Special Report
A lot has changed in 35 years for this plant geneticist
Not only has the last twelve months been challenging for farmers, it has been a real challenge for those in the seed industry. Rick Batty with Renk Seed has been a plant geneticist for 35 years and has participated in the evolution of the hybrids we have today. He notes that these hybrids are better-equipped to deal with the varying challenges presented by weather, insects, weeds and disease. He talks about the benefits that genetic research has built into those hybrids and the unfounded fears of some. One other result of the continual improvements is the fact that we often see a bigger increase in yield from a new hybrid than we did in the years of traditional breeding so “old” hybrids become outdated more quickly than in the past.
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