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Developing products that perform despite weather extremes

The CEO of Syngenta says weather extremes have shifted how the company advances research and product development.  “Instead of just trying to develop seeds and crop protection products to maximize yields under normal conditions,” Erik Fyrwald says. “Syngenta is trying to develop products that have the highest yield potential but also have resilience.”

He says advancing high-performing traits into products is important, but Syngenta is also focused on developing better management practices.  “To enable the soil to be healthier and make their farming more resilient,” he says.  “Farmers here today could see the examples of what we were doing with here at Malta with no-till, with cover crops, with cover crops planted together with soybeans.  Different practices to try to see how that makes the planting and the farming more resilient.”

Fyrwald says putting the right system in place helps farmers optimize crop performance and maximize their return on investment.  “Figuring out what is the right seed,” he says.  “But also what is right for that farm for that year? What is the right population density? What is the right time to plant?  And then once the crops are out of the ground, what’s the right way to protect the crop?”

Brownfield interviewed Fyrwald at the recent grand opening of the Syngenta Research and Development Center in Malta, Illinois. 

AUDIO: Erik Fyrwald, CEO Syngenta

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