A Walk Through the Yields of Tomorrow
Every year farmers pour through the gates of the Farm Progress Show to see the latest and greatest technology in agriculture. This year was no different, and the crowds flocked to the Yields of Tomorrow tour at the Monsanto tents to see what the company had to offer.
"With the Yields of Tomorrow tour we have the opportunity to bring to life Monsanto's sustainable agriculture commitment," said Dion McBay, Monsanto U.S. Traits Marketing Manager. "With the tour, we're able to visit with our customers about how we can use breeding, biotechnology and better agronomy to help double yields.”
The tour started in the Farm Progress Lab, which featured two pieces of technology laying the groundwork for Monsanto’s commitment – the genome sequencer and the corn chipper. The genome sequencer allows Monsanto researchers to map the genetic blueprint of a plant. This means they can look at the plant at the molecular level and determine which characteristics cause a particular plant to perform the way it does (i.e. higher yield, improved disease resistance, etc.) They then take this knowledge and apply it to breeding and the integration of biotech traits – all without ever having to grow a plant in the ground. With the genome sequencer, Monsanto researchers are able to learn in 10 days what it used to take them 10 years of research to discover – that’s why it’s playing an integral role in the company’s commitment to double yields by 2030.
The corn chipper is an intricate piece of technology that provides a single chip of tissue from corn varieties for analysis. Because our breeders can analyze one chip of the seed and know the characteristics the plant will have, the corn chipper has reduced breeding resources by 800 percent, and helps Monsanto get high-performing products into farmers’ fields faster than before. This technology was responsible for the development of Genuity™ SmartStax™ corn, the newest product to come out of the Monsanto pipeline.
The second stop of the tour brings visitors into Monsanto’s triangle shaped plot. The triangle plot reinforced the tripod of biotechnology, breeding, and agronomic practices as the tools to doubling yields. The plot demonstrated how far corn yields have come over the past several decades, from the unruly open-pollinated varieties of the 1930s, to the corn varieties we see today with Roundup Ready® technology and superior pest control. Along the way, visitors could easily see the change in average yields over the years -- from 25 bushels in 1930 to today’s average of nearly 160 bushels.
As the tour continued, visitors also saw how soybean yields have changed throughout the decades. Moving from the publicly developed varieties of the 1950’s, which yielded an average of approximately 25 bushels an acre, to the varieties today, which yield around 50 bushels an acre on average. It was easy for visitors to see how far agriculture has come.
“I really admired the fact that you're walking in a virtual walk through time, from where we've been in the industry, and where we're at, and where we see ourselves going down the road,” Jerry Harbour, Illinois seed dealer, said of the tour. “[The tour] provided a lot of information in a short period of time.”
After looking at breeding advancements, visitors then continued on to the next leg of the triangle – biotechnology. Here, they were introduced to the Genuity™ family of traits and Monsanto’s pipeline of products. At this stop, farmers were given a first-hand look at some of the groundbreaking technologies coming in the pipeline. In soybeans, they saw things such as dicamba-tolerant and insect-resistant products, as well as products that can provide better oils for consumers. In corn, they saw technologies such as drought-tolerance, which can enable farmers to reduce the impact of moisture stress, and refuge-in-a-bag, which can help farmers increase yield and efficiency in planting.
From breeding and biotech, visitors then got a look at the last piece of increasing yields -- agronomic practices.
Planting populations, which is determined by the widths between rows in the field, play a big role in yield determination, and for many farmers this is a guessing game. That’s why Monsanto is conducting research with the Generation V planter, which is a research planter that’s at the center of Monsanto’s prescriptive planting recommendations. This research tool allows Monsanto to discover the best planting populations for a specific hybrid or variety. This data, combined with technology from soil variability mapping from Earth Map Solutions, and processed by unique predictive modeling software, creates know-how that allows farmers to establish yield goals, select the right hybrids, and determine the right plant populations to help maximize yield potential.
"I had to go through all the seed tents," Shawn Lewis, an Illinois farmer, said. "I started with the best one first. Monsanto was first, it was all down hill from there." Lewis believes it’s important for a company to deliver on the products in their pipeline. "When Monsanto tells you what they're going to do, they deliver, period."
As in years past, the Yields of Tomorrow tour provided farmers with the confidence that technology is being developed by a company that is committed to agriculture and has repeatedly delivered the products farmers want and need on their farms. And this company has committed to do it in the future – while continuing to improve the sustainability of agriculture.
Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Biotechnology Industry Organization.
IMPORTANT: Grain Marketing and Seed Availability: Genuity™ SmartStax™ has received the necessary approvals in the United States, however, as of 9/24/2009, approvals have not been received in certain major corn export markets. Genuity™ SmartStax™ will not be launched and seed will not be available until after import approvals are received in appropriate major corn export markets. B.t. products, including Genuity™ SmartStax™ may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity™, Roundup®, Roundup Ready®, SmartStax™, and SmartStax and Design™ are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. LibertyLink and the Water Droplet Design® is a registered trademark of Bayer. Herculex is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Respect the Refuge® and Respect the Refuge and Corn Design® are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2009 Monsanto Company.
