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Agrilink
PARTNERSHIP SOYBEAN RESEARCHERS HAVE INTERNATIONAL APPEAL
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
From the Buzz NewsletterBioeconomy-Industrial Uses Research Program Director Prof. Gary Ablett (Ridgetown Campus) and U of G researcher Prof. Istvan Rajcan, along with graduate students Chase Phillips, Mark MacDuff, Amy McNaughton, research associate Lin Liao and former graduate student Sheila Murphy were part of the 33-member Canadian contingent who made the trip to the World Soybean Research Conference VIII held in Beijing, China in August. The event, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Crop Science Institute of China, saw over 1,500 participants from 40 countries attend. Hundreds of presentations and posters, along with a trade show, marked the event including three invited presentations and two posters from the U of G contingent. "The conference was a tremendous success with excellent presentations on genomics, pathology, molecular breeding, breeding and genetics, entomology, economics and food/health uses for soybeans," says Ablett. He chairs a committee which, among other responsibilities, decided the next site for the conference, which will be Durban, South Africa in 2013.
ONTARIO SOYBEAN GROWERS FUND NEW TRENT UNIVERSITY BIO-MATERIALS RESEARCH PROGRAM
10/22/09
From a Release - Peterborough – Ontario’s soybean growers were recognized today as founding partners in Trent University’s new Bio-Materials Research Program. Well-known astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar, honorary patron of Trent’s Centre of Knowledge in the Environment unveiled the new research program. Ontario Soybean Growers (OSG) has committed $500,000 over 5 years in funding support.
“OSG support for the Trent program aligns with our strategy to develop new commercial uses for Ontario-grown soybeans”, says Dale Petrie, OSG General Manager and Director of Strategic Development for Grain Farmers of Ontario. “OSG’s funding commitment was a catalyst in bringing other funding partners on board.”
“When completed, the Trent Biomaterials Research Program will be among the top one per cent of laboratories in the world concentrating on high-value lipid bio-products and their structure-function relationships”, stated Dr. Suresh Narine, program leader. Dr. Narine and his team of nine scientists will investigate lipid utilization in the development of new high-value food and industrial/commercial applications.
“The OSG Board sees the potential for Dr. Narine’s oilseed utilization work to create new market opportunities for Ontario soybeans”, noted Leo Guilbeault, OSG Chairman. “Our funding support ties back to Trent’s research having an Ontario value chain focus, developing products utilizing oils produced from IP specific trait soybeans.” This OSG legacy commitment will be carried forward by the new Grain Farmers of Ontario organization.
To date, $2.5 Million has been raised to support the creation of the Trent Biomaterials Research Program. Other founding partners and funders include: Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. of Bolingbrook, Illinois; an anonymous philanthropist who established the Biomaterials Innovation Fund; the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster and the Community Adjustment Fund; and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs.
A LEVEL FIELD
10/26/09
This week's commentary comes from the New York Times
Many people think of agriculture as a tradition-bound occupation. It is far more like information technology, as high-tech companies genetically engineer seeds and a few powerful companies strive to dominate the market. Following a decade of unchecked consolidation, it is time for the Justice Department to take a hard look at potentially anticompetitive behavior.
The editorial says Monsanto is trying to block DuPont from adding its own genetic traits to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready technology to produce soybeans that would be resistant to multiple pesticides.
Earlier this year, Monsanto sued DuPont for patent infringement. In response, DuPont accused Monsanto of hindering innovation through restrictive licensing agreements. It also charges that Monsanto is pre-empting competition from generic makers by threatening to revoke seed companies’ licenses if they don’t switch to a new version before Monsanto’s patent expires in 2014.
Monsanto denies the allegations. It says that it regularly allows other companies to stack their genetic traits onto its own and that DuPont could have signed such a license. It also says that farmers are switching to the new anti-Roundup technology because it improves yields.
The editorial says we don’t know who is right, but we do know that these charges need to be fully investigated.
EIGHT-STACK CORN ADDED TO BIOTECH ENDORSEMENT
10/26/09
From the Illinois Farm Bureau
The federal crop insurance biotechnology endorsement (BE) has grown from a recognition of GMO yield improvements to a crucial element in biotech corn marketing, according to a University of Illinois risk management specialist.
For 2010, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding the pilot premium discount endorsement to growers who plant corn hybrids including Monsanto/Dow AgroSciences’ new eight-trait SmartStax technology. SmartStax includes GMO traits for weed and above- and below-ground insect pests.
BE, launched in 2008, covers non-irrigated corn acres planted to qualified multiple-trait “stacked” varieties. Producers must plant a minimum 75 percent qualifying stacked hybrids on each insured unit.
FARM PRODUCT PRICE INDEX PLUMITS THANKS TO HOG MARKETS
10/22/09
From StatsCan
Prices farmers received for their commodities fell 10.9% in August from the same month a year earlier, as both the crops index and the livestock and animal products index fell.
The prices producers received for crops in August were 10.2% lower compared with August 2008. The decline in the crops index was due to decreases recorded by all commodities except potatoes and fruit. Despite the decline, the crops index (124.1) remained well above the 115.1 from two years ago, when crop prices started their ascent to reach a peak in June 2008. Potato prices in August were 16.0% above those of August 2008, as North American production was down last fall.
The prices producers received for livestock and animal products in August fell 11.5% compared with August 2008. Decreases were recorded for all commodities except poultry.
On a month-to-month basis, the total index (1997=100) decreased from 112.6 in July to 110.7 in August.
The overall livestock and animal products index stood at 100.1 in August, down from the July level of 103.8. Decreases were recorded for hog and cattle prices, which more than offset the slight increases in the supply-managed commodities of poultry, eggs, and dairy.
The hogs index fell 16.3% in August, the fifth consecutive month-to-month decrease this year. Hog producers continue to be faced with the US Country of Origin Labeling legislation, concerns about the H1N1 flu virus and lower demand driven by the economic situation. By the end of August, exports to the United States were down by one-third compared with the same time last year.
The total crops index edged down in August compared with the July index, as lower prices for grains, specialty crops and vegetables more than offset higher potato, fruit and oilseed prices. Potato prices are generally higher in August, as the new crop table potatoes reach the market.
The grains index (-22.5%) recorded the largest drop. This was a challenging growing season in Canada, marred with drought-like conditions in some areas and cool, wet weather in others. Despite reports of a drop in world wheat production, the world production is forecast to remain at its second highest level. This, coupled with larger carry-in stocks, is supporting expectations of ample supplies for this new crop year.
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To view these articles online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink..._scoops.cfm
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TekTalk
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF LOW CORN YIELDS
10/26/09
From Blair Andrews, Ontario Agri-News online
Small weeds can have a big influence on the corn crop, stealing valuable yield potential when the crop is in its early growth stages. The importance of controlling these early weeds was demonstrated at this year’s Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days in Ridgetown.
Greg Stewart, corn specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Clarence Swanton, weed scientist at the University of Guelph teamed up for the session.
Swanton said that “we don’t often equate root structure with yield as often as we should,” noting that plants have the ability to change their environment very quickly. For example three of the corn plant’s five root systems are established by the third leaf stage. Swanton explained that the weeds that surface at this stage are much more competitive than late-emerging weeds.
“We also know, based on Ontario data, that if you do not control weeds, and you have a heavy, dense stand of weeds after the three-to-four leaf stage, you enter into this collapse period where the function and the structure of those (corn) plants change dramatically and you can lose yield at a rate of half-a-bushel to 3.3 bushels per day,” says Swanton.
How then does the corn plant lose yield so quickly and so early in its development?
Swanton says the plant uses wave lengths from the sun to detect a nearby weed, which then alters the growing pattern. In other words, Swanton says the corn and weed plants are communicating with each other.
“Some of those wave lengths (from the sun) get absorbed by the weed and get moved into photosynthesis. But some of that light bounces off the leaf and the corn plant picks up that signal,” explains Swanton.
“When it receives this wave length, it triggers a protein called phytochrome , and when phytochrome is triggered, it triggers a series of chemical reactions in the plant.” He says these reactions put the corn plant on a different growth pattern from one that did not detect this weed.
All this activity taking place underground illustrates what is known as the critical “weed free” period in corn. Greg Stewart and other corn industry stakeholders have been preaching this concept for the last few years.
In a nutshell, delaying the herbicide application at the three-to-four leaf stage results in significant yield loss.
Citing recent research from the University of Guelph, Stewart says there is a 30 bushel “yield kick” by spraying once at the 3-to-4 leaf stage versus waiting two weeks and spraying at the 7 to 8 leaf stage.
Stewart acknowledges that spraying during the first week or so of June may be impractical or unrealistic for growers or custom applicators. The solution for extending the window of opportunity, he suggests, is to consider a pre-emergent herbicide program.
Greg Stewart, OMAFRA corn specialist at Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days
“Putting down a low cost pre-emergent program gives you enough buffer that if you don’t get there until the 7 or 8 leaf-stage, you’re still in decent shape with that shot of glyphosate,” says Stewart.
Clarence Swanton added that a soil-applied treatment has other benefits. It gives you, according to Swanton an opportunity to use weed thresholds.
“You can walk the fields and make the decision whether you need to come back because you’re not locked into a two-spray system. If you know that weeds are emerging late – at the 8-leaf stage, (you know) these are non yield-threatening weeds, and they’re not an issue.
Swanton says a pre-emerge program is also good product stewardship – especially for glyphosate – because you’re getting different chemistries in the ground and not relying on the same selection pressure.
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To view these articles online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink_...tektalk.cfm
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AgriLink Upcoming Events
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Event - Growing Your Farm Profits Workshop - Pork- (second Session Nov. 2) Date - October 27, 2009 Time - 9:30 AM Place - Woodstock OMAFRA Resource Centre Contact Name - Cathy Dibble 519-463-9737 Email - cathy.dibble@ontariosoilcrop.org
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Event - Labour Force Development Summit for Elgin County Date - November 3, 2009 Time - 9:00 AM Place - Knights of Columbus Hall, 265 Wellington Street, St. Thomas Contact Name - Jane Kemp, Elgin Middlesex Oxford Local Training Board, 519-672-3499 Email - jk@localboard.on.ca
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Event - District 1 Sheep Meeting Date - November 5, 2009 Time - 8:00 PM Place - Coldstream Community Centre Contact Name - Bill Duffield
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Event - Royal Winter Fair Date - November 6,2009 to November 15, 2009 Time - All Day Event Place - Toronto, Exhibition Grounds Website - www.royalfair.org
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Event - 63rd Annual Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce Rural Urban Dinner Date - November 19, 2009 Time - 5:30 PM Place - Kinsmen Auditorium, Chatham Contact Name - (519) 352-7540 ext. 21 Email - info@chatham-kentchamber.ca
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Event - Agricultural Solutions for Energy: Biomass Date - November 24, 2009 Time - 11:30 AM Place - Ridgetown Campus Website - http://www.research2receptor.com/ridgetown.html
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Event - Bounty of the County Trade Show, 59th Annual Essex County Associated Growers Date - November 24,2009 to November 25, 2009 Time - All Day Event Place - Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex, 249 Sherk St. Contact Name - Associated Growers - 519-326-4481 Email - ecag@bellnet.ca Website - www.bountyofthecounty.ca
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Event - Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency 2009 Annual General Meeting Date - November 27,2009 to November 28, 2009 Time - All Day Event Place - Cambridge Holiday Inn - 200 Holiday Inn Drive, Cambridge ON Contact Name - Bill Duffield
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Event - Southwest Agricultural Conference Date - January 6,2010 to January 7, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Ridgetown Campus Contact Name - Ag Business Centre
519 674 1596
Website - www.southwestagconference.ca
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Event - 2010 CCA Conference Date - January 13,2010 to January 14, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - London, Best Western Lamplighter Inn, Wellington Road
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Event - 2010 OSCIA Annual Meeting Date - February 2,2010 to February 3, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Sheraton Fallsview, Niagara Falls
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Event - South Western Ontario Pork Conference Date - February 17, 2010 Place - Ridgetown Campus Contact Name - Ag Business Centre 519 674 1596
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Event - 4th Annual Growing the Margins Conference Date - March 8,2010 to March 12, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - London Convention Centre Contact Name - First Stage Enterprises; 416-426-7029 Website - www.gtmconference.ca
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Event - Western Fair Farm Show Date - March 10, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Western Fair Grounds, London Contact Name - (800) 619-4629 or (519) 438-7203 Website - http://www.westernfair.com/shows/farm.html
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To view these listings online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink..._events.cfm
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John Jordan
Editor, AgriLink and Farm Market News
University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus
Tel. 519-674-1577
Fax. 519-674-1530
E-mail: jjordan@ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca
AgriLink website : www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink
