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 8476 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 AgResearch, shared the cutting- edge research into enhanced ryegrass at the annual New Zealand Grassland Association conference. The genome sequence of a 5,310-year-old maize cob provides new insights into the early stages of maize domestication. According to the University of Copenhagen, the specimen is important because it dates to a point in time approxi- mately halfway between the begin- ning of maize domestication and today’s corn. In a gene-by-gene analysis, the ancient sample shows that many key genes had already been affected by human selection, including the lack of a hard seed coat and changes in flowering time. Newly published research led by Daniel Kaiser, a University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist, studied the value of in-furrow application in corn partly because growers are looking to cut costs. For many farmers, in-furrow starter appli- cation is a cheaper alternative to other starter fertilizers. Kaiser wanted to know whether the in- furrow practice itself makes eco- nomic sense. Kaiser found that its benefits — no matter the planting date or relative maturity — were less apparent later in the season. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded AgBiome a new multi-year grant for “Broad-Spectrum Biological Control of Fungal Diseases,” which will fund the evaluation and devel- opment of biological fungicides in the fields of African smallholder farmers. The aim of the project is to identify and validate biological fungicides to control one or more of three major crop diseases of importance in sub-Sahara Africa: sorghum anthracnose, black Sigatoka in banana, and aflatoxin contamination in maize. BUSINESS NEWS Monsanto Company announced that at a special meeting of share- owners held Dec. 13, shareowners approved the merger of Monsanto with a wholly owned subsidi- ary of Bayer Aktiengesellschaft. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Monsanto shareown- ers will receive $128 per share in cash at the closing of the merger. Previously, Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. recom- mended that Monsanto share- owners vote “for” the proposal to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger providing for the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer Aktiengesellschaft. Bratney Companies was rec- ognized by the Iowa Area Development Group for its con- tinued growth and commitment to Iowa. Their most recent expansion is the creation of a manufacturing division resulting in the construc- tion of a new 12,000-square-foot fabrication facility located on a six-acre plot in the Marshalltown Gateway Centre. Bratney Companies is comprised of three separate companies, two Iowa based and one based in California. These companies build facilities and provide equipment to com- panies in the seed, grain, whole foods and animal feed industries. Monsanto believes addressing climate change and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from agriculture can only be achieved collectively, which is the driver behind the Dec. 1 announce- ment of the Carbon-Neutral Collaborative — a new consortium of experts on agricultural GHG. The collaborative will help develop a framework for agricultural GHG accounting and advise Monsanto on its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2021. The Climate Corporation acquires VitalFields, a European farm management software com- pany based in Tallinn, Estonia. The VitalFields team will join The Climate Corporation, a sub- sidiary of Monsanto Company, in strengthening its efforts to deliver industry-leading digital technolo- gies to farmers around the world. Steve Wolf, president and owner of S & R Consulting in Atlanta, Ind., sold the company to Agricultural Research & Testing in Washington Court House, Ohio. S & R Consulting provides contract agriculture research services in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky for seed and chemical companies. Agragen, a Cincinnati-based plant sciences company, announced the licensing of a family of patents from DuPont Pioneer that focuses on technology for manipulating the fatty acid profile in plants. Agragen is developing a high-yield camelina, commonly known as false flax, which will produce the same bioactive omega-3 fatty acids as found in fish oil. Kaiima Bio-Agritech, a genetics and breeding technology com- pany, and Horizon Ag, a tech- nology provider for the U.S. rice industry, will develop new, high- performing rice varieties. The multi-year project, initiated in 2015, combines U.S. adapted germ- plasm sourced by Horizon Ag and Kaiima’s proprietary EP technol- ogy platform. INCOTEC opened a new innova- tion center in the Netherlands. This innovation center is the hub from which its research and development, sales and market- ing teams will work on market- focused and groundbreaking innovations in seed enhancements for customers. Dow AgroSciences, through its commercial arm, Agriculture Victoria Services Pty Ltd. (AVS),