SAATEN-UNION starts maize season with new top varieties — SUSANN and AYRRO.
Sales optimized. Breeding partner Dow AgroSciences basis for international growth.
“Our new maize varieties are truly a challenge for our competitors,” emphasized Marcus Iken, managing director of SAATEN-UNION, on the occasion of the company’s press conference in Muenster, Germany. “Our different seed varieties are developed to satisfy the particular needs that farmers have these days. Especially with our new varieties SUSANN and AYRRO we plan to regain market share.” In order to optimize sales, the areas of reproduction have been expanded and the seed production has been concentrated in Europe. With it own sales and marketing concept and a competent team of 15 consultants and 20 advisory farmers, along with the support of its seven subsidiaries, SAATEN-UNION plans on expanding its domestic and export market share.
Partnership with Dow ArgoSciences Ensures the Future of Maize!
In the future, maize will play a very important role in how SAATEN-UNION remains in a strong position among its European competitors. SAATEN-UNION’s maize-breeding partners made a strategically far-sighted decision when they agreed to work together with Dow AgroSciences in the area of maize breeding. This American company is a truly competent partner. “Together with Dow AgroSciences, SAATEN-UNION now has access to an extensive, high-performing maize product portfolio for marketing and sale in many European countries,” according to Mr. Iken.
Mr. Henning Trozelli, head of the Dow AgroScience business unit, “Seed, Traits & Oil” in Europe, pointed out, “We are proud to enter into a partnership with SAATEN-UNION. Based on our current market position and our extensive know-how in the area of new seed technology, Dow AgroSciences is a strong competitor in the international seed business. This sales partnership with SAATEN-UNION strengthens our presence in the European maize seed market and serves as the basis for the future growth of both companies.”
Four Utilization Profiles for Silo Maize for the 2010 Season
In the upcoming maize season SAATEN-UNION plans on focussing it attention, when giving advice and making offers, on the immediate, direct advantage for the farmers. Dr. Andreas Gross, SAATEN-UNION product manager for maize, pointed out that in these particularly difficult times for farmers it is especially important to have a clearly recognizable profile of the individual varieties, in order to make it possible for the farmer to achieve a maximum profitability.
That is the reason SAATEN-UNION has divided silo maize into four groups: for (1) mixed farming, (2) special dairy farming with the maximum use of maize, (3) bull fattening and fodder-oriented farming, (4) biogas facilities. The following specialized maize types correspond to these different farming categories: (1) all-around, (2) fibre/energy, (3) starch and (4) mass.
The new variety AYRRO S220 is of special interest to farmers who have a biogas facility or who work with their dairy cows on a very high production level and who wish to achieve this with a maximal amount of maize. “AYRRO S220 has both a modern fibre/energy variety of maize for feeding dairy cows and a very high energy output. The farmer who needs more starch rations chooses varieties high in starch, such as the recently registered SUSANN S260, which also achieves top results as grain maize,” said Mr. Gross.
Four New Grain Maize Varieties
In the area of grain maize SAATEN-UNION has comprehensive ripeness groups with its four new high performance varieties — SUDOKU, SUZY, SUSANN und SURREAL. All four have a new stable resistance against the leaf blight disease helminthosporium turcicum. The varieties emphasize the grain number in the crop yield, which in the case of SUSANN is especially far above the standard. Especially noticeable with SUSANN is that even in comparison with a GMO variety there is less crop loss due to grass moth infestation.
Use of Helminthosporium-resistant Varieties
Mr. Norbert Erhardt, of the Ministry of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia, pointed out the dispersion dynamic and its relevance for the helminthosporium leaf blight disease. Mr Erhardt advised the use of varieties resistant to this disease. However, as he mentioned, there are many new varieties for which no definitive judgment about their resistance capabilities can yet be made, especially after those years in which no infestation occurred. Basically, the reproduction must be stopped. Mr. Erhardt recommended that maize straw be chopped and properly ploughed under so as to further the rotting process. The helminthosporium problem is not stationary, as are different types of moulds, and so a proper hygiene on the farmland must be observed.
How Maize Makes More Milk ─ Top Quality without Rumen Stress
“Just now, during this time of low milk prices, it is more important than ever to have a carefully worked out production technique that achieves a cost-saving but high milk production from healthy cows,” said Dr. Kathrin Mahlkow-Nerge from the Ministry of Agriculture of Schleswig-Holstein.
Maize and the silage from it, she said, normally produce more energy and are less expensive than grass silage. In addition the entire logistics of maize silage production is simpler — there is only one harvest and it is less subject to changing weather conditions as grass silage production is. A further important point is that maize is very suitable for storing in silos. For feeding dairy cows it is of primary importance that this valuable fodder be included in cows’ daily ration, to be complemented with other suitable cattle feed, selecting such with texture and protein, with easily digested carbohydrates and with starches that stabilize the rumen.
Attention to Starch, Crude Fat and Crude Protein in Corn-Cob Mix
“To improve feed efficiency when using a corn-cob mix for pigs, crude fat and crude protein supplies along with starch should be included,” stated Dr. Gerhard Stalljohann of the Ministry of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia. The crude fat content should never exceed 5% (of the dry matter), otherwise there is the possibility of a bacon fat that is too soft in pigs for slaughter. Considering that the prices for energy and for protein sources are drifting apart, the crude protein contained in corn-cob mix has become increasingly important. Dr. Stalljohann is of the opinion that the fluctuations in proteins and amino acids depend not only on the variety. Nevertheless, half of this difference, namely, a € 0.50 feed-cost difference per pig should be reason enough to pay attention to the protein feeding potential of corn-cob mix — also from the viewpoint of breeding.
Press release August 2009
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