Summary: Genetics is no longer in the background

The agronomist could easily spend an hour over coffee sharing some of the details of transgenic crops with their customer. The 840 acres ahead of them today, however is motivation to distill the story to the most important facts. In twenty minutes they share a table that explains the attributes of the commercial events the customer may encounter and why the Bt hybrid in this field should resist rootworms but will not have resistance to ECB. They also review the other Bt hybrid numbers the customer planted to make sure the customer understands which insect pest each hybrid will resist. The customer is also invited to look at some of the new stacked hybrids being evaluated in the area. Finally, they ask the farmer if later they can visit about adding hybrid selection to the menu of services the agronomist provides.

As the Agronomist heads out the driveway on to the next field, our agronomist smiles. They are amazed at the range of details that are an important part of their business. Genetics has always been important in crop production but now it is tied more directly to decision making and all these ‘Bts’ can be confusing. This morning, they were certain that making an effort to keep up with some of the details helped provide a better service for this new customer.