Syngenta faces class-action lawsuits
Mid-county Crop Management Tools to help farmers manage crops efficiently
Brad Buehler
AGRONOMY
Syngenta faces class-action lawsuits
After corn prices dropped in 2013 and 2014 , farmers and farm-related businesses have been pursuing class-action lawsuits against Syngenta , a global company that produces agriculture chemicals and seeds .
The issue surfaced in 2013 , when Syngenta marketed a genetically-modified seed called Agrisure Viptera , which controls pests such as the European corn borer . This product had been approved in the US , but not in China .
According to a September 2015 article in Agriculture . com , Syngenta ’ s commercial traits manager , Duane Martin said China was not considered a key market for US corn when Viptera was first introduced in 2010 .
Most US farmers didn ’ t use Syngenta ’ s unapproved seeds , but their corn was
mixed together during storage / shipping . As a result , China rejected all corn from the US , which is said to have contributed to a decrease in the market price of US corn , regardless of variety .
“ Most US farmers didn ’ t use Syngenta ’ s unapproved seeds , but their corn was mixed together during storage / shipping .”
In 2014 , Syngenta introduced another seed , Duracade , before approval from China . Agriculture . com reports that U . S . farmers planted around 200,000 acres of Duracade corn in 2015 , and the number is predicted to stay steady next year .
Corn prices fell 40 percent in 2013 , the most of all commodities in the Standard & Poor ’ s GSCI Spot Index , according to a Bloomberg Business article .
USA Today reports that the average price of corn was a record high $ 6.89 per bushel in 2012 , versus $ 4.50 per bushel in 2013 .
The article states that the nation ’ s corn harvest was down in 2012 , due to drought , sending prices up . An abundant crop the following year was stated to have contributed to the price decline in 2013 .
Syngenta has operations in Minnesota , and is based in Switzerland . The company got into the seed-coating market more than 35 years ago .
According to an Associated Press article , agriculture-related businesses in 20 states had filed more than 360 lawsuits against Syngenta as of February 2015 .
Mid-county Crop Management Tools to help farmers manage crops efficiently
Brad Buehler
Brad Buehler has been a custom applicator at Mid County Agronomy since Aug . 3 . He grew up on a beef feedlot farm in Storm Lake , IA , and went to college for animal science at South Dakota State University . He then moved to Colorado to work on a farm with 125,000 head of cattle . While there , he met his wife , who is originally from California . The couple later moved to southern Iowa , where Brad began working as a custom applicator . They moved to Arlington this summer , due to Brad ’ s wife ’ s promotion as a safety manager . Brad is enjoying his time in Minnesota so far , and is looking forward to ice fishing this winter and setting up an area for blacksmithing .
Although you can ’ t be with your crops 24 / 7 , you can easily keep an eye on them with Mid-County Crop Management .
This year , we ’ ve incorporated the Climate Basic TM and Climate Pro TM software into our program for added benefit . The scouting feature lets you see pictures of your fields , so you can easily pinpoint trouble spots . Whether it ’ s a dry patch , a low area , or a section that ’ s in need of extra fertilizer , you ’ ll have the data to allocate your resources efficiently , and take action before it reduces your yield .
With our standard crop management package our scouts provide updates on crop health , projected pest threats , and field conditions . You also receive text and email notifications regarding rain totals and hail alerts . Rainfall is measured field-by-field ,
ensuring that you are receiving the most accurate information for your operation .
The elite package provides all of the benefits of the standard , plus other yield optimization tools . Each field is identified via satellite , providing current and historical images to help correct yield issues . Another advantage of the elite package is nitrogenlevel tracking to prevent a potential deficiency .
Mid-County ’ s Crop Management program is for farms of all sizes . Some of our customers have less than 50 acres , while others operate more than 2,000 .
Give us a call today at ( 952 ) 466-3730 if you ’ re interested in signing up or learning more about what our crop management system can do for you .
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