Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013 - 28

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Danna, omaha plant manager for syngenta. “In each
scenario, we identified decision points and wrote out the
actions we would take if those points were reached.”
the plan also included internal and external emergency contacts and evacuation plans and routes. In all
scenarios, the priorities remained constant: First protect
people, then the environment, and then the assets and
the production schedule.

know-how

emergency preparedness

Weathering the Storm
Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes—nature is unpredictable.
Ag professionals need to be prepared. | By Suzanne Bopp

n the spring of 2011, a record snowfall in montana
and wyoming melted rapidly, raising the missouri river
7 feet above flood levels, a once-in-500-year event. to
contain the water, the Army Corps of Engineers shut the
river’s valves, but that meant any rain that fell would have
nowhere to go. In places like omaha, neb., the threat of
major flooding was imminent.
Preparations Begin
At the omaha syngenta plant, situated in a low-lying valley,
employees needed an emergency plan; existing plans

addressed tornadoes and other disasters, but not floods.
they contacted the company’s Greens Bayou, texas, and
st. Gabriel, la., plants, which had well-developed
hurricane plans, for insights into flood control. they then
developed a plan for their specific situation. “we shared
best practices,” says tony militti, omaha maintenance
engineer for syngenta.
Employees created an incident command structure to
detail every employee’s responsibilities. “the incident
command team brainstormed possible scenarios and
what correct responses would look like,” says Bryce

4 · thrive · 3Q /13

IllustrAtIon: ErwIn shErmAn

The Plan Takes Shape
An immediate concern of the incident command team was
the need to build a sandbag berm around the plant—no
small job for a 42-acre facility. meanwhile, as a formulation
site for syngenta crop protection products, the omaha
plant had to maintain its production schedule. “we were
protecting the facility, but we also had to deliver the
business,” militti says.
to implement the emergency plan, it was key for the
team to have a firm grasp on the plant’s current inventory.
“we had to understand exactly what materials we had and
where they were, and then minimize storage requirements
for them,” Danna adds. “we emptied what we could and
filled the tanks with water so they wouldn’t float away.”
with the help of the syngenta regional office in
Greensboro, n.C., the omaha plant funneled some
production to other facilities. the regional office was able
to help with procurement, too: sandbags, pumps and
trucks were hard to find around omaha at that time.
Another challenge was to staff a 24/7 operation for
the four months the flooding threat lasted. “People
worked a lot of extra hours,” Danna says, “but they did
it for the team.”
this team approach netted a win-win for syngenta and
its customers. “we missed no deliveries,” militti says.
Preparations also included developing a media
communications plan. while the plan was ultimately not
used, crisis communications expert lindsay strand
recommends having one in place before it’s needed.
strand, who spoke at the Agricultural retailers Association’s first Crisis management & media training Program
earlier this year, advises that you know who your spokesperson is and what the procedure is before an event
happens. “think about developing message points in
advance, too,” she says. “People will be more comfortable
with any outcome if they are confident you have control of
the situation or a process for getting control.” (read more
about the ArA program at www.aradc.org.)
More Tips for Ag Professionals
At the omaha facility, the employees’ preparations paid off
when two heavy summer rains raised the water outside
the berm. Fortunately, there was only one small breach

“Weathering the Storm,” page 4

“People will be more comfortable
with any outcome if they are
confident you have control of
the situation or a process for
getting control.”
—LindSay Strand

that stopped production for just two days. thanks to the
plan, recovery was quick and the water never interrupted
the supply chain.
the 2011 omaha flood is a good illustration of why
retailers, dealers and growers should have emergency
plans in place to minimize damage and losses. Allen
summers, president of the Asmark Institute, recommends
that the possible scenarios be thought through carefully. “In
a severe weather situation, people think they need a plan in
place that relies on the fire department or the police—the
community’s response mechanisms,” he says. “But those
things may be working at a small percentage of full
capacity. the advice we give is to look at what you can do
to be self-sufficient.”
An important step dealers and retailers can take is
to have at least one employee trained in hAZwoPEr
(hazardous waste operations and Emergency response
standard). “A lot of retailers don’t think they need to have
someone trained in those procedures, but it’s vitally
important,” summers says. the training allows the person
to respond to a spill and dovetail actions into whatever the
emergency responders are doing.
All these contingencies need to be mapped out ahead
of time, a lesson well learned in omaha. “It pays huge
dividends to be prepared,” Danna says. now the omaha
employees have a thorough emergency response plan they
use as a template. they review and update it annually,
always adhering to that old, but wise adage: “Plan for the
worst, hope for the best.”

For more inFormation on emergency
preparedness, visit these websites:
> Army Corps of Engineers
> ArA Crisis Communications Program
> hAZwoPEr
> lindsay strand Associates, Inc.
> national Ag safety Database (“Pesticide
storage Concerns During a Flood Prevention
and Emergency response”)
> national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
> north Dakota state university (“Flooded Pesticides”)

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• “Emergency Management Guide for
Business and Industry,” PDF
• “How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies
and Evacuations,” OSHA PDF

Listen to an interview on
Enogen trait technology.

Power
traits

Watch video on rootworm control.
Watch video on water optimatization.

“Game-changing”

is a term that often punctuates discussions about
the most recent trait offerings from Syngenta—and
for good reason. These traits, including Agrisure
Duracade™, Agrisure Artesian® and Enogen®, are
enabling farmers to grow more corn, while bolstering
the company’s leadership position in corn insect
control, water optimization and energy solutions.
Combating the destructive corn rootworm,
providing season-long drought protection and
improving the efficiency of dry-grind ethanol
production are among the many benefits of these
traits. And behind each technology is a series of
breakthrough moments for the scientists and
product leads who helped bring it to growers.

New
technologies
redefine
what it
means to
grow more
corn.
By Karyn Ostrom

65,000
More than

acres of Enogen corn
will be planted by
growers in 2013.

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PHoto: syNgENta

Battling the Billion-Dollar Bug
Hope Hart, team leader for the product safety
group at Syngenta, remembers her game-changing
moment vividly, when years of research in the lab
were validated in a corn rootworm–infested field
near Bloomington, Ill. After shaking a stalk of the
control corn plant, Hart, who was a scientist in the
insect control group at the time, watched as it fell
listlessly to the ground. “All the roots had been
chewed away,” she says. But the stalk of corn with
the Agrisure Duracade trait, containing the active
protein Hart helped discover, held firm.
It was in 1999 when Hart, together with the
Syngenta biostress traits group led by Eric Chen,
Ph.D., began experimenting with the active protein
(mCry3A) in the first-generation corn rootworm trait
from Syngenta (Agrisure® RW) to determine if it
could be effective against additional pests. What
the team found instead was a unique protein,
eCry3.1Ab. And while it wasn’t effective against the
broader spectrum of pests the team initially hoped
to target, it proved to be extremely effective against
corn rootworm in a different manner than the
mCry3A protein. When the larva ingests the
Agrisure Duracade corn, the eCry3.1Ab protein in
the corn cells binds to specific protein receptors in
the gut of the larva, resulting in the formation of a
hole in the insect’s gut membrane.
Even though its larvae are microscopic, the
corn rootworm is the most destructive insect in the
history of U.S. corn production. Its remarkable
adaptability has amazed scientists—and frustrated
growers. Management practices once considered

3Q/13 · thrive · 17

“Power Traits,” page 16
• Argrisure Artesian, including video with
Farm Manager Bob James who discusses
a comparison lot between Agrisure
Artesian and Pioneer 1395
• Agrisure Duracade

Best practices

LocaLized soLutions

Sweet Talk
Syngenta sugarbeet breeders find success in region-specific approach.
By Emily Reynolds and Joe Vaillancourt

o become one of the best in any field, it
takes considerable time and resources.
Over the years, Syngenta has invested plenty of
both to establish its Hilleshög® brand sugarbeet
seed as a global leader in disease tolerance.
Today, the momentum continues as the
Syngenta sugarbeet seed portfolio expands on
American soil. By tapping into the deep global
pool of expertise and technologies, the
company’s U.S. breeding program is able to
localize solutions that fit the unique challenges
of each growing region across the country.

talk with growers, and investigate critical needs
across each of the sugar cooperatives (co-ops).
Regional co-ops oversee the U.S. sugarbeet industry. Annually, each co-op analyzes
varieties in local trials and approves those that
meet its standards. The varieties that receive
approval from the co-op are then available for
sale to co-op members.
“Neil and I are dedicated to developing
relationships with specific co-ops to enhance
our breeding program,” explains Pranger. “We
listen to cooperatives and growers so we
better understand what they want and need to
produce more successful crops.”
As a breeder who focuses on sugarbeet
challenges of the Red River Valley in North
Dakota and Minnesota, Pranger concentrates
her efforts on developing tolerance to diseases
prevalent there—Rhizoctonia, Aphanomyces
and Fusarium. Michigan is also a key
geography for her.
On the other hand, Glynn’s responsibilities
are to create breeding lines that produce
varieties for western areas of the U.S. “They
have disease issues that are different from
other sugarbeet-growing regions,” he says.
“I work primarily in developing tolerance to
beet curly top.”

Larson says. “The more volume our breeders begin with, the more
winners will come out of the pipeline. The ‘winners’ not only define
success for breeders but also for growers, who will have a better
product for their farms.”
The development of a new hybrid is an investment of extensive
time and research. “From the very first cross until seed ends up
in the grower’s hands, it takes approximately 10 to 12 years,”
Pranger says.
In their quest to find the “winners,” both Glynn and Pranger
communicate regularly with their European counterparts. “Neil and I are
able to learn from their expertise and skills, as well as share germplasm,” Pranger says. “They are very well-established.”
And so is the Syngenta breeding program stateside. While nearly
100 years have passed since the U.S. program first began, it is still
vibrant and growing.
“The expansion of breeding efforts in this country recognizes the
significance of the U.S. sugarbeet market in the global picture,” Glynn
says. “Growers here face a myriad of disease pressures and challenges, and Syngenta feels fortunate to be able to offer material with
really good disease packages.”

By the Numbers
No matter what crop challenge is targeted,
breeding is still a numbers game. Syngenta
breeders screen thousands of hybrids early in
development, with a very small percentage of
those coming out as “winners.”
“In the past 18 months, we have added
resources and capital investments to greatly
expand the breeding capacity in the U.S.,”

“We have access to
a second-to-none
molecular breeding
platform. We are
able to utilize these
technologies to
speed up our
breeding process.”
—neil glynn

6 · thrive · 3Q /13

How Sweet It Is
In discussing the expansion of R&D, Pranger says, “With our broad
crop protection portfolio, Syngenta is able to offer the best disease
package in the market. We don’t just produce the seed. We also have
the unique opportunity to partner with our crop protection group to
enhance variety development and to deliver the best possible integrated disease-control solutions to the grower.”
For example, in-season applications of Quadris® fungicide can bolster
control of Rhizoctonia, and Inspire® XT fungicide offers additional
protection from such damaging diseases as Cercospora leaf spot and
powdery mildew. Another example is CruiserMaxx® Sugarbeets
insecticide/fungicide seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products. It complements high-value seed by delivering consistent,
long-lasting protection against early-season insects and diseases.
Syngenta sugarbeet breeders also can leverage resources from
other crop teams. “We have access to a second-to-none molecular
breeding platform,” Glynn says. “We are able to utilize these technologies to speed up our breeding process.” In addition, breeders across
crops learn from each other by meeting regularly to discuss how they
can improve their programs.
The company’s vast network of trials around the globe and in all
major U.S. sugarbeet markets also sets Syngenta apart from the
competition. “We have the most extensive disease testing of any
sugarbeet seed company in the U.S.,” Larson says.
For many breeders, that might be good enough, but not at
Syngenta. “We are always striving to improve,” Glynn says. “Our
work is never done.”

Members of the Syngenta sugarbeet seeds team
examine a root aphid nursery on a grower’s field
near Longmont, Colo.

The People Behind the Seed
Syngenta is reinforcing its commitment to the
U.S. sugarbeet market by adding more
breeders to its research and development
(R&D) team. In 2013, breeders Neil Glynn,
Ph.D., and Anna Pranger joined forces with
Rebecca Larson, Ph.D., head of product
evaluation for diverse field crops in North
America, and the rest of the sugarbeet-focused
Syngenta team to conduct and evaluate trials,

For more inFormation about Hilleshög varieties, visit
www.syngenta-us.com/seeds/sugarbeets.

PHOTOS: (TOP TO BOTTOM) GETTy IMAGES, SyNGENTA

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“Sweet Talk,” page 6

These days, it’s all about
getting the most out of
the land you have. And
with the Syngenta Cereals
Portfolio, you can do
exactly that. Our AgriPro®
seed varieties offer
proven performance. And
Vibrance® Extreme seed
treatment, Axial® XL
herbicide, and Quilt®
fungicide provide seasonlong crop protection. All
allowing you to grow
more than ever before.
Talk to your Syngenta
representative to learn
more about our cereals
brands or visit
Cereals.FarmAssist.com.
Sales of certiﬁed AgriPro
brand wheat seed from
Syngenta support the new
Syngenta Speak for Wheat
Test Kitchen at the Kansas
Wheat Innovation Center.

© 2013 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label
instructions. Some crop protection products may not be
registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check
with your state or local extension service to ensure registration
status. AgriPro®, Axial®, Quilt®, Vibrance® Extreme, the Alliance
Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks
of a Syngenta Group Company.

• Agrisure Traits

• “Experts Advise PNW Sugarbeet Growers
to Prepare for Leafhopper, Curly Top”
Syngenta Field Report

Maximize
your yield
with our
Cereals
p
product
portfolio.

• Enogen Trait Technology including videos
• Farm Assist crop pages:
Corn
Soybeans

• The Syngenta Advantage for Sugarbeets
PDF

• “Season long Drought Protection With
Agrisure Artesian,” video with Duane
Martin

• Sugarbeet Planting Guide
• Sugarbeets With Quadris SB video with
Doug Ruppal

• Soybean Seeds website
• “Syngenta and Bayer CropScience Submit
New Herbicide-Tolerant Soybean Product
for Regulatory Review”

• Sugarbeet Yield Results
Watch video of Syngenta brand announcement.

ASK THE EXPERTS

“Seed Savvy,” page 8

Seed Selection

seed savvy
choosing the right seed for the field
is the first critical step toward an
abundant harvest. | Interviews by Susan Fisher
What has made seed selection more complex today?
Terry Aukes, Seed Manager, Farmers Elevator
Company: growers’ expectations of products are very
high and so are the stakes. Poor seed performance is not
tolerated in high-input agriculture. as a result, the turnaround of products is swifter, and the number of choices is
greater today than ever before. the speed of adoption
needs to align with the pace of new products coming to
market. deciphering yield data and product performance is

“stress tolerance—
whether due to drought,
wet soil or pollination—
is an important issue
and so are good roots,
excellent standability
and disease ratings.”
—Terry Aukes
seed Manager
Farmers elevator
Company

a massive undertaking.
to evaluate a hybrid or variety
in a broad environment is one
thing, but to determine if it is going to
work in a specific micro-environment is
much more difficult.
Chris Beach, Syngenta Seed Advisor: Seed selection
today is so much more complex because there are many
more factors that go into the decision process than a
decade ago. there are multiple traits and trait combinations
that will perform differently across various environments.
there also is a wide range of hybrid characteristics that
growers desire, depending on their management practices.
all these factors make the grower’s buying decision much
more complex than a simple this-or-that pick.
Why is matching the right seed to each particular
field crucial to producing a top crop?
Aukes: today’s environment is very competitive for
growers, and seed is the vehicle for maximizing each field’s
return on investment. We have growers who invest $500 or
more per acre in agronomy inputs, and the right seed on
the right acre is going to maximize that investment. also,
growers often find the acquisition of additional land difficult
and risky, so the consensus is to improve the land base
they have already. a poor seed decision can make this
strategy crumble.
Beach: Seed selection can make the difference between
a crop success and a crop failure. for example, certain
hybrids and varieties are better adapted to a high ph soil
than others; or a hybrid or variety may be able to handle
wet, saturated soils much better than another. if growers
don’t select the best seed for their particular field conditions, it can lead to a less-than-desirable outcome.
What factors should growers consider in making the
best seed choices?
Aukes: Performance and yield are critical. the hybrid has
to perform in the environment for which it is designed.

8 · thrive · 3Q/13

PhotoS: (toP) Syngenta; (bottom, left to right) artiStic exPreSSionS, Studio 1004

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

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

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• “USDA Approves New Agrisure Duracade
Trait from Syngenta”

• Syngenta Seed Advisor brochure PDF
• “Syngenta to Enhance Grower Experience
Through Seed Advisor Network” PDF

“Mystery Solved,” page 20
m yste r y
s o l ve d
a new seed treatment is the final

“Research Central,” page 10

th
50

ReseaR
ReseaRch
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Vero Beach
Research Center, a prolific incubator of transformative
crop protection technologies.
By Darcy Maulsby / Photography by Steve Williams

central
See more photos from the Vero Beach
Research Facility in Florida.

Cheryl Dunne conducts an
experiment in the lab at VBRC
in Florida.

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3Q/13 · thrive · 11

• “McCrory, Hagan attend opening of
Syngenta lab in RTP,” WNCN (NBC) video

• Clariva Complete Beans brochure PDF

piece in the puzzle of controlling
soybean cyst nematodes.
By Ninh Nguyen

• CruiserMaxx Beans with Vibrance website
20 · thrive · 3Q/13

photo: (soybean) getty images

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3Q/13 · thrive · 21

• Syngenta Biotechnology—RTP Expansion
• Syngenta Biotech website
• Syngenta Crop Lab media site
• Syngenta Global Research and
Development website
• “Syngenta Greenhouse: Think Cool Wear
Shades,” WUNC (NPR) audio
• “Syngenta’s New Corn Has RTP Roots”

Growing Together · 3Q/2013

VERN HAWKINS, Regional Director,
Syngenta, North America

DAVID MORGAN, Regional Director,
Syngenta, North America

MICHIEL VAN LOOKEREN CAMPAGNE, PH.D.,
Head of Biotechnology, Syngenta

Syngenta Thrive - 3Q/2013

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