In the news
NEWS BITES THAT MATTER
DuPont Pioneer supports nutrition programs
DuPont Pioneer announced the launch of its ‘Full Belly! Full Mind!’ grant program that will provide support to qualified school and community-based breakfast and nutrition programs across Canada to help enable them to provide nutritious and safe food to children.
“At DuPont Pioneer, we understand the importance of nutrition to the health and well-being of our children,” says Bryce Eger, president and business director for DuPont Pioneer Canada. “Through this initiative, we are looking to fund rural school nutrition and breakfast programs to help the leaders of tomorrow get off to a great start today.”
The announcement was made at an event held at DuPont Pioneer’s Chatham office at the end of September, which was attended by growers, employees, and sales representatives from across the region. A $5,000 grant was presented to the Chatham-Kent Student Nutrition Program to support its nutrition program. This is one of the many grants that DuPont Pioneer expects to give out under the ‘Full Belly! Full Mind!’ initiative.
“DuPont Pioneer supporting the Nutrition Programs to help feed hungry students so that they can make the best of their educational opportunities is so exciting! This is an important investment in tomorrow’s citizens,” said Elaine Lewis, program coordinator at Chatham-Kent Student Nutrition Program, while accepting the cheque from Eger.
Breakfast and nutrition programs interested in applying for funding can request the application package by contacting their local Pioneer sales representative.
DuPont Pioneer makes contributions to community-based organizations on behalf of the business and employees. Consideration for outreach grants are given to communities where Pioneer sales representatives, employees, and customers live and work and that support quality-of-life initiatives to create an improved, sustainable lifestyle for people worldwide. •
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans
Soybean growers anticipating the launch of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans will have to wait a little longer to place their order. Before the new trait technology can be released, the regulatory approval process needs to be finalized in Europe and China — two key export markets for Canadian soybeans. These approvals are expected by the end of the year, with commercialization beginning in 2016. Ten seed companies will be distributing the RR 2 Xtend soybeans, which will be available in 30 different varieties across maturity zones ranging from 2,400 to 3,250 CHU.
The Roundup Ready Xtend crop system was featured at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in September. Farmers had the opportunity to learn about the history of Roundup Ready soybeans and the historical yield advantages that have been achieved with their use. The new glyphosate and dicamba herbicide-tolerant system continues this yield increase trend and also offers improved residual yield control. Multiple modes of action are recommended to control and prevent the spread of herbicide-tolerant weeds. Farmers also learned about the recommended use of the new crop system – including the need to follow proper clean-out procedures on their spray tanks.
More information is available at www.rrwms.ca and www.genuitytraits.ca. •
Research Roundup is provided by members of SPARK (Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge) at the University of Guelph’s Office of Research. For more information, contact a SPARK writer at 519-824-4120, ext. 52667.