ST. LOUIS, Mo., March 26, 2008 - Information, and access to it, are critical components of weed control, according to Dr. Rick Cole, Monsanto technology development manager. The company announces the redesign of weedresistancemanagement.com, making it more focused on weed control solutions in both conventional and Roundup Ready technology systems, while delivering a more user-friendly interface. The site provides farmers information and guidance on effective weed management, ways to reduce the risk of developing weed resistance, and options to maximize yield potential through proper stewardship of traits and herbicides. …more

Raleigh, N.C. (March 17, 2008) – When yield results of competing corn fungicides are statistically equal, the best choice belongs to the one that provides broader disease protection and equal performance at a lower cost, and that choice is Bumper® fungicide, said Troy Bettner, senior marketing manager for fungicides for Makhteshim Agan of North America (MANA). Choosing a corn fungicide can be difficult based only on yield potential because different chemistries such as those in Bumper and Headline® fungicides often show statistically equal yields in side by side trials, said Bettner. …more

Breakthrough Second-Generation Technology Offers Top-End Yield Potential

NASHVILLE, Tenn., February 29, 2008 – With the commercialization of Monsanto’s second- generation soybean technology in 2009, Roundup Ready 2 Yield™, American farmers will enjoy all the benefits of the original Roundup Ready® soybean system plus top-end yield potential. …more

Fast-acting herbicide included for volunteer Roundup Ready® Corn 2 control in soybeans, cotton

WALNUT CREEK, CA AND ST. LOUIS, MO (March 13, 2008)—In 2008, Monsanto’s Roundup Rewards® Program will include Valent U.S.A. Corporation’s Select Max® Herbicide with Inside Technology™ for additional Roundup Ready® crops. The Volunteer Roundup Ready Corn 2 Cost-Share Allowance element of the Roundup Rewards program will be expanded to include cotton in addition to soybeans. …more

Trilex 6000 Soybean System offers one stop for seed-applied inputs.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (March 13, 2008) — Expanding farm sizes, intricate record-keeping requirements and complex input decisions all make increasing demands on the one finite resource shared by soybean growers: time. …more

Acquisition Further Expands Sunflower and Corn Business

INDIANAPOLIS and RALLS, TEXAS — Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, announced today it will further expand its plant biotechnology business with the acquisition of Triumph Seed of Ralls, Texas. …more

Nashville, Tenn., March 4, 2008 – Growers planting transgenic corn-on-corn should rotate traits to avoid yield penalties of up to 20% from volunteer corn.

That’s according to Bruce Battles, agronomy marketing manager with Syngenta Seeds, Inc., speaking on Friday at the 2008 Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tennessee. His remarks were part of a Learning Center session on protecting yield potential in continuous corn. …more

(Nashville, TN – Feb. 28, 2008) – Treating corn rootworm hybrids with soil insecticides boosted yields an average of 12 bushels per acre in university trials across the Corn Belt in 2007.

The 17 yield comparisons, which were conducted by university researchers at the University of Illinois, Purdue University, Ohio State University, the University of Nebraska and the University of Wisconsin, compared YieldGard® and Herculex® trait corn alone and in combination with various soil insecticides. Insecticides included Counter® 15G, Fortress® 5G, Aztec® 4.67G and Force® 3G applied with the SmartBox® closed handling and application system. …more

Optimum® AcreMaxTM new insect protection system introduced to U.S. farmers

DES MOINES, Iowa, March. 4, 2008 - DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred introduced the first “in-the-bag” seed refuge system to farmers during Commodity Classic, the industry’s premier agricultural trade show and convention.

The new insect protection system, Optimum® AcreMaxTM, will provide corn growers with improved productivity by increasing the number of acres farmers can plant to the industry’s most advanced insect control options. The first phase of Optimum® AcreMaxTM insect protection will be launched as early as 2009, pending regulatory approval. The system will eliminate the need for farmers to plant separate corn borer and corn rootworm refuges with their Pioneer® brand Bt corn hybrids. …more

Study Confirms StollerUSA’s Product Outperforms Top Late-Season Fungicides

Offered For Yield Increases

HOUSTON (February 27, 2008) – As opposed to applying late-season fungicides in hopes of a yield increase, new research from North Carolina State University indicates that applications of Bio-Forge™ by StollerUSA, with or without fungicide, increases yields of corn by as much as 13 percent.

“Previous research shows that Bio-Forge consistently reduced damage caused by plant stress,” said Dr. Ron Heiniger, professor of crop systems at North Carolina State University. “So, to hypothesize that crops treated with the anti-oxidant would produce higher yields was the logical next step.”

In his study, Dr. Heiniger looked at the applications of four of the industry’s most reputable fungicides verses Bio-Forge, an anti-oxidant with growth enhancing properties, to see which products produced higher yields. When accompanying late-season fungicide applications, Bio-Forge gave a more consistent corn yield.

“We identify a need, such as yield increases, and then diligently work to provide our customers with timely and innovative solutions,” said Jerry Stoller, president of StollerUSA. “Bio-Forge is just one example of StollerUSA’s many answers to pressing agricultural and environmental issues affecting producers.”

In addition to its higher yield capability, Bio-Forge increases a plant’s tolerance to stress by reversing the effects of ethylene, a stress hormone that can cause cell death when found in excess. Not only will Bio-Forge decrease stress on crops, it may decrease record irrigation costs by helping crops use water more efficiently. Simply stated, Bio-Forge can help reduce input costs while boosting the bottom line with a yield increase.

“Projected corn acres and market prices are at an all-time high due to increased input costs and interest in ethanol production. The success or failure of this year’s crop will affect more producers than ever before,” said Stoller. “You can’t control Mother Nature, but with Bio-Forge you can help control her effects on your crop.”

In agribusiness for more than 30 years, StollerUSA markets a full line of products to help growers increase crop yield and quality. StollerUSA, headquartered in Houston, is actively researching and developing micronutrients and other products in more than 50 countries.