Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and here at The Corn Seed we have a lot to be thankful for.
But what tops our list this year? We’re thankful for the farmers who work hard to provide cost-effective and nutritious food for the planet’s growing population.
Last year we shared a video produced by BASF showcasing this very fact, and we figured Thanksgiving was a great time to show it again.
So here’s to the farmers, and Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at NutriDense!
The world’s largest plant biotechnology collaboration just got larger. Yesterday, BASF and Monsanto announced they are expanding their joint efforts to develop higher-yielding and stress-tolerant crops to include a fifth crop, wheat. In addition, the companies are increasing their investments in the collaboration, reflecting the strong leads and commercial prospects in the collaboration’s early work.
The partnership was established in 2007 to focus on corn, soy, cotton and canola crops. In the original collaboration, the two companies dedicated a joint budget of potentially $1.5 billion; the new agreement will result in a potential additional investment of more than $1 billion by the companies over the life of the collaboration.
“BASF Plant Science is dedicated to discover genes for maximizing yield in crops that will be brought to farmers through partnerships. The collaboration with Monsanto was not only the first agreement that we entered, it also represents our most significant partnership, covering several large row crops,” said Peter Eckes, president of BASF Plant Science. “The expansion of our partnership reflects the fit between the two companies. The yield increases that we have achieved together in the field so far give us confidence that we can do more in our collaboration crops, which now include wheat.”
With regard to the addition of wheat to the collaboration, the partners will initially focus on developing biotech products for the North American and Australian markets. The first enhanced yielding wheat product is expected to reach the market after 2020. This product will be followed by successive generations of higher-yielding wheat varieties.
Wheat is the world’s second largest commodity crop after corn and demand is expected to grow as millions of people in developing countries such as China and India become more affluent and increasingly add bread to their traditional rice-based diets.
Read more about NutriDense’s relationship with BASF Plant Science in these previous blog posts:
The “One Hungry Planet” video presented during last week’s 2010 BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit shed light on the world’s increasing population and the critical role the farming industry plays in feeding it. The innovative video has already caught the attention of many, inspiring industry advocacy and perpetuating positive information about agricultural production.
The video, showing where farming began, where it is today and where it will need to be in the future, reveals BASF’s commitment to sustainability and meeting the world’s food needs through innovation. To learn more, listen to BASF Plant Science Vice President Jonathan Bryant discuss the world’s changing food needs and one example of how BASF Plant Science is part of the solution.
How can farmers achieve sustainability? That question is at the center of the 2010 Agricultural Solutions Media Summit, wrapping up today in Chicago.
At the summit, BASF announced an extensive new project to further develop its Eco-Efficiency Analysis and incorporate agriculturally relevant factors such as biodiversity, soil health and social impact. The Eco-Efficiency Analysis was developed by BASF to measure the sustainability of products and production processes and is one of BASF’s main tools for implementing its sustainability strategy.
The Eco-Efficiency Analysis enables a comparison of the economic and environmental aspects of products and processes. Importantly, the methodology takes the product’s entire life cycle into account, from raw materials sourcing, to product manufacture, use, and disposal.
In the photo: Markus Heldt, president of BASF Crop Protection, Dr. Peter Eckes, president of BASF Plant Science Company, Nevin McDougall, senior vice president of North America Crop Protection and Dr. Jonathan Bryant, vice president of BASF Plant Science, L.P., at the 2010 BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit.
Here are a few of the points touched on during the announcement:
- BASF has now completed the first Eco-Efficiency Analysis for corn, a major feedstock crop that is of central importance for farmers and food supply.
- Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division, presented the results: “We analyzed corn production both with and without our fungicide Headline®. The most important result was that farmers achieved higher yields with Headline. However, in addition, they were also able to reduce costs, energy use and resources. In other words, corn farmers can earn more with Headline and protect the environment at the same time.”
- Dr. Peter Eckes, President of BASF Plant Science, agrees that higher yields are a significant factor in improving agricultural sustainability: “That is precisely why we examine the genetic characteristics of crops very closely. We don’t just look at the outwardly visible properties – we also investigate which specific genes are involved in each plant function. By using the best genes, we can maximize harvests and thus support farmers to become more sustainable. This also benefits the environment because no additional arable land is needed to achieve higher yields.”
Visit these links to learn more about the BASF Agricultural Solutions Media Summit, access the recorded general session and the Eco-Efficiency Analysis online.
If you were at the Commodity Classic back in March, you may remember a bright red barn, stalks of corn, wheat shafts and soybean pods made entirely out of Legos. Our parent company BASF commissioned brick artist Nathan Sawaya to build the structures as part of its booth at the show.
Check out this photo and video:
It’s pretty neat how thousands of tiny Lego bricks added up to these lifelike sculptures. It reminds me of how NutriDense traits in corn seeds add up to more profitable corn that helps dairy farmers, poultry producers and grain growers make more money.
Recently, the unique sculptures were donated to FFA and will reappear at the organization’s national convention in October. Get the whole scoop in this AgWired article, and read more about NutriDense and how BASF supports us on the NutriDense homepage.
Did you know?
NutriDense is a part of the BASF family, something we’re very proud of. All BASF activities involving plant biotechnology are incorporated in BASF Plant Science. In feed, BASF Plant Science is improving the nutritional value of corn used for feeding livestock through our NutriDense traits.
Online, you can follow our parent company through its @BASFAgro account, which also shares information about BASF Crop Protection and BASF Plant Science.
You can also find us on Twitter under the @NutriDense handle, where we tweet about dairy, poultry, swine and grain news, uses of social media in agriculture, general agriculture updates and upcoming events.
Read more about BASF and BASF Plant Science in these previous NutriDense blog posts:
In a new article from its Early Spring 2010 issue titled “New Kind of Chemistry,” Farm Journal talked with our parent company BASF on advances in agricultural technology and its 28 new products and nine new actives slated for release by 2013.
The article underscores BASF’s commitment to new trait technologies such as NutriDense:
Unlike its agrochemical competitors, BASF is not a seed company, nor does it intend to become one, says Rick Van Genderen, director of value chain management for BASF Plant Science. “Our strategy is to be a trait and technology partner with seed companies that need our products,” he says.
BASF Plant Science is collaborating with Monsanto Company to develop drought, yield and stress-tolerant traits in corn, cotton, soybeans and canola. The first drought-tolerant product has been submitted for regulatory review and is expected to debut in 2012.
Several seed companies have joined hands to access BASF Plant Science’s NutriDense technology—stacked output traits designed to enhance animal feed performance. Traits that increase rice yield by up to 50% are targeted for 2012, and dicamba-tolerant soybeans are expected by 2014.
Farm Journal also included an interesting “Web Extra” component: Watch below as Paul Rea, director of U.S. crop protection for BASF, describes his company’s pipeline of new products.
Rick Van Genderen, director of global value chain management feed and agronomics for BASF, was at the BASF Innovation Into Action Symposium in Grapevine, Texas, this week. He spoke with Cyndi Young from Brownfield ag news (which you can follow on Twitter @brownfield) on Tuesday about BASF Plant Science, the company’s plant biotechnology arm, and its commitment to trait technology. This commitment to animal feed led to the creation of NutriDense, and in the future will lead to additional trait technologies for better crops.
Watch the clip below to hear Rick talk about BASF Plant Science, and read the entire BASF Pipeline article by Brownfield.
To learn more about BASF Plant Science’s commitment to plant biotechnology, check out the About Us section of the NutriDense Web site.
