Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84LEARNMORE To learn more about the costs and benefits associated with seed treatments for corn and soybeans, join Seed World for a webinar Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. Eastern. There is no cost to participate in the webinar. For more information and to register, visit SeedWorld.com/webinar. SUPPORTED BY ENDORSED BY conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program and the Conservation Technology Information Center. Among survey partici- pants, cover crops planted in 2015 reached an average of 298 acres per farm and were projected to grow to a mean of 339 acres per farm in 2016 — that’s more than double the acreage survey participants reported in 2011. Pedersen explains that as part of the rotation, farmers kill the cover prior to planting their next crop and then plant directly into it. “This is like planting into a bed of mulch harboring dis- ease,” he says. “If farmers use cover crops, it’s even more important to have a broad- spectrum, top-notch seed treatment.” Awareness Needed So what do retailers, agrono- mists and farmers need to do to help ensure a successful growing season? For retailers, Pedersen says it’s extremely important to sit down with farmers to explain exactly what they are getting on the seed. “One of the biggest chal- lenges is that during the past five to seven years, farmers have understood the value seed treatments bring but have not kept track of what they are actually using,” Pedersen explains. “They think red equals X, but red does not always equal X. “Growers need to start asking what they are getting and at what rate. There might be other products in the market that are red but with different rates or that contain other active ingredients that will not give you protection for as long.” Ginisty recommends retail- ers and agronomists take into consideration the: amount of time the product has been on the market, information avail- able, product performance in their growing area, and how the product will perform with existing farm practices. “It’s important to under- stand what your customers’ acres are most prone to,” he says. “Is it insects? Is it disease? Or SDS? What impact does this have on yield in terms of loss?” Ginisty encourages agronomists to sit down with their farm customers and look at their particular environment and growing conditions, when looking at what products to use next year. “It’s not just about cost,” he says. “It’s about benefit, too.” Seed protection is a given. “At the end of the day, it has to provide a yield advantage,” he says. “We really saw the benefits of seed treated with a fungicide and the insect and nematode protection of Poncho/VOTiVO compared to that treated only with a fungicide — about a 10 bushel per acre scenario. Even at $3 corn, you’re still looking at a 3:1 return on investment.” Pedersen agrees. “To unlock the genetic potential, you need a fungicide, insecti- cide and nematicide,” he says. There are a lot of effective seed treatment products in the field today. BASF’s Clark advises agronomists and farmers to conduct strip trials as a way to evaluate the different tech- nologies of interest. “The more replications you can put out, the better,” he says. “The benefits a treatment delivers is dependent on dis- ease and insect pressure and the weather. This makes it hard to predict the benefit you’re going to get, but it’s about protecting that investment.” Chu echoes that sentiment. “It’s important to protect the biggest investment you make for the growing season,” she says. “A variety can only per- form as well as the conditions allow. Give the seed the best opportunity to reach optimum performance.” SW 30 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 Justin Clark serves as a BASF technical market manager. Palle Pedersen is Syngenta Seedcare head of product marketing.