Syngenta working with farmers on new trait

Syngenta is working with farmers to make sure corn with its Agrisure Duracade trait does not cause market problems. Chuck Lee, head of North America operations for Syngenta, says the company has worked with farmers and the grain-handling industry to manage the trait that has not been approved in China and the European Union.

 

Corn containing the Agrisure Duracade trait was planted on 200,000 acres mostly through the Cornbelt, including Iowa, Northern Illinois, Northern Indiana and Western Missouri. That means about 33 million bushels of corn is expected to be produced. That is less than one-fourth of 1 percent of U.S. production, he says.

 

Lee says they have been in contact with farmers who have purchased corn with the corn rootworm trait. That includes various education efforts, tracking how the corn will be used and providing outlets for farmers to sell their corn. He says the education efforts started working with farmers on field placement and planting with corn without the trait or soybeans around fields planted with the traits. They also worked with farmers to clean out planters and return unplanted seed.

 

The company has been working with farmers and making sure they have a plan on using or selling the grain. Lee says most of the farmers have a plan. Sixty percent of the farmers growing corn with the trait plan on either feeding it to livestock or selling to a feed mill. Twenty-one percent are expecting to sell the corn to an elevator that will accept the corn with the trait. Four percent plan on selling to ethanol plants that will accept the trait. Those ethanol plants have plans to sell the DDGs into markets where the trait is approved, he says.

 

Lee says they are educating farmers about combining the corn separately and then harvesting some corn without the trait to clean out the combine during harvest. In addition, they are encouraging farmers to store the grain separately.

 

Lee says they have partnered with Gavilon so farmers raising corn with the trait will have a market for it. Farmers have been contacted by Gavilon by phone and email to develop a working relationship. Gavilon is a grain merchandiser that operates elevators at 300 locations in the United States.