TRADE ASSOCIATE UPDATE
SYNGENTA - PARTNERING WITH GROWERS
World-leading agribusiness Syngenta needs for farmers to keep
farming.
That’s because Syngenta is “all ag all the time.”
Syngenta was formed in 2000, but its roots go back to the
mid-18th century – helping farmers farm through many
decades of challenge.
“Syngenta is solely committed to agriculture worldwide,”
said Meade McDonald, district sales manager for Florida and Puerto
Rico. “We don’t sell pharmaceuticals or any
other type of product for any other market. We’re dependent on
agriculture.”
Syngenta provides two main types of products: seeds and crop
protection. Florida growers know Syngenta for
products such as Voliam Express and Voliam Flex, insecticides that aid
growers of various vegetable crops. They also know Syngenta for its
support for the industry and its future.
Meade McDonald presents Nakita Shim with the 2009 Syngenta Scholarship
at FFVA's annual convention in September.
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“We are highly supportive of everything specific to our
industry,” McDonald said. “We are platinum sponsors for
events sponsored by Fla Citrus Mutual, FFVA, FFAA, and FFA. For the past
six years, we have provided young outstanding students who want to
pursue a career in ag with a scholarship.” Those attending
FFVA’s conventions will remember McDonald presenting those
scholarships at annual awards luncheons.
The company also offers future industry members a unique internship
experience. “We hire six interns every year to scout for various
pests including rust mites and citrus psyllids,” said McDonald.
“We pay them, put them in a pickup, give them a laptop and a
hand-held PDA and train them in scouting techniques. That’s a
value added service for the grower as well as a wonderful real-world
internship for a college student. Many of those students end up working
in the industry,” McDonald said.
Stewardship of products is also very important to the company, and it
makes huge investments in research and development. “We work
closely with the EPA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services in the area of sustainability,” said McDonald.
“We also support the industry by spending about $2 million a day
worldwide in research and development totally focused on bringing new
solutions for growers to the marketplace.”
SHARING THE RISK
Syngenta’s AgriEdge program was designed to maximize
growers’ investment in Syngenta products by stepping in to share
some of the risks that come with farming.
Syngenta spends about $2 million a day worldwide in research and
development totally focused on bringing new solutions to the
marketplace.
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“Our Agri Edge concept is unique and very important to us, and it
is exclusive to Syngenta,” said McDonald. With AgriEdge, a grower
gets a proven portfolio of products, state-of-the-art technology and
world-class service. But what makes it different is the program’s
risk management component that enables growers to sleep at night knowing
that when unforeseen circumstances occur, they won’t take a
financial hit in the crop protection budget.
“We take standard applications that a grower would need to
protect his crops using Syngenta products, and we come up with a dollar
amount per acre that that he would use of each product to keep his crop
safe. If he exceeds that because of something that is unusual –
intense pest or disease pressure or perhaps a weather event that forces
him to spend more than what he should in a normal year – then we
will share risk with him,” said McDonald.
Agri-Edge also offers farm record-keeping technology. “It
offers exclusive technology that was built by farmers to help them keep
records and become a better business person specific to their
operation,” said McDonald.
For more information on how Syngenta backs up its customers and its
industry, go to the company’s Web site. Or call Meade McDonald at
(407) 366-4370 or email him at meade.mcdonald@syngenta.com.
