Termites are not typically considered an agricultural pest, but they are a great example of how science, in particular biology, can be used to create better pest management solutions that have real economic impacts. Termites cost U.S. homeowners at least $5 billion per year. The landmark innovation in termite pest control happened about 30 years ago, with a partnership between Corteva Agriscience and the University of Florida to develop Sentricon. It’s a story of not only a new tool to use against termites but a new way to think about pest management. Stephen Gates joins us from Cooks Pest Control. Gates has a degree in entomology and has been helping Cooks offer Sentricon to their clients for nearly 27 years. We’ll also be hearing from Garima Kakkar and Neil Spomer, Corteva experts who work behind-the-scenes to improve Sentricon every year. Garima is the Global Biology Lead for urban pests and Neil works as a field trial modernization lead. “ This time of year and in the spring it was running wild. Just trying to take care of current customers who were having swarms, dealing with damaged claims, dealing with new customers, working with them because they were having swarms.... Homeowners are scared. They hear about these things and now all of a sudden they see them. And now my biggest investment's being chewed on by a bug, right?” - Stephen GatesBefore Sentricon was created, liquid chemicals were the only option for homeowners to protect themselves from termite damage. With Sentricon, pest control technicians set up bait stations. These bait stations use the natural behavior and biology of the termites against them. But the genius behind Sentricon is not just getting the termites to eat bait, it’s capitalizing on something called trophylaxis which means that termites rely on their hunters and foragers to not just collect food, but to regurgitate it to the rest of the colony.“ For termite baiting to work, you need it to be both non repellent, you don't want the termites to know that they're eating anything that is bad for them, and it has to be really slow acting so that they have time to go back to the colony and through trophylaxis, share it with the rest of their nest mates.” - Neil SpomerA few takeaways from this episode: Termites are fascinating. From how they establish colonies, to trophylaxis, to their ability to avoid dangerous environments, they are a very interesting species. Understanding biology at a deeper level can lead to innovations in management. Rather than trying to find more and more effective ways to inject chemicals, Sentricon rethinks the process from first principles. Adoption of innovation takes time. Sentricon has been effective from the beginning and improved over 30 years, but some customers are still just uncomfortable with trying a new approach. 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.
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32:06
The Recipe for Protecting Seed Potential
On today’s episode we explore the incredible power of seed applied technology. Seed treatments are incredible tools that help protect the seed and seedling plant in the first 10-30 days of development. The fact that the technology is delivered on the seed itself without having to spray or make any sort of extra pass with equipment makes this area of agriscience sometimes overlooked or even underappreciated. To dive into this technology further we are joined by Mark Howieson, who serves as the global technical services team leader for the Seed Applied Technology Segment of Corteva Agriscience. We also hear from Iowa farmer Scott Van Veldhuizen who farms corn and soybeans. Scott shares the impact progressive seed technology has had on his operation especially in regard to cutworm infestations. “You know, when I was a kid it was work all sun up to sun down….we're definitely more efficient, you know, 20 to 30 years ago you couldn't do this job by yourself.” - Scott Van VeldhuizenScott doesn’t consider himself a first adopter of new ideas, but maybe more like a fast follower. Through his farming career he has collaborated with companies like Corteva Agriscience on a variety of trials, and he’s always looking for what might help him get more efficient and continue to boost his yields. And obviously that requires a lot of trust in the technology. That trust comes from the fact that there’s a whole lot that goes into creating the right recipe that fits Scott’s genetics and his situation. Howieson shares that what makes seed applied technology dynamic are the different needs of farmers. So not every seed treatment is the same. Mark likes to look at it like a recipe where each ingredient is important, but they also have to compliment each other in a way that leads to better outcomes for farmers. “ There's a chemistry element of it where you're working with formulations and then there's a biological element where we’re putting microbes and biologicals on the seed…And the interactions with the people and the people in the industry, it's pretty incredible. I mean, seed treatment is a relatively small network, and it's where you really have to put yourself out there and understand a lot of different disciplines to truly be successful.” - Mark HowiesonA few takeaways from this episode: There is a significant impact seed applied technology can have and the unique position it sits in ties together the genetics, crop protection and management practicesThe PASSER (Plantability, application, seed safety, stewardship, efficacy and regulatory) acronym. We tend to think efficacy is all that matters but agriscience leaders like Mark have to take into consideration a number of factors to actually bring a viable recipe to the marketDetails matter. Seed applied technology is such a great example of how one detail can really make a massive difference. If that crop can be protected and supported through the early days of development it really can make a big difference in yield and profitability. 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.
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30:44
Discovering Tomorrow’s Biotech Traits
On today’s episode, what goes into the traits farmers can purchase with their seed? How are these traits found, developed and ultimately packaged into crop genetics?Julian Chaky who leads the trait characterization and development team at Corteva Agriscience joins us to explain how the genetic traits are found, developed and packaged into usable crops. Joining Chaky is a sixth generation farmer in Iowa, Mark Knupp, who shares how this technology impacts his production. The process of arriving on a trait and getting it to the point that it can be grown in the fields of farmers like Mark is extensive. That’s where the trait characterization and development team come in. “ It's shepherding a trait from discovery. So you have to discover a trait first, and then you need to ensure that it actually works in the plant as designed. And so what we do is we do a rigorous greenhouse and field testing to ensure that we understand how the trait actually behaves… And then the other portion that's really critical for us is to make sure…there's no yield drag, that there's no secondary effects.” - Julian ChakyTrait packages are created by companies like Corteva Agriscience to offer farmers a wide range of benefits like herbicide resistance, pest management and water utilization. The evolution and development of trait “mining” all begins with identifying the farmers' needs. Before any trait identification, characterization, and development happens there has to be a clear business case for how this technology will bring value to farmers. “ The weather patterns that are changing, we don't seem to get the normal rains anymore…We've gone through droughts the last two or three years, but we've had excellent crops. I'll put a lot of that onto the genetics.” - Mark KnuppSome takeaways from this episode: Crops are complex systems and any change is likely to have an impact on some other part of the system. Finding a trait that might help farmers is just the beginning. Developers must balance both efficacy and agronomics with each product.Developing these traits takes an incredible effort from a lot of people. Advancements in agriscience and technologies like the soybean growth chamber certainly help, but there are still many hurdles that need to be overcome to bring a novel trait to market. Collaboration is essential. Mark and Julian both provide insight into how much of a collaborative process agriscience innovation is. From identifying farmer problems, trials on Marks’ fields, or collaborating with agronomists and plant breeders, agriscience innovation is certainly a team sport. 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.
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28:37
Unlocking Agriscience Innovation
In today’s episode, we sat down with farmer and podcaster Corey Hillebo and Corteva Agriscience chief technology and digital officer Sam Eathington. Hillebo and Eathington help us to better understand how to unlock agriscience innovation, both at the farm level and at the corporate level. “Can we use the science to find another crop or crops for Iowa? Like there's no doubt with Brazil coming on and being a major competitor of ours and we are just doing an amazing job as farmers and Corteva is doing an amazing job with science… It would be awesome if we could find something else that is of value. We could do really well to take some pressure off.” - Corey HilleboScience and technology are changing fast. It’s entirely plausible that the products that are returning value to farmers and shareholders today might be entirely different in the future. As Corteva Agriscience chief technology and digital officer, Sam Eathington shares that his pursuits in research and development are focused on current farmer issues, future farmer issues and what return on investment they can develop for both producers and shareholders. “At the end of the day, it's really about capital allocation and what should we prioritize and why…Part of my job is to help take the science and turn it into why we care from the business. And that is a really important part…We can do incredible science, but if we don't figure out how to link it and make it into a business value, it never goes anywhere… And so my role is a lot about how to help communicate that and explain that and then help make choices about where we invest and where we don't invest.” - Sam EathingtonSome takeaways from this episode: The three overlapping circles of where to invest into future innovation are starting with the farmer needs, then the state of the science and finally the return on investment for shareholders. The pursuit of alternative crops is necessary and now possible as technology continues to make that more attainableWe are definitely living in a time of disruptive innovation, and adapting to these changes is critical for all of us in agriculture. 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.
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32:18
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32:18
Science, Sustainability and the Art of Farming
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.
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.
New Zealand