Rick Chamblee, Manager of Technical Service for BASF told crop consultants invited to the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium that the BASF Pipeline is “Industry’s most innovative pipeline.” BASF currently has 36 products in the marketplace. Over the course of the next 4 years, BASF will introduce 28 new products that meet grower needs.
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Mike Hofer, Kixor Marketing Manager for BASF is excited about the opportunities growers have with the new Kixor family of products. Hofer said growers are telling BASF they need new solutions for mare’s tale and waterhemp. Kixor’s unique chemistry is specifically designed to control the toughest broadleaf weeds growers are facing today.
Hofer is proud of the pipeline that is in place. With 28 new products to be launched over the next 4 years, growers will see new solutions for weed, insect and disease control.
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Eric Kalasz, Soybean Market Manager for BASF hosted a Soybean Opportunity Session Wednesday morning at the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium. Kalasz said there are many opportunities with inputs and management. The goal of BASF is to provide the best solutions – the best tools – to help maximize opportunity on each acre.
In bringing the best solutions to the growers, Kalasz explains that it might mean utilizing a traditional chemistry or new innovation – or combination of both. It also means building on relationships and partnerships with crop consultants, farm managers, growers, other agricultural companies and others.
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Gary Schmitz is the Midwest Technical Services Representative for BASF told crop consultants attending BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium in Grapevine, Texas this week that there are opportunities to maximize soybean yields. Average yields over the last several years have remained around 43 bushels per acre. New Kixor-family products being introduced will be key tools for growers looking to increase yields.
SHARPEN will give a quick burn-down of problem broadleaf weeds. In soybeans, BASF recommends a tank mix with glyphosate for added grass activity. OPTILL will offer a quick burn down and additional residual activity on broadleaves and grasses.
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“Glyphosate is not what it used to be.”
That was the opening statement made by Dr. Dan Westberg, Technical Marketing Manager for BASF in his presentation Wednesday morning during the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium. That, according to Westberg, means that growers are not getting enough broadleaf control and losing yield potential in their crops.
“In many areas this has transpired into a horrible situation,” said Westberg. “Our BASF product line with Status herbicide and the Kixor product line will be an excellent opportunity for growers to work these products into their system to either control existing populations of glyphosate resistant weeds or prevent the development of glyphosate resistant weeds.”
Conversation with Dr. Dan Westberg
Dr. Westberg is responsible for Kixor herbicide technology, which includes a family of 4 products: Treevix, Integrity, Sharpen and Optill. To gain a more complete understanding of Kixor’s unique chemistry and to learn more about the Kixor herbicide that is right for your farm, visit the BASF Kixor website.
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Nick Fassler, BASF Technical Marketing Manager responsible for Headline in corn and soybeans said growers saw value from Headline fungicide from 2007 – 2009 to the tune of 12 to 16 bushel per acre in yield enhancement. In more than 6,000 on-farm trials in the past five years, growers using Headline fungicide realized a yield advantage of 4 to 8 bushels per acre in soybeans, 12 to 16 bushels per acre in corn and 10 to 14 bushels per acre in cereals.
Very pleased with the success of Headline, Fassler believes the launch of Headline Amp will have the same success.
Fassler asked crop consultants in attendance to work with growers, evaluate their situations, see where Headline or Headline Amp will work on their acres to help that grower realize higher yields and get a greater return on investment on those acres for all of the investment he’s putting into it.
The BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium featured break-out sessions to Wednesday morning to give attendees the opportunity for a closer look at opportunities for specific crops. Leon Duchene, U.S. Corn Market Manager for BASF told those attending a session specific to corn that innovation has increased corn yields by 1.5 bushels per year since the 1940′s. Since the year 2000, corn yield has increased by 3 bushels per year.
The challenge in the future, said Duchene, is to increase yields by at least 4 bushels per year to meet the estimated production need of more than 200 bushel per acre corn yields by the year 2020.
BASF will bring 28 new products to the market over the next 4 years. Duchene believes these new products will help growers achieve that goal of feeding and fueling the world. Duchene also encouraged all in attendance to be advocates for agriculture.
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The BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium went “off-site” Tuesday evening to enjoy a taste of Texas. Crop consultants hosted here by BASF enjoyed an evening at Austin Ranch where Tony Dorsett, running back for the Dallas Cowboys from 1977 – 1987 signed Cowboys caps (courtesty of BASF) and posed for photographs. A couple of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders showed up for the festivities as well, and a country music band performed some songs familiar to most of us 40-something and older.
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Rick Van Genderen, Director, Global Value Chain Management Feed & Agronomics for BASF told those attending the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium in Grapevine, Texas Tuesday that crop demand will double in the next twenty years.
Van Genderen said his company is very excited about what they are doing in plant biotech. “BASF believes that we are THE trait technology partner to the seed industry, as a way to bring forward outstanding technology to the grower for U.S. agriculture.”
Van Genderen explains that with growing populations worldwide and increased demand for additional food, BASF is working to bring forward traits to enhance productivity and consistency in yields.
“We really believe that as you look at the population growth and developing world increasing their demand for meat; it is really driving a huge trend toward needing more food.”
This has been happening for a long time, but BASF, explains Van Genderen, does not see this stopping. With a growing population and no more land coming available, Van Genderen said that BASF believes we will have to produce more on each acre.
Plant biotechnology is the number one area for investment for new growth clusters for the entire BASF Company. The primary focus, explained Van Genderen, is in the area of yield and stress traits.
BASF’s plant biotechnology strategy includes developing best traits for the best crops; leading technology platform in gene discovery; product development up to market introduction; and long-term partnerships.
Van Genderen tells Brownfield that BASF is partnering with other companies and with farmers. Understanding the needs of the farmer and the tools he will need to be more productive is central to BASF’s strategy.
No, BASF is not strategizing to go into the seed company, but will continue to be a partner with traits and technologies with other companies and the farmer.
Taking out the long lens, Van Genderen said there are many traits in the works. Enhancing yields and the ability of the plant to manage stress as well as enhancing the nutritional value of the crop are on the horizon.
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Dr. Corrine Alexander, Associate Professor of Agronomics at Purdue University told participants at the 2010 BASF Innovation into Agriculture Symposium that innovation is vital in the agriculture industry today.
“Innovation is very important,” Alexander said. “This is a very competitive industry where everybody is innovating; everyone is doing a better job than what they have done in the past. Farmers are recognizing this so now if a retailer wants to stand out and serve those farmers really well they are going to have to innovate and find something new that differentiates them from the rest of the suppliers.”
Dr. Alexander used information from 2 surveys in her presentation. The first survey is the 2008 Large Commercial Producer’s Survey which consisted of more than 2,500 responses focusing on commercial producers with gross sales of over half a million dollars or more. The second study was of retailers who were asked the exact same questions that were asked of the farmers, and the answers of the two different groups were compared.
“One of the things we were surprised by was that there has always been this very large group of balance buyers -buyers that want a good price, good product performance, good support services and all the rest,” said Alexander, “In the past we have always thought of that group as about 35 to 40 percent of the market but we found coming into 2008 that group has gotten a lot larger.”
Alexander said that as many as 59 to 69 percent of farmers are balance buyers who say they want it all. “They want top product performance for a fair price with great customer service. And they expect it all. That makes it very tough for retailers because they have to deliver everything to their market and when the balance buyers are 59 to 69 percent of the market the retailers don’t have a choice. They are going to have to excel on everything for their customers in order to maintain their customers.”.
Dr. Alexander said that although producers want and need the innovation they get from large companies, they want to know how those products and that information is relevant to their area. Farmers see great value in having a local dealer or local crop consultant who can take the innovation and apply it to their farming operation.
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