In today's episode, the challenge and opportunity of hybrid wheat. We've discussed previously how much hybrid corn has increased corn yields over the past century. Wheat is an important crop around the world; but why haven't hybrids been commercialized in the same way? Today we take a look at how agriscience is changing the game for hybrid wheat. Corteva Agriscience is on the cusp of making hybrid wheat a commercial reality.

Global Wheat Lead for Corteva Agriscience Jessie Alt works with a team of field breeders to produce new varietal wheat that is suited for local conditions. Originally from a farm in southern Minnesota, Jessie spent the first part of her career as a soybean breeder. She joined the wheat team six years ago and says the challenge of bringing hybrid wheat to the market was a big part of what excited her about the opportunity.

“ I think hybrid wheat is the most exciting plant innovation that I have been involved with in my career…It's a hard problem to crack. I think it will really change farmer profitability with wheat. And it brings that next level of tech and innovation that I believe the wheat crop has been missing.” - Jessie Alt, Ph.D.

Brad Erker is the CEO of Colorado Wheat, which is an umbrella term used to describe three different wheat organizations that he manages in Colorado. The Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee, the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers, and the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation.  Brad grew up on a wheat farm in eastern Colorado, but spent part of his early career in the Midwest as a corn breeder. He has been back focused on wheat full-time for the past 21 years.

“ If the technology does provide a value to the farmer, they will adopt it…But it definitely is a different scenario than in corn and soy. For one, it's grown in more marginal land. It's grown more out west, where the rainfall is much lower, the inputs are much lower. The mentality of the farmer, I think, is quite different when it comes to input costs in general, whether it be cost of seed or seed treatment or fertilizer rates or cost of equipment. All of those things I think are different in that wheat space than in the corn and soy space.” - Brad Erker

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1. A completely novel approach to the wheat sterility problem of using color sorting technology to separate parent seed
2. Any new commercial innovation is going to begin with return on investment (ROI), but it doesn’t end there. Risk mitigation is also very important, among other considerations
3. Innovations like hybrid wheat are the result of convergence of years of research and development with large discoveries both inside and outside of agriculture. The wheat genome plus the ability to color sort at scale makes this process possible

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In today’s episode, we start to unpack the category of biologicals. Are biological products ready for prime time on the farm, or still struggling to prove their return on investment? Where are biologicals finding traction and what are the barriers and opportunities for this category going forward?

To begin to peel back some of the layers of this nuanced topic, we’ll speak with Corteva researcher Josh Armstrong, who leads Corteva’s integrated discovery and bioprocess department.

 ”What I see is sort of this confluence of opportunities with new formulation technologies, production technologies, genetic engineering technologies that are setting us up to have a next generation of biological products that are going to truly deliver the kind of efficacy and performance that growers have come to expect from crop protection chemistry.” - Josh Armstrong

We’ll also visit with California grower, Joe Coelho, a 4th generational farmer who grows a number of specialty crops, including citrus, pistachios, and almonds. Joe also has a day job where he serves as the director of sustainability and member outreach for American Pistachio Growers. Joe brings a deep understanding of the need for any new product to show its value, and has a long history of understanding the importance of enhancing biology on the farm.

“You have to consider these things almost like investments that are - if you think about it operationally - capex  versus opex. It’s going to take you some time. It's an investment into your soil. And it’s not a bandaid approach, and you're getting more out of everything when you make that investment.” - Joe Coelho

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1.  Biologicals are a lot more than just the “bugs in a jug”. This is a vast, complex, and dynamic part of agriculture. With agriscience and technology, new and novel solutions are emerging all the time.
2.  Effective and economical uses for biological products are going to require new systems, new mindsets, and new approaches. It's unlikely that farmers will simply apply a biological product instead of a chemical product in the exact same way, at least not in the short run.
3.  This is just the beginning. Biologicals have already come a long way over the years, but there is so much yet to come, which makes this an exciting topic to explore but also one that leaves us with a lot of questions yet to be answered.

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In this episode, what would a truly renewable biofuel look like? Well, the feedstock would have to come from a crop that is productive, profitable, and resilient to grow. And one that has a low carbon intensity score that’s going to displace minimal amounts of acres of other cash crops. Could winter canola be that crop? It’s sure looking that way, in the mid-south at least.

Today we hear from Chad Berghoerfer, global product director for biofuels for Corteva Agriscience. He shares about the partnership between Corteva, Bunge, and Chevron Ag Renewables to put the technology and infrastructure in place to work with farmers and expand winter canola acreage in the mid-south. Chad has been with Corteva Agriscience for over 23 years and has regularly worked in new ventures from corn breeding to precision agriculture to drones and a lot in between. He has been focused on growing winter canola for renewable biofuels for the past three years.

“ There hasn't been a new cropping system in the United States in quite some time to this size and degree..” - Chad Berghoerfer

You’ll also hear from Jamison Turner today, a farmer in Western Tennessee who has been growing winter canola over the past two years. Jamison provides a really clear picture of what winter canola looks like from a farmer’s perspective.

“ Canola had a bad rap in our area. That was the biggest thing that came up in conversation first is: are you worried about producing this and not getting paid? And I told them ‘no’. No more than I would be any other crop that we've grown. So that's been the first thing.” - Jamison Turner

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1.  What it takes to bring a new cropping system to market. Winter canola is not new in the mid-south. But it took a coordinated effort throughout the value chain with Corteva Agriscience, Bunge, and Chevron Ag renewables to make this a viable option for farmers like Jamison Turner.
2.  Soil health requires incentives. If we want to keep living roots in that soil, it has to “pencil out” for farmers, especially in tough economic times. This winter canola crop is an interesting way to do that.
3.  The importance of resilience in the system. Crops like winter canola can be not only productive and profitable, but also resilient to the tough conditions that Mother Nature can throw at them.

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Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In today's episode: how can technology help with timing on the farm? We're talking specifically about fungicide applications and a tool that uses the power of artificial intelligence to signal when the optimal time is for a fungicide application within the spectrum of timing per label directions.

Today you’ll hear from Corteva Agriscience research scientist Layton Peddicord about this fungicide timing tool, how it works and why it works. You’ll also hear from Illinois farmer Makenna Green about her experiences with the tool on her family’s farm. Makenna is the sixth generation in her family to farm in East Central Illinois where they primarily grow corn and soybeans. After graduating from college she came back to her family’s operation, Heritage Family Farms, a couple of years ago.

“ That disease triangle that we talk about with the host, environment and pathogen, I can't put all of those things together as well as something like this model can do. And so we really feel like it gives a peace of mind because it's able to factor in things that we can't factor in to decide on timing.” - Makenna Green

Like a lot of things in farming, fungicide timing is part science, part experience, part intuition and maybe even a little bit of luck. Researchers at Corteva Agriscience saw this as an opportunity to utilize the latest in data and technology to provide more data-driven recommendations to farmers. Layton Peddicord says the idea behind the fungicide timing tool is to improve the return on investment for farmer customers.

“ We've had research ROI trials for fungicide kind of side-by-sides, comparing our Corteva timing versus the grower standard timing back since 2020…We've been averaging around five bushel advantage compared to the grower timing and typically our average is compared to the untreated checked are around nine to ten bushel. So it's been very promising so far.” - Layton Peddicord

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1. Timing is everything. As we've discussed on the show before, a great product isn't enough on its own to produce a profitable crop. The management piece is so critical.
2. With all of the constantly changing variables in any given year, these types of models seem uniquely suited to help. As McKenna stated, keeping all of the information in your head to make a decision about timing is simply not feasible.
3. It's not the “normal” years you often need to worry about. It's those years when the conditions are just right for some of these pathogens, and none of us know what the future might hold.

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In this episode, we’re going to dive even deeper into the science and behind making reduced stature corn a reality. Plant physiologist Jeff Habben has been with Corteva Agriscience for about 30 years and has developed a tremendous depth of knowledge and expertise about how corn and soybean plants grow, develop and function.

“ Hormones are very powerful molecules, and so what you can do is that you can develop bioassays that look at the level of hormones or how the hormones are sensed in plants. That's how we learned about how gibberellins, for example, can affect plant heights…The trick is that these hormones just don't control one thing. They control many different things in the plant. And the other part too is that these hormones interact with each other. So you need to know not just a specific hormone that you're interested in, but how they interact too. So it makes it very complex.” - Jeff Habben

Southwest Iowa farmer John Becker farms about 2,000 acres and has also been a Pioneer sales representative since 2009. As both a farmer and a seed rep, Becker understands better than most that when it comes to genetics, one size does not fit all and everything comes with its own risks and rewards. Together, our two guests walk us through the decision making and process in introducing and developing new varieties.

“  I mean it's no different than a stock portfolio when you look at your lineup for seed. Every single product has risks and rewards. We're excited as all get out because we have a lineup that has many, many less risks than we have had in the past… But my job is to individually work with every single customer and make sure that we put together a plan. It's my job to make sure that I know every single operational need. Everybody wants yield, but some people are more risk takers than others.” - John Becker

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1. The approach John Becker takes to help evaluate risk and potential rewards with producers in his area.
2. The complex process Jeff Habben must use to evaluate hormone activity and its reaction in the plant growing process
3. The future is bright with producers, agronomists and scientists working together to solve problems on the farm to meet consumers needs

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In today's episode: Does corn really need to be so tall? It's time to explore this concept of reduced stature corn, otherwise commonly referred to as short corn. When you picture a mature cornfield, I imagine you're probably thinking of tall green stalks, towering overhead, and there are some agronomic advantages and disadvantages to this.

So some corn breeders are developing varieties that are intentionally shorter. One of those breeders is Dr. Sarah Lira, who you've already heard from on this show back on episode eight when she was talking about perennial ground cover.

“ And that's basically the system we're setting up for breeders with short corn, is that they can focus on selecting on yield and they can focus on selecting on yield in higher densities. So when you can plant the plants in a higher density, they're not going to get tall and fall over. So you can continue to select on yield more aggressively than we've ever been able to do before.” - Dr. Sara Lira

Sarah has also been working on some shorter corn varieties and this concept of reduced stature corn. It has a lot of farmers intrigued. Blake Johnson is one of those farmers. He's a fifth generation corn farmer in Nebraska.

“ Probably the most exciting thing that we've been looking at on the horizon that is not here yet is short statured corn, because when we're in the high yielding environment. We're wanting to push populations. A lot of times when you push that population, those plants are gonna fight in that competitive environment and actually get taller than they should.” - Blake Johnson

Some takeaways from this episode include:

1. The very real problem of lodging, which is creating real demand for reduced stature corn.
2. The idea that reduced stature corn could actually have just as much plant residue as standard corn.
3. It’s definitely interesting to get a glimpse into the research and development pipeline, and encouraging to hear of the first trait reaching the field in the coming years.

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In today’s episode we dive into a critical topic that is usually hidden in plain sight: formulation science.

It’s easy to think of agricultural products as straightforward chemistries that get sprayed from a tank. An insecticide is an insecticide; a fungicide is a fungicide. The active ingredient is what is going to give us the outcome we want. But a product is not just made up of that active ingredient. How a particular product is formulated really makes all of the difference.

“ When it comes to formulations on the farm, I'm not your typical scientist…I rely on that person that is selling me that product to really give me good advice. And I've never really had a problem with formulations until this last year.” - Lance Lillibridge

 Lucky for all of us, there are people who do want to be that scientist. John Atkinson is one of them. John leads the global application technology research and development team at Corteva Agriscience. For the past 13 years or so, he has developed countless formulations for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. Each one comes with its own unique challenges and approaches.

 ”We're trying to troubleshoot the product and (trying) to understand, before we set the final composition…What are the challenges the farmer is going to encounter? How do we design a robust, reliable product? And just really try to think from the grower's perspective and really understand the use case for the product to ultimately develop a strong product.” - John Atkinson

Some Takeaways from this episode include:

1. This field of formulation science is as overlooked as it is critical. Very few of us think about formulation science but every one of us relies on experts like John.
2. New technology continues to change the game. Whether that’s biologicals, precision spray equipment or artificial intelligence, this formulation science area is going to need to continue to adapt.
3. The care that Lance, John, and everyone in this industry has about the impact of farming on people and the environment is evident. Whether it is safety, water quality or soil health, these considerations come up time and again.

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.

In today’s episode: what might it look like to create a better cover crop system? A group of researchers and farmers are seeking to answer this question.

Cover crops can help reduce soil erosion, preserve soil biology, build organic matter, suppress weeds and improve water and nutrient retention. So why do fewer than 10% of US row crop acres incorporate cover crops? There is risk involved. The seed costs money and if the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can waste precious capital and not even get a stand. And some cover crops can be difficult to terminate, requiring herbicides, mowing, crimping or tillage, all of which can add costs and labor.

“Rather than trying to breed species that are directly competing for the same resource: light water, nutrients…The proper way is actually to breed them so that they're living in their own niche.” - Sara Lira, Ph.D.

How can advances in science and management help them to become a viable option for more farmers? That’s the question Dr. Sara Lira and colleagues have been asking. Sara is a research scientist at Corteva Agriscience who has been working with farmers like Chris Gaesser, who you will also hear from on this episode. Chris farms in southwest Iowa and has conducted on-farm collaborations with Sara over the years.

“There's always something green on the ground. You're going to (have) a lot less nutrient leaching. The weed suppression is there, so you're creating a very stable environment…and ideally it's saving you some passes throughout the year.” - Chris Gaesser

Some Takeaways from this episode include:

1. This perennial groundcover approach is a novel way of incorporating more perennials into our existing farming systems without sacrificing yield.
2. There is no silver bullet in agriculture. Although this approach seems to be working great in a strip till system, it’s still not as effective in no-till. This emphasizes the need for more science and more solutions to fit a variety of situations.
3. This is a great example of why farmer/researcher collaboration is so important. The solutions of the future will come from cutting edge science and technology, but also improvements in management practices and the ability to put all the pieces together on your individual farm.

Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.