a newsletter from Bayer CropScience
crop talk
Volume 17 • Issue 1
Seed treatment – small investment yields big profits It can make the difference between a good crop and a great crop. If 2008 wheat and barley prices turn out anything like the CWB’s Pool Return Outlook, you’ll want to make sure you get the best crop possible this season. A seed treatment is a great place to start. “Farmers limit their earning potential when they skip a seed treatment,” says Roger Rotariu, Seed Treatment Portfolio Manager with Bayer CropScience. “At only $3 an acre to get an average 8 percent yield increase, using a seed treatment like Raxil® makes economic sense. And with commod ity prices sky high, this is a great year to push production and maximize profits.”
“You want to have the most comprehensive disease protection possible.” Here’s a couple examples, Raxil treated barley can return $26.30 per acre ((5 bushels x $5.86) – $3 seed treatment = $26.30) and Raxil treated wheat on average can return $26.31 per acre ((3 bushels x $9.77) – $3 seed treatment = $26.31).* According to Dan Bardi, Seed Treatment Equipment and Application Specialist with Bayer CropScience, treating seed is critical because the threat to yield and quality from early-season disease starts even before the seed hits the ground. “Farmers who crop larger acres are getting in the fields early,” says Bardi. “Cold soils tend to propagate more diseases like common root rot and also slow down germination, reducing yield 7 to 10 percent and limiting crop potential.” With wheat at $9/bushel, it doesn’t take long to see how a seed treatment pays for
itself at the end of the season. However, it’s best to know what you’re looking for when choosing a seed treatment. “You want to have the most compre hensive disease protection possible so read the product label,” Bardi advises. “Make sure you know what the key diseases are – Fusarium seedling blight in wheat and barley and smut in barley – and make sure the product is registered for control on all of them.” Seed treatments today can control more diseases and are much easier to handle than in the past. Just look at Raxil T and Raxil MD. Each one contains different active ingredients that control a broader range of seed and soil-borne diseases in wheat, oats or barley than ever before. (Bayer CropScience has submitted for oats and barley to be included on the Raxil MD label but registration is still pending.) The Raxil formulations provide unparalleled protection from seed and seedling diseases like loose smut and seed and soil-borne Fusarium. When choosing a seed treatment, find one that’s easy to handle, isn’t messy and flows well even when temperatures change.
“Seed treatments today can control more diseases and are much easier to handle.”
difference is like water versus syrup. With micro-dispersion, you know that the seed is getting exactly the right amount of treatment properties.” Because seed treatments are waterbased, there is no messy clean-up like the old solvent-based days. “Really, there’s no reason why growers shouldn’t be treating seed,” maintains Bardi. “The treatments wash off. They clean up easily and are very easy to handle. And you get better disease control than ever before. It just makes good sense all around.”
“The Raxil formulations are, by far, the best available, and they just keep getting better,” Bardi says. “Raxil MD contains a new technology called micro-dispersion, which replaces flowable suspension. The
*Calculation of NET RAXIL BENEFIT is based on CWB PROs as of February 1, 2008, an average yield increase using Raxil Seed Treatment (calculated from 1999 – 2003 Bayer CropScience, Gustafson & Independent Trials, 33 replications in both wheat and barley trials taken to yield), and an average input price of $3.00 per acre of Raxil Seed Treatment.
Player of the Year Clobbering disease for healthy crops and higher yields. No first-year jitters for Proline ®, the newgeneration fungicide. In 2007, it had a break out year in canola, cereal and pulse crops, clobbering disease and leaving healthy crops and higher yields in its wake. Bill Martin, Bayer CropScience Territory Sales Manager, says he is nothing short of impressed with the overall response from growers in the field. “Proline experienced the most successful launch in Bayer CropScience fungicide history,” says Martin. “Just based on market share alone, Proline grabbed 14 percent of the canola fungicide market. That’s a pretty impressive first year.” What makes Proline so impressive is rapid uptake, which results in fast absorption by the plant with long-lasting action. The active ingredient prothioconazole belongs to a new sub-class of triazole chemistry called triazolinthiones. This new class of chemistry is highly systemic, protecting the plant through its most susceptible growth stages. Proline protects against several diseases in a variety of crops including canola, wheat and barley, chickpeas and lentils. Take Sclerotinia stem rot, for example. It can knock yields back in canola by anywhere from 5 to 100 percent*. The challenge facing growers is that once visual symptoms appear, it’s too late to treat. That’s one reason Proline is making such a big impact. “Trial data shows that Proline reduces infection and delivers a 10 percent yield increase over current market standard canola fungicides,” says Martin.
“Proline experienced the most successful launch in Bayer CropScience fungicide history.” And Proline’s not just for canola. Cereal growers looking for a yield boost, dependable Fusarium head blight (FHB) protection and DON reduction in wheat and barley now have a powerful ally. Proline provides enhanced FHB suppression in wheat and is the only fungicide labeled for FHB suppression
in barley. Research trials show that Proline also provides significant deoxynivalenol (DON) reduction in both wheat and barley. This reduction in DON results in higher quality wheat for milling and baking, and high quality barley for malt and feed. Bayer CropScience research shows that Proline consistently provides a 70 percent reduction of DON in barley compared to an untreated check. That could easily be the difference between poor quality feed barley and high quality feed for hogs, or even high quality malting barley. “And under higher disease pressure, we saw even higher yield and quality advantages with Proline,” Martin says.
What about pulse growers? Good news there, too. Proline is the first triazolebased product registered for use against Ascochyta blight, which can cause yield losses in excess of 70 percent in chickpeas. This means growers now have an alternative mode of action to the commonly used strobilurin chemistries – providing an excellent resistance management tool. So if you’re scouting for an MVP on your team, it’s gotta be Proline for powerful disease protection, higher yields and higher quality.
*Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.
“Trial data shows that Proline reduces infection and delivers a 10 percent yield increase over current market standard canola fungicides.”
a newsletter from Bayer CropScience
BayerValue Tank Mix Bonus If you booked InVigor ® early you save even more. The 2008 BayerValue program’s new Tank Mix Bonus is creating a lot of excitement over the potential savings. The bonus rebate is determined by the total acres of Puma®120 Super purchased and can be used in conjunction with all other programming. BayerValue customers will save $1 per acre when they tank mix Buctril®M or Thumper ® with Puma120 Super and $2 per acre when they tank mix new Infinity™ herbicide with Puma. “The Tank Mix Bonus is a great opportunity for producers to try the new Bayer CropScience Infinity herbicide,” says John Hanson, BayerValue Portfolio Manager. “They’d better act fast because demand is high for products, like Infinity, that will deliver the very best results. In a year like this producers are looking to maximize results. With the BayerValue program they can also maximize savings.” The addition of Puma and Folicur ® contributed to yet another successful
Bayer CropScience InVigor Early Book program. Also sweetening the pot is the Cereal Program savings, which offers savings on Proline, Rovral®, Folicur, Raxil and Vitaflo®. Once again this year, the Fungicide Builders are available to increase the total number of qualifying acres of Puma. This year they include Buctril M, Thumper, Centurion®, Stratego® and Infinity. Some BayerValue dates to note: • Growers must register before May 1, 2008. • Registered growers will receive a redemption form that must be completed and returned to Bayer CropScience prior to October 1, 2008. • All products must be purchased between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008 to qualify. • Any products purchased after August 31, 2008 can be used for the 2009 BayerValue grower program.
Also, if you purchased your InVigor by January 31, 2008, you are eligible for program savings on Puma120 Super, Rovral Flo, Proline, Decis®, Sevin®XLR, Folicur and Raxil. You are also eligible for the Liberty ® Two-Pass Program if you have registered with Bayer CropScience. Visit www.bayercropscience.ca and click on “Programs” for more details on this year’s BayerValue program. If you were enrolled in the 2007 BayerValue grower program, you are automatically re-enrolled in the 2008 program. And if you weren’t enrolled or you have program questions, contact one of these three easy-to-access information sources: 1. www.bayercropscience.ca 2. Bayer CropScience Rebate Fulfillment Center at 1-888-283-6847 3. Your local retailer The BayerValue program can help you make 2008 your most profitable year – ever!
New Bayer CropScience team delivers cutting edge technology To prepare for the future delivery of new technologies in the marketplace, Bayer CropScience is structuring field research and sales in an innovative way. Delivery of 35 new crop protection and InVigor products is anticipated within the next three years, and Bayer CropScience is linking research to sales to form a new team of Market Development Specialists.
Depth and breadth of expertise makes this highly functioning team unique. “The excitement of working on these new products from development to registration is part of what makes this group and their structure so effective,” says Paul Thiel, VP Industry Relations and Market Development. “Along with product innovations, we are always looking for new ways to support industry-leading service
for our farm customers and partners.” For the most part, the faces haven’t changed nor has their dedication to the business of farming. What has changed is the way Bayer CropScience is transitioning innovative products from the research and development phase into commercial markets. The depth and breadth of expertise makes this highly functioning team unique within Bayer CropScience and the industry. The team consists of nine technical representatives: three in Alberta, four in Saskatchewan and two in Manitoba. The combined experience of these individuals exceeds 100 years of in-the-field agronomic experience – all backed by a company that is an industry leader. The Market Development Specialists will be among the first to introduce new Bayer CropScience technologies coming your way in the very near future, and they will also be among the first to explain how to use it for best results.
questions or comments? please call 1-888-283-6847
www.mixitup.ca Click for easy-to-use resistance management strategies Bayer CropScience encourages you to simply Mix it Up! to manage herbicide resistance. Recently launched, the site, www.mixitup.ca, is designed to raise awareness and make it easier to learn and do more to minimize or eliminate the threat of herbicide resistance on farms. “We’re sponsoring the site and an upcoming awareness campaign as part of our ongoing commitment to being a valued farm partner,” says Ross Deveson, Cereal Herbicide Portfolio Manager. “Herbicide resistance is a threat to our farm customers, and that means it’s a business risk for us. If we can provide easy-to-use information to control the spread of herbicide resistance, that’s good for business – and good for everyone.” At the core of mixitup.ca is one key message: Mix it Up!. These three essential resistance management actions can work to sustain products and practices: 1. Mix up your crop rotations 2. Mix up your herbicide modes of action 3. Mix up your traditional crop production practices Visit the site and you’ll learn more about: • Five key management strategies to make improvements on your farm • The importance of crop rotation • The importance of knowing your herbicide mode of action • How herbicide resistance spreads (animated) • Resources and links to more information “Phase one is focused on launching the website and promoting the simple message – Mix it Up!,” says Deveson. “Other sites focus on the problem and the complexity of it. Mixitup.ca will focus on education and simple approaches to outmanage herbicide resistance.” The site launch and current print advertisements are just two of several research, awareness and communication tactics planned. June 2008 is the first annual Mix it Up! Awareness Month. Bayer CropScience is working with industry leaders to bring you the latest, and most useful, herbicide resistance information and management practices. Stay tuned for more from www.mixitup.ca.
Preventing herbicide resistance is as easy as 1-2-3.
Always read and follow label directions. Buctril ®, Centurion ®, Decis ®, Folicur ®, Infinity™, InVigor ®, Liberty ®, Puma®, Proline ®, Stratego ®, Raxil ®, Rovral ®, Sevin ®, Thumper ® are trademarks of Bayer. All other products mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada. 02/08-6367
Rotate your herbicides Use Bayer CropScience products to out-manage resistance. Western Canadian farmers are becoming more and more aware of the potentially devastating impact of herbicide resistance. Government and industry research confirms rotating crops and herbicide Groups are key to avoiding resistance. Bayer CropScience products, Thumper, Liberty and Infinity provide both excellent weed control and Group rotation options. As part of your toolbox these herbicides can help keep products and practices sustainable. Thumper – Consisting of bromoxynil and 2,4-D, Thumper provides excellent control of Group 2-resistant kochia, along with a wide range of other key broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley. Although bromoxynil has been on the market for many years, no known cases of weed resistance to bromoxynil have been reported in Canada. Liberty – As the only Group 10 herbicide in Western Canada, Liberty not only lowers the risk of glyphosate overuse, it also provides a unique mode of action in a crop rotation. No other Group 10 herbicides are available in other crops, so resistance is very unlikely to develop. Infinity – The latest broadleaf herbicide from Bayer CropScience is also the first new mode of action for Western Canadian cereal growers in over 20 years. With the introduction of pyrasulfotole, the active ingredient in Infinity, a new herbicide Group was developed – Group 27. As part of your herbicide resistance management strategy this unique mode of action will control all of your toughest broadleaf weeds (including Group 2 resistant kochia) and be sustainable for many years to come.