Dow AgroSciences to expand its traits business.Name: Ben Kaehler Title: Traits and Germplasm Licensing Leader, Dow AgroSciences Dow AgroSciences LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company specializing in not only agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, but also seeds and biotechnology solutions. The company is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. , Indianapolis, IN Education/Career: B.S. in agricultural economics Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock - a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. from North Dakota State University North Dakota State University, at Fargo; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered and opened 1890 as North Dakota Agricultural College, achieved university status in 1960. . A 20-year veteran of Dow AgroSciences, he joined the company out of college as a sales rep in central Minnesota Central Minnesota is the name of the region consisting of the central portion of the state of Minnesota. Although no specific boundaries of the region exist, most definitions of what makes up the region would generally consist of the vast swath of land north of Interstate 94, east . Prior to current position, he was sales leader for Mycogen Seeds Mycogen Seeds provides quality seeds with proven high-performing genetics and the latest trait technology. Mycogen is the largest sunflower seed producer, the leader in Silage-Specific™ corn and a top grain corn seed producer. in the Plant Genetics and Biotechnology Group. Responsibilities: Educates and promotes the adoption of traits with many seed companies. AM: What is new in trait technology at Dow AgroSciences? BK: Dow AgroSciences is committed to agriculture and to all the markets we serve. We're continually introducing reliable, innovative solutions. Specific to traits, during 2005, we received full U.S. regulatory approvals for two new traits products in com, which came on the heels of a late-2004 approval of our in-plant insect-protection trait for cotton. AM: How are these new traits branded? BK: Our new trait technology in corn is part of the Herculex[R] Insect Protection brand. Herculex RW Rootworm root·worm n. Any of several beetles of the genus Diabrotica, the larvae of which feed on the roots of various crop plants, especially corn. Protection provides powerful protection against corn rootworm. Herculex XTRA XTRA Extra XTRA X-band Thin Radar Aperture (US DoD) XTRA Xml Transaction Architecture Insect Protection combines the broad-spectrum above-ground insect protection of Herculex I Insect Protection with the powerful below-ground protection against corn rootworm of Herculex RW to provide the broadest-spectrum in-plant insect protection for corn on the market today. Additionally, we now are licensing Herculex I plus Roundup Ready[R] Corn 2 technology to other seed companies through a global agreement with Monsanto. We also will offer Herculex XTRA stacked with Roundup Ready Corn 2. In cotton, we've launched WideStrike[TM] Insect Protection--a two gene Bt trait--for season-long, broadspectrum lepidopteran lepidopteran Any of the more than 155,000 species constituting the order Lepidoptera (Greek: “scaly wing”): butterflies, moths, and skippers. The name refers to the dusting of minute scales that covers the wings and bodies of these insects. control. It's available to the market in PhytoGen[TM] cottonseed cottonseed seed of the cotton plant. Made into cake after oil extraction and used as feed for livestock. cottonseed cake or meal contains gossypol and causes hepatitis and degeneration of cardiac muscle. varieties. PhytoGen is a joint venture with the J.G. Boswell Company. AM: Who is the customer ... and how are your new traits being taken to the marketplace ? Why in this manner? BK: Ultimately, our customer is the com or cotton grower who is interested in adding the latest, most advanced in-plant insect protection technology in proven genetics to their operation. We serve these customers through our branded businesses, Mycogen Seeds and PhytoGen Seed Company, of through our licensing efforts in the corn market with more than 140 retail seed companies. Bringing these traits to market in this manner allows us to capture value on more acres through our own retail seed brands and through our licensees. Most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially , we're maximizing options for growers. AM: Why is Dow AgroSciences in the traits business? BK: Dow AgroSciences has been working to develop proprietary traits for many years. In fact, we were granted patents both for the development of Bt's in plants and for glyphosate-tolerant technologies in cotton by the U.S. Patent Office. Plant Genetics and Biotechnology is one of the emerging businesses at Dow AgroSciences, offering us the opportunity to utilize plant genetics to improve the quality of life by increasing the quality and quantity of products derived from plants. Our traits licensing business is integral to this mission. AM: Anything else about this new Dow AgroSciences business that the AgriMarketing reader would find of interest? BK: First, we don't consider traits a new business at Dow AgroSciences. Thanks to millions of dollars and many years invested in research and development, combined with a unique ability to commercialize intellectual property, Dow AgroSciences is among the world leaders For a list of heads of state, see . World leaders is a MMORPG. The game involves creating a state, joining an alliance and going into war. It is mostly played by players from Israel, China, USA, Britain, Brazil and Saudi-Arabia. in bringing in-plant crop protection traits to market. We also have one of the world's largest libraries of Bt--more than 6,000 strains and more than 40 patents. But the introduction of new genetic traits, such as insect or disease resistance, via biotechnology does not reduce the importance of superior germplasm in the host plant. Nor does it replace the need for plant science and plant breeding. We work to combine novel genetic traits with elite germplasm to develop crops that thrive while expressing the desired trait. Several years of market research showed that seed companies and corn and cotton growers want to diversify their trait and technology options. Dow AgroSciences is committed to filling that need. In addition, Dow AgroSciences is applying this expertise in plant genetics to develop plant-made solutions for improved animal health and food safety. This year, Dow AgroSciences became the first company to register a plant-made vaccine--an achievement that will revolutionize the field of preventive medicine preventive medicine, branch of medicine dealing with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health practices. Until recently preventive medicine was largely the domain of the U.S. with plant-cell-produced vaccines. |
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