Posted: May 11, 2010

Protecting water quality is the focus of a new grant awarded by the Monsanto Fund.

The fund has provided a grant totaling $142,500 (US) over two years to the Grand River Conservation Foundation to support the Rural Water Quality Program (RWQP) operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority. The Grand River flows 300 kilometres through southwestern Ontario from the highlands of Dufferin County to Port Maitland on Lake Erie.

The money will be used to create the Monsanto Water Conservation Fund for Farmers, according to a Monsanto news release. The new fund will allow farmers from parts of the Grand River watershed where the existing RWQP is not available to obtain the advice and financial support they need to adopt environmentally-friendly practices.

"Clean water is vital to agricultural sustainability and farmers want to find ways to conserve valuable water and soil resources on their farms." said Trish Jordan, public affairs director with Monsanto Canada. "We're confident this project will support them in their efforts."

More information is available on the Monsanto website.

Posted: May 11, 2010

Canadian corn growers will soon have a new option available in the form of a multi-pest resistance corn trait from Syngenta Seeds Canada Inc.

Full Canadian approval has been granted for the Agrisure Viptera trait, according to a Syngenta news release. The company says it offers protection against a "multi-pest complex" of lepidopteran corn pests, which includes black cutworm, Western bean cutworm, corn earworm and stalk borer, as well as sugarcane borer and fall armyworm.

In North America, infestation of these pests results in more than $1.1 billion in annual losses in yield and grain quality, says the company. "This trait will bring peace of mind to corn growers who could experience significant losses without it," says Crop Manager David Townsend.

More information is available on the Syngenta website.