Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013 - 11

Watch video on newly expanded Golden Harvest® seed brand.

Stress tolerance—whether due
to drought, wet soil or pollination—is an important issue and so
are good roots, excellent standability
and disease ratings. In our particular area of
central Iowa, tolerance to Goss’s Wilt is critical,
especially if the ﬁeld is in a corn-on-corn rotation.
Traits are also an integral part of the selection process
and should be chosen based on each ﬁeld’s pest pressure, crop rotation and the grower’s need to minimize the
ﬁeld’s stress load.
Beach: A grower’s management practices should be one
of the ﬁrst things to consider when selecting seed: What
populations will he or she plant; what seed treatment, if any,
will be used; and what is the harvest window? Another
important consideration is the condition of the ﬁeld: Is it a
wet creek bottom with high fertility, or is it that clay goat
knob that has low fertility? And hand-in-hand with these
considerations are the maturities that the grower wants or
needs. The list can be quite long if you want to cover every
angle to make the best plan of action.
How can local seed experts help growers make the
right decisions?
Aukes: Local seed experts can listen to growers, understand their needs and help them set realistic expectations.
Sooner or later, a situation will deviate from the plan, and an
outcome may not turn out as expected. For example, the
weather is impossible to control. But a local seed expert
can help a grower learn from the situation, adapt and move
forward. Product knowledge and education on a local level
are also beneﬁcial. At Farmers Elevator, we work with our
suppliers to conduct additional classroom and in-the-ﬁeld
training to develop a keener understanding of the products
we offer. We also take a proactive approach to testing
products. Our agronomy team, supported by our suppliers,
has developed PinPoint, an output tool that collects
yield-monitor data aligned with soil fertility to assess
performance in real ﬁeld situations. Additionally, we have a
technology specialist who manages our more than 20 plots

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

where we test, replicate and evaluate seed, crop protection
and fertility products, and strategies to see if they are ready
for market or need to be tested another year.
Beach: Local seed experts know the products they are
selling and which hybrids or varieties will ﬁt a particular
grower’s management style. They can work side by side
with the grower to make treatment or inoculate selections
prior to planting. They also can scout ﬁelds throughout the
season to determine if a herbicide, fungicide or insecticide
is necessary. These recommendations help growers
capitalize on every ounce of investment they make in their
crops. There are hundreds of dollars per acre wrapped up
in a crop before and after it is planted.
Growers want to get the most
return on their investment, and a
local seed expert can help them
do just that.

“Seed selection today
is so much more
complex because
there are many more
factors that go into
the decision process
than a decade ago.”
—CHRIS BEACH
Syngenta
Seed Advisor

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit the
Syngenta seed advisor Web page.

3Q/13 · thrive · 9

Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013