This is Agriscience Explained: from science to solutions. A podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and fa...
Digital agriculture, decision science and generative artificial intelligence (AI) all converge into a new tool for agronomists and seed sales reps. How will this enhance the way trusted advisors make recommendations to farmers? Imagine you're an agronomist traveling from farm to farm. You have an assistant riding along in your passenger seat who can answer your every question about product information, yield history, etc. They're with you all of the time and they seem to be able to recall any relevant piece of information you want or need in seconds. They have access to a vast network of pooled knowledge covering many years and many different geographies that can easily be condensed into a casual conversation. By now most of us have heard of ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic or one of the other chat-type AI interfaces. These tools utilize generative AI because they can predict patterns in data and use them to provide information that is relevant and tailored to specific questions and requests. Corteva Agriscience has recently introduced CARL, a new AI-driven tool to help agronomic advisors. Matt Smalley, Ph.D. has led the effort to get a new generative AI tool into the hands of Corteva agronomists and sales reps. In today’s episode, we’re going to not only talk about this tool, but also better understand where digital fits in the modern farm, and what difference artificial intelligence could make in our ability to execute better agronomic decisions. ”Project CARL stands for Corteva Agronomic Research Library… it's a generative model, kind of like ChatGPT, that's been augmented with Corteva agronomic research library. And so it has increased skill in answering questions in the agronomic realm. And it's also been augmented with Pioneer product information.” - Matt Smalley, Ph.D.Agronomy Innovation Manager Mike Anderegg is an early user of CARL, and part of the team helping to get it into the hands of Corteva Agronomists. “ The data influx that we have had for a number of years has raised the question: now what do we do with it? …We are starting to discover what we can do with it…I think we're still just scratching the surface of what we can do with that next level of intelligence.” - Mike AndereggSome Takeaways from this episode include:Corteva’s shift from selling digital products to implementing decision science in every aspect of the business. It was the right move at the right time, and I opened the door for something like Project CARL when the time was right. Generative artificial intelligence is changing the way we interact with data. Tools like CARL are removing so many friction points from the old way of accessing data. Just chat with it like you would chat with a mentor or colleague to find the answer you want. Like gene editing, we are just barely starting to see the early signs of what will ultimately be possible. As these tools emerge, they don’t displace the agronomist or other trusted advisors. Those relationships are more important than ever. But the most vulnerable to these big technological shifts are those that refuse to embrace it. Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
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31:22
Gene Editing: Pathway to Progress
In today’s episode, we look into the path forward for gene editing in agriculture. What will that look like for farmers and for consumers? In our last episode we clarified some of the key differences between gene editing and transgenic crops, or what most know as GMOs. Transgenic crops have been widely adopted over the past 30 years, but very few gene edited crops are currently on the market. Why is that and what will it take to make this technology more widely available? To tackle these questions and others, we are joined by Corteva Agriscience global leader of regulatory and stewardship Reza Rasoulpour. He’s a molecular and cellular biologist by training who has been with the company for over 18 years.Reza describes Corteva’s newly launched Genlytix gene editing ecosystem designed to accelerate sustainable agriculture, specifically in seed and biological products. “When you think about gene editing, anyone can gene edit. I mean, it's almost a democratized type of technology, It's really accelerated plant breeding. So the only way to maximize the value for everyone in agriculture is to be more vocal and take a much more collaborative approach… It would be a shame if misinterpretation and the wrong kind of assumptions for this type of technology led to regulators or others inhibiting the opportunity for local solutions to local problems.” - Reza RasoulpourHeather Hampton Knodle is a fourth generation farmer in south central Illinois. She joins the episode as well to pose some of the questions she has as a farmer and mother thinking about the future. Heather poses important questions about this technology and some ideas she has for real problems on the farm that this technology might help to solve down the road. Some Takeaways from this episode include:Gene editing is following the same process as traditional breeding, just a lot more precise. Reza uses a book analogy to describe the difference between putting two books together in hopes of some of the words ending up in the right place (traditional breeding) vs just finding one word in the book to change out to get a desired outcome (gene editing). This is a fundamentally different technology that will require a different approach. I was surprised at how accessible these tools are, and it makes sense that the tool itself is not going to be what is proprietary for companies, so working together collaboratively through an ecosystem like Genlytix could be really powerful. Scientists have been working on gene editing in agriculture for over a decade, and the big catalyst will be global regulatory approval. Reza emphasizes the need to continue the positive momentum in this area. There is a lot happening in the world, but the ramifications for putting these tools in the hands of farmers given the current stakes are just too significant to be put on the back burner. Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
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28:31
Today is Yesterday's Future
In today’s episode, we begin to explore the tremendous opportunities that are emerging as a result of gene editing. This ability to apply cutting-edge technology to crops is distinctly different from transgenic or GMO approaches, and its impact could be even greater on the future of food and agriculture. It shouldn’t seem far-fetched that breakthroughs in genetics can really impact things on the farm, because we’ve seen it before. Both the scientist on today’s episode, Dr. Dave Bubeck, and the farmer, Heather Hampton Knodle, remember clearly what things were like when transgenic crops hit the market. Dr. Dave Bubeck is a research director at Corteva Agriscience, and has been working for seed companies for over 33 years. He works in the seed product development group and spends a lot of his time with the seed commercialization team.“ That's the real advantage of genome editing is that we'll get to a speed of product development that is far beyond what we could do with conventional breeding.” - Dave Bubeck, Ph.D.Heather Hampton Knodle is a fourth generation farmer in south central Illinois. Like others carrying on a legacy of farming, she has seen first hand the impact some biotechnology can have on the industry. ”There's just kind of this implicit trust that some scientist somewhere is going to be working on this. I think many people have taken for granted the type of seed and genetic technology that we've been able to tap into.” - Heather Hampton KnodleSome Takeaways from this episode include: We really are on the cusp of some incredible breakthroughs that could come from these gene editing tools. Advancements that have taken years if not decades through traditional breeding can be sped up dramatically for the benefit of producers and consumers.Gene editing is not just GMO 2.0 - there is a lot of nuance that makes gene editing a game changer beyond what GMOs have been able to do. Every one in the industry has a role to play in agriscience innovation. The farmer and the scientist have to trust each other that each is specializing and advancing their field for all of our benefits. Agriscience Explained is a podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
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28:57
Invisible Pest Management
In today’s episode we explore how nematodes might be impacting your crop without you even knowing it. These microscopic worms are everywhere; they are the most abundant multicellular organism on the planet. But often, they go completely unnoticed because they can’t be seen without a microscope. What we most often see in agriculture is their impact on crops. Whether you grow row crops like soybeans, specialty crops like vegetables, or permanent crops like grapes, it’s important to know your nematodes. Corteva nematologist Dr. Tim Thoden discusses his work both from the perspective of someone fascinated with nematodes, and someone who acknowledges the enormous impact they can have on farmers. “It is believed that the damage that nematodes globally do is around $120 billion to $150 billion US dollars per year…it's a huge economic damage.” - Tim Thoden, Ph.D.California raisin grape grower Michael Logoluso has seen the impacts of nematodes for the past three decades. He is a farm manager for Lion Farms which is a large grower and packer of dried-on-the-vine California raisins.“We need a few tools in our toolbox, right? So Salibro would be one of them…I think going forward it's going to make the other tools that we have available at this current time have a little more life on the shelf.” - Michael LogolusoLogoluso and Thoden discuss the economic impact of nematodes, modern agricultural practices for managing these microscopic pests, and the development of new solutions like Corteva's Reklemel, a synthetic nematicide sold under the name Salibro. They cover the complexities of nematode management, the role of healthy soils, and integrated pest management strategies while emphasizing the need for continuous innovation and respectful treatment of the environment.Some takeaways from this episode include: The sheer volume of these organisms. They are the most abundant multicellular organism on the planet, and three out of every four multicellular organisms are nematodes. The fact that scientists are not only looking for effective solutions, but targeted solutions that don’t hurt soil biology. This emphasizes the need for products that are intended to fit into an integrated approach by being effective against pests but not taking away from soil health. How much these organisms fly under the radar because they can’t be seen by the naked eye. The pest might be invisible without a microscope, but the devastation they can cause is very real.Agriscience Explained is a podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
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33:16
Journey of a Seed
In today’s episode, what does it take to build a world record hybrid? And why does it take so long to develop new hybrids? We follow the journey of the seed from inbreds to hybrids to traits to production to commercial products.Our guide on this journey of the seed will be Corteva Agriscience digital seed lead and distinguished laureate Dean Podlich. You heard from Dean in our last episode about the history of agriscience innovation as it relates to genetics. Today, you’ll get a peak into what all goes into the latest and greatest in crop genetics, specifically as it relates to corn. Dean describes all of this work, this journey of a seed to preparation for the main event, which is what happens on farms every year across the world. “ This is what drives this long-term genetic gain: this constant obsession about creating new variation, measuring it in all the ways that we described, and identifying ones that are going to be superior on the farm and continuing that process over and over again.” - Dean PodlichVirginia farmer David Hula joins the show to highlight what can happen when quality genetics meets excellent management practices. Hula earned world record corn yield of 623.8439 bushels per acre with a hybrid from Corteva Agriscience. “ That is probably the most stressful time that I have is picking the hybrids. Because we try to position hybrids for particular acres.” - David Hula The journey of a seed is rigorous, nuanced, and complex. It starts with a seemingly infinite number of possibilities and involves slowly narrowing those down through what Dean Podlich describes as a gauntlet process to eventually end up with a couple dozen products with potential.Some takeaways from this episode include: There is so much that goes into the journey of a seed, from the germplasm to prediction and selection to hybrids to transgenes and the regulatory process that comes with that to production and commercialization. It’s a multi-year global process that requires an enormous effort along the way. The analogy of the R&D process being like preparing for the Olympics. All of the work that goes into the agriscience and innovation is important, but the race still needs to be run on the farm.David Hula’s paradigm of recruiting and surrounding themselves with the right team. It fits well with this Olympics theme. These relationships are more than just company/customer, they should be a trust-based collaborative effort to maximize productivity and profitability on the farm. Agriscience Explained is a podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
This is Agriscience Explained: from science to solutions. A podcast brought to you by Corteva Agriscience. Host Tim Hammerich visits with both scientists and farmers about how agricultural innovations are discovered, developed and deployed on the farm.
Farming is a business, profit is never guaranteed. To manage risk and give the crop the best possible chance of success, farmers rely on the latest in management practices, and some really cutting edge science. We call it agriscience. This study brings together biology, chemistry, agronomy, ecology, physics, genetics, data science and numerous other fields to find the best possible solutions for farmers.
It’s complex, and it’s changing fast. The stakes have never been higher to equip farmers with the best possible tools for a productive, profitable and sustainable crop.
France