Article
2018 Agbiz Congress - Technology opens new landscapes
Published: 11/07/2018
Farmers face an ever-changing landscape, while constantly striving for higher yield, resilience and desirability. They need seeds and crop protection products that address their challenges – not just by country or region, but that are laser-focused down to the acre. This was the message at the 2018 Agbiz Congress of Dr Neal Gutterson, chief technical officer R&D and product development of Corteva Agriscience.
Farmers face an ever-changing landscape, while constantly striving for higher yield, resilience and desirability. They need seeds and crop protection products that address their challenges – not just by country or region, but that are laser-focused down to the acre. This was the message at the 2018 Agbiz Congress of Dr Neal Gutterson, chief technical officer R&D and product development of Corteva Agriscience.
“Farmers are getting older and we are on the brink of a new generation. Young farmers will probably be more technologically savvy and my company’s challenge is how we are going to serve them,” Dr Gutterson said.
“Our priority is the success of the farmer. When producers thrive, our world thrives. We have to provide them with tools to understand the decisions they make, understand what they do on the farm and provide them with tools to enhance the value of their products. Farmers have to make numerous decisions daily and we want to provide them with tools to make this decision-making easier.”
Dr Gutterson said that Corteva believes in personal contact and personal relationships with farmers.
He added that Corteva realises that producers are part of the value chain and that consumer preferences are important. “People want the simplest forms of food. They do not want complex information about chemicals and GMOs. Consumers want to know where their food comes from, how it was produced, if it was organically or conventionally produced, whether the food is healthy to consume and if it was produced in a healthier way for the planet. We can offer them this,” he said.
According to Dr Gutterson modern technology provides tools that enable researchers to collect, process and understand “an enormous amount of data”. “This enables us to create more value for farmers. We can now bring farmers integrated and greatly expanded solutions that combine genetics, chemistry and precision agriculture, opening new landscapes. We help farmers maximise the value of their investment through high-performing genetics and effective science-based solutions that optimise yield and crop quality.”
He pointed out that one of the key issues of any new technology is to establish a sense of trust with farmers and consumers about the developers of that technology. “We have to ensure them that our technology resembles natural processes in nature. Technology must not only make farmers more profitable but must also take the environment into consideration. We must ensure healthier food and sustainable production.”
He said that Corteva’s integrated solution encompasses targeted breeding delivered through the utilisation of CRISPR-Cas technology, biotechnology, crop protection, applied seed technology, digital solutions and agronomic solutions.