Day two of the IFB Marketers to Washington tour began with a meeting with Mike Torrey with the Crop Insurance Research Bureau. CIRB represents some of the smaller and medium-sized crop insurance companies in Washington.
Torrey said farmers may notice some changes in crop insurance, due to a newly agreed to SRA agreement with USDA.
He said farmers may soon have to pay their crop insurance premiums before the traditional October 1 date, due to some cuts agreed to between USDA and the insurance companies. Torrey also said the SRA may cause a “shakeout” in the industry, with several companies consolidating due to smaller profit margins for the firms.
Later in the day, the tour stopped by Monsanto’s Washington headquarters to hear about the latest information about biotech corn and soybeans. Michael Dykes, Monsanto’s VP of governmental affairs, told the Farm Bureau leaders that his company is aware of the public image problems with producers over biotech fees and other issues surrounding the use of Roundup Ready corn and soybeans. Dykes said Monsanto is trying to improve its image with farmers, and he said next year may see lower prices for seed products in Illinois.
Dykes also said there’s some confusion over the upcoming patent expiration for Roundup Ready 1 soybeans. He said beginning in 2015, Roundup Ready 1 technology will be publicly available. He also said:
- Monsanto will not use variety patents against U.S. farmers who save Roundup Ready 1 patented varieties for planting on their own farms after the RR1 patents expire.
- Monsanto has already started to transition its soybean seed products to a new, higher-yielding technology called Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield. Dykes said future soybean traits developed by Monsanto will be combined with the RR2Y trait.
On Wednesday afternoon, the group toured the USDA Ag Research Service facility in Beltsville, Maryland. ARS scientists made presentations on new research regarding decoding the genetics of the corn plant, research in using sustainable ag practices to reduce environmental impacts, and a new genetic database to help improve milk production in dairy herds.
On Thursday, the Marketers to Washington group will be present for the release of the USDA August Crop Production report. Please check for updates on the crop report after 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Copyright © 2010 Illinois Agricultural Association
