea behind the fungicide timing tool is to improve the return on investment for farmer customers.“ We've had research ROI trials for fungicide kind of side-by-sides, comparing our Corteva timing versus the grower standard timing back since 2020…We've been averaging around five bushel advantage compared to the grower timing and typically our average is compared to the untreated checked are around nine to ten bushel. So it's been very promising so far.” - Layton PeddicordSome takeaways from this episode include: Timing is everything. As we've discussed on the show before, a great product isn't enough on its own to produce a profitable crop. The management piece is so critical. With all of the constantly changing variables in any given year, these types of models seem uniquely suited to help. As McKenna stated, keeping all of the information in your head to make a decision about timing is simply not feasible.It's not the “normal” years you often need to worry about. It's those years when the conditions are just right for some of these pathogens, and none of us know what the future might hold. Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
This is Agriscience Explained: from science to solutions. A podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
Farming is a business, profit is never guaranteed. To manage risk and give the crop the best possible chance of success, farmers rely on the latest in management practices, and some really cutting edge science. We call it agriscience. This study brings together biology, chemistry, agronomy, ecology, physics, genetics, data science and numerous other fields to find the best possible solutions for farmers.
It’s complex, and it’s changing fast. The stakes have never been higher to equip farmers with the best possible tools for a productive, profitable and sustainable crop.
South Africa