After unpredictable year, farmers find predictably strong yields at harvest

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While 2020 has been a year of unexpected and unprecedented challenges, strong performance by NK^® corn and soybeans from Syngenta Seeds was one thing farmers didn't need to worry about. Harvest results indicate that NK Seeds once again delivered winning yields on farms across the U.S.

Through a combination of the latest seed technology and top-of-the-line genetics, NK hybrids and varieties are bred to meet farmers' field-specific needs and help boost whole-farm profit potential. Ongoing investments in R&D have enabled NK breeders to provide characteristics like broad adaptability and disease tolerance, ensuring NK growers are able to maximize their return on investment potential regardless of outside factors.

"We've been listening to the needs of growers to bring actionable solutions through our NK corn and soybean seed portfolios," said Jim Shertzer, head of NK marketing. "Not only have we been doubling down on our investment into R&D, but we've also been diligently working toward empowering our team to support success each season. It's clear from this year's harvest results that our efforts have been worth it for growers."

Reinvigorated corn portfolio drives performance
NK breeders have access to one of the industry's broadest and most diverse germplasm pools, propelling the development of elite hybrids. This is translating to more bushels in the bin, with NK hybrids this year outperforming key competitors in the Corn Belt and beyond.¹

• In Indiana, NK1026-3330 E-Z Refuge® brand outyielded Pioneer hybrids by 13.0 bushels per acre (bu/A) across 45 comparisons.
• In Nebraska, NK1523-3220 E-Z Refuge brand outyielded DeKalb hybrids by 10.9 bu/A in 131 comparisons.
• NK1082-3320 E-Z Refuge brand outyielded Pioneer hybrids by 7.0 bu/A in 63 comparisons throughout Iowa.

Strong agronomic packages made this year's NK lineup more competitive than ever before, said Joe Bollman, NK corn product manager. Nearly half of the current NK portfolio consists of first- and second-year high-performing hybrids that feature the most in-demand Agrisure^® traits.

"High performance is to be expected when elite genetics and industry-leading traits are combined with the agronomic expertise of our NK sales team," Bollman said. "We work directly with growers in the field to learn how our products are performing, and that feedback fuels how we innovate the latest hybrid offerings."

Looking ahead to 2021, growers can expect to see 11 new corn hybrids available from NK. In addition, NK retailers in select locations will once again be selling Enogen^® corn, unique hybrids that add value for farmers who produce grain or silage for livestock feed or market grain to ethanol plants.

Soybeans offer strength through trait choice
During a turbulent year for herbicides, NK offered soybean growers peace of mind by providing access to a range of trait options.

"The NK soybean portfolio offers the industry's broadest choice of herbicide traits to manage tough-to-control weeds, including Enlist E3^® soybeans, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^® soybeans and LibertyLink^® GT27^® soybeans," said Eric Miller, NK soybeans product manager. "NK has really set the standard for soybean trait choice – empowering farmers to manage weeds with the tools that best fit their operations."

The proof is in the results, with NK varieties continuing its record of strong performance by outyielding key competitors across the U.S.: 

• S28-E3 brand outyielded Asgrow varieties by 4.1 bu/A in 420 comparisons with a 71 percent win rate in data from 2019 and 2020.
• S35-E3 brand also outyielded Asgrow varieties by 2.7 bu/A in 294 comparisons with a 57 percent win rate in data from 2019 and 2020.
• S20-J5X brand outyielded Pioneer varieties by 1.5 bu/A in 677 comparisons with a 56 percent win rate in data from 2019 and 2020.

"Increased limitations for herbicides have driven the demand for more trait choices to combat difficult weeds and pests," Miller said. "With a proven legacy of performance and the most diverse portfolio of soybean varieties, it's no surprise that farmers are choosing NK to deliver top yields season after season."

The 2021 NK soybean portfolio enables use of all major soybean herbicides and helps deliver field-proven yields. It includes 21 new soybean varieties featuring the industry's broadest choice of herbicide-tolerant traits, as well as an improved Enlist E3 portfolio. For the 2022 season, NK will continue this momentum with the launch of proprietary Enlist E3 varieties and proprietary XtendFlex^® varieties.

To learn more, contact a local NK retailer or visit www.NKseeds.com. Join the conversation online – connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social and follow @NKSeeds on Facebook and Twitter.

¹ Yield advantages are composites based on the results of 2019 and 2020 Syngenta first party, FIRST, and other independent third party trials, when available. For more information regarding yield comparisons against an individual product, ask your Syngenta representative.

About Syngenta
Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

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This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

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©2020 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label and bag tag instructions; only those labeled as tolerant to glufosinate may be sprayed with glufosinate ammonium-based herbicides.

LibertyLink®, Liberty® and the Water Droplet logo are registered trademarks of BASF. GT27® is a trademark of M.S. Technologies and BASF. HERCULEX® and the HERCULEX Shield are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, LLC. HERCULEX Insect Protection technology by Dow AgroSciences. ENLIST E3® soybean technology is jointly developed with Dow AgroSciences LLC and MS Technologies LLC. The ENLIST trait and ENLIST Weed Control System are technologies owned and developed by Dow AgroSciences LLC. ENLIST® and ENLIST E3® are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, YieldGard VT Pro® and Design are registered trademarks used under license from Monsanto Technology LLC. XtendFlex® is a registered trademark used under license from the Bayer Group.

Under federal and local laws, only dicamba-containing herbicides registered for use on dicamba-tolerant varieties may be applied. See product labels for details and tank mix partners. Golden Harvest® and NK® Soybean varieties are protected under granted or pending U.S. variety patents and other intellectual property rights, regardless of the trait(s) within the seed. The Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, XtendFlex®, LibertyLink® and Enlist E3® traits may be protected under numerous United States patents. It is unlawful to save soybeans containing these traits for planting or transfer to others for use as a planting seed. Only dicamba formulations that employ VaporGrip® Technology are approved for use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® and XtendFlex® soybeans. Only 2,4-D choline formulations with Colex-D® Technology are approved for use with Enlist E3® soybeans. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. More information about Agrisure Duracade® is available at http://www.biotradestatus.com/.

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