On Nov. 3, precision farming took a step forward when industry leaders Ag Leader Technology, Inc., Ames, Iowa, and AutoFarm, Fremont, Calif., joined forces. The collaboration be¬tween the two companies brings together the highly popular and successful precision ag products of Ag Leader with the latest embedded and integrated steering solutions from AutoFarm.

“This alliance is nothing but a win-win for the precision agriculture industry, and more importantly for our combined customers,” said Ag Leader Founder and President, Al Myers. “Each company brings strengths to the table allowing us to develop better precision farming solutions quicker, ultimately furthering the industry.”

“We are extremely excited about this collaboration with Ag Leader. They have a great reputation for innovative, high quality precision ag hardware and software,” says Herb Satterlee, CEO, Novariant-AutoFarm. “AutoFarm is well known for its high-accuracy steering systems. This alliance allows both companies to leverage our strengths and experience more…

As growers evaluate 2009 harvest performance and prepare to make 2010 seed purchase decisions, agronomy professionals from Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, remind growers of the importance of selecting the right product for the right acre.

Before making this important decision, it’s critical for growers to understand how the seed’s genetics respond to the local environment, the true value of seed traits and the results of localized testing. In other words, it’s about knowing how to select a seed product with both the agronomic and technology traits best suited for each field.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution or cookie-cutter approach, which means some products perform differently in different fields,” says Greg Luce, Pioneer agronomy research manager. “Because every product is different and every field is different, the key is for growers to optimize their efforts and choose products that will reap the greatest value for the investment on more…

Toro Micro-Irrigation is pleased to announce the addition of Layflat Hose to its extensive product offering of water management solutions.

Resulting from a strategic partnership with Sun-Flow, Inc. of Torrance, Calif., Layflat Hose is a popular product among agricultural growers for sub-main piping in a drip irrigation system. Toro will stock 1.5” to 8” Layflat Hose in their El Cajon, Calif., and Sanford, Fla., locations. Larger sizes as well as the high pressure products are readily available upon request.

Layflat is commonly used for mainlines and sub-mains for irrigation lateral lines and for general water transfer. Key reasons why customers use layflat as an alternative to other piping materials include ease of installation and removal, system portability and the ability to handle higher working pressures. Sun-Flow is the only major manufacturer of Layflat products in the United States. Their unique process utilizes the most yarn per square-inch of the product, more…

Becker Underwood, developer, marketer and producer of bioagronomic products for agriculture, introduces Vault HP, a new bio-based, multi-component, growth enhancer for soybeans.

Applied at a rate of only 2.0 fluid ounces per hundredweight of seed, the Vault HP system features a new, patented performance booster, a biofungicide and a patent-pending rhizobial inoculant offering industry-leading on-seed survival.

“Vault HP is the first in a planned series of new performance-boosting seed-enhancement systems we expect to introduce over the next few years,” says Eda Reinot, Becker Underwood global manager, research and development. “This soybean-specific system features a new, patented growth promoter. It also includes a patent-pending formulation of nitrogen-fixing rhizobia combined with special packaging designed to help ensure industry-leading on-seed survival of all system components. And, the new Vault HP system includes our Integral biofungicide to help suppress diseases such as fusarium and rhizoctonia for better plant health.”

“The Vault HP system more…

Global food security, which is increasingly being recognized as a key to national security, will only be fully achieved through well-designed and executed public and private partnerships, William S. Niebur, vice-president – DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development, told attendees at the Crawford Fund Annual Development Conference held in Canberra, Australia.

“Global food security challenges are becoming more complex and interconnected,” said Niebur. “The need to increase agricultural productivity amid the uncertainties of global climate change, political instabilities, shrinking availability of arable land and increasing world populations present challenges no single company, government or research institution can solve alone.”

Niebur challenged conference participants — both in public and private sectors — to find more effective ways to solve the most pressing food security issues.

“Strong partnerships between public institutions and private companies will be the preferred mechanism to effectively address the increasingly complex challenges we’ll face in the coming more…

Syngenta Ventures has announced that it has made an equity investment in Metabolon, a privately-held U.S. biotechnology company focused on the use of metabolomics in research and diagnostics. This is the first direct investment by Syngenta Ventures, Syngenta’s newly-established corporate venture capital subsidiary.

“The creation of Syngenta Ventures will complement our in-house R&D work and enables us to be even more involved in promising technologies and innovative products with external partners,” said Robert Berendes, Head of Business Development at Syngenta. “We need access to the best available new technologies in order to achieve the increase in agricultural output which will be vital over the coming years.”

Sandro Aruffo, Head of Research and Development at Syngenta, added: “This investment follows a research collaboration with Metabolon which has existed for some years. We believe Metabolon’s unique metabolomics platform will be an increasingly important technology for the development of innovative new products in more…

In keeping with a commitment to deliver innovations for agriculture, food companies and consumers, Monsanto Company and Solae, LLC have announced the companies have reached an important regulatory milestone that advances the development of foods containing the world’s first stearidonic acid (SDA) omega-3 soybean oil product.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notice confirming that the SDA omega-3 soybean oil could be used under the intended conditions of use.

The confirmation of GRAS status enables food companies to develop and test foods containing the new omega-3 oil, which are important steps towards consumers being able to benefit from this omega-3 product in a variety of food products with an acceptable taste experience.

Consumer demand for omega-3 fatty acids is growing as research continues to demonstrate that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids help play an important role in maintaining more…

DuPont and Makhteshim Agan of North America, Inc. have announced they have entered into a royalty-bearing license agreement for DuPont Crop Protection patents related to a novel homogeneous blend technology that enables the efficient combination of different pesticides.

This agreement confirms the validity of certain DuPont patents granted in the United States and Canada and settles the litigation claims between MANA and DuPont regarding the U.S. patent. Additional details of the agreement were not disclosed.

CrustBuster/Speed King, Inc., Dodge City, Kan., Manufacturers of the first folding grain drill and tubular belt-conveyor, now offers Multi-Use Steel Bins for storage and handling of grain, feed, seed or dry fertilizer.

The versatility extends to pellets and any other free flowing dry granular commodity.

The bins feature:

• Welded steel construction.

• No bolts to come loose or shear off.

• Smooth interior bin walls.

• Open and close top port from ground.

• Four site windows easy to view from ground level.

• Side & top access steel ladder.

• Easy access bin hopper man hatch.

Optional features include:

Sample tube opening, bean ladder, 304 stainless steel gate, epoxy painted interiors, electric or pneumatic gate opener, ladder cage.

Call 620-227-7106 for more information.

See additional new products at http://www.crustbuster.com.

A new Pfizer Animal Health has been unveiled as Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth, including its subsidiary Fort Dodge Animal Health, was completed.

Pfizer Animal Health is now the world’s leader in the discovery, development, manufacture and sales of veterinary vaccines and medicines for livestock and companion animals.

The acquisition of many of Fort Dodge’s U.S. products allows Pfizer Animal Health to greatly diversify its U.S. portfolio, as well as broaden its offering in all animal health segments. Pfizer Animal Health now offers an enhanced portfolio in beef, dairy, and companion animals, as well as a redefined product line for swine, equine and poultry.

“We’re extremely proud to offer our customers even more best-in-class and innovative products,” said Clint Lewis, president of U.S Operations for Pfizer Animal Health. “The products, services and expertise we are gaining strengthen what is already a robust U.S. portfolio and will enhance our more…