Robb Fraley, Monsanto chief technology officer, is excited about the future, but he's looking for new ways to explain new technology with non farmers.
Monsanto has been on a roll these days, as the St. Louis based firm integrates its recent acquisitions with existing seed and trait businesses.
The recent buying craze started with the purchase of Precision Plantation in May of 2012. "It used to be seeds at planting would land on top of the field, others would land below where you wanted to plant them," Fraley, Monsanto's executive vice president and chief technology officer, said during a recent interview with Agriculture.com. "Now, were talking about a planter precisely controlled by hydraulics, with picket fence stands occurring."
In 2013, Monsanto also expanded into biotechnology with a Novozymes collaboration, and extensive weather data with its acquisition of The Climate Corporation.
"We are seeing all these technologies starting to integrate together," he says.
Not all has gone smoothly however. A simple Google search of Monsanto turns up groups like March Against Monsanto and Millions Against Monsanto. Also, some weeds and corn rootworms are resisting the companies weed-resistant and insect-resistant technology.
The following is a Q&A between Fraley and Agriculture.com.
AG: What excites you?
RF: Microbials and biological. We are in the early stages of how useful they will be, but we see applications for control of insects, weeds and viruses.
AG: Did weeds and insects that resist transgenic technology surprise Monsanto?
RF: From the day we launched Roundup Ready soybeans (in 1996), resistance was always on top of our minds as a possibility. We are always testing the next generation product. In the case of corn rootworm, the science moved quickly, and we were able to replace a single gene product with dual gene products with multiple modes of action. We are expecting RNAi technology to come into the market by the end of the decade. This will defer from the Bt technology now used in corn rootworm traits.
AG: What's the state of the U.S. regulatory system?
RF: It's getting more complicated. We are seeing more delays. The EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) that USDA requested dicamba (Monsanto) and 2,4-D tolerant soybeans (Dow AgroSciences) has added another two years onto the time these products can get to the market. We are complying, but we didn't think it was necessary. The last two products we launched in Brazil took just two years to get government approval. We are able to launch Roundup Ready Xtend (dicamba-tolerant) soybeans in Argentina before we launch it here.
AG: Aren't there concerns, such as off-target movement, about these new weed control technologies?
RF: I understand there are concerns. We and BASF are doing a lot of work in developing new formulations of dicamba. Dow is doing the same thing with new formulations of 2,4-D. These new formulations are incredible. I remember as a kid spraying Banvel and seeing volatility and drift. Newer formulations have dramatically decreased off-target movement.
AG: How is Monsanto working to ease concerns about genetically modified foods?
RF: We're making a bigger effort to talk with consumers - in schools, with moms, with people who like us and people who don't. We need different approaches.
AG: What will you be talking about in five years?
RF: We will talk about how big of an enhancement Roundup Ready Xtend has made across soybean production. It is a great new tool for weed control. We will also be talking about adoption of probably the third or fourth generation of FieldScripts. These will build upon products that select the right seed for the field and for planting at optimal populations.
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