WHAT'S NEW WITH BAYER CROPSCIENCE PRODUCTS

Real gRoweRs take spotlight foR inVigoR

Growers across Canada may recognize some familiar faces in a new advertising campaign

for InVigor® hybrid canola and Liberty® herbicide from Bayer CropScience.

Real farmers are featured front and centre in the spots, which cover a range of outlets from billboards and print media to television and online display.

Drive down the highway and you might see the beaming face of Steve Winkler of Langdon, Alberta – “The smile says everything.”

Open a magazine and you might find Vulcan, Alberta’s Bill Irwin and Hussar, Alberta’s Leanne Muller – team players and “Unsung heroes.”

Turn on the television to see brothers Ron and Scott Tibble of Swan River, Manitoba, or Jeff Prosko of Rose Valley, Saskatchewan.

These are just a few of the many InVigor growers showcased in the ads.

The rationale is simple. After 16 years of record-setting yields and industry-leading performance, the quiet confidence of an InVigor grower isn’t something that takes Hollywood magic to capture. It’s a peace of mind that comes with using the product and getting results, year after year.

the smile says everythingUsing real canola growers didn’t come without risk. After all, it depended on growers feeling strongly enough about the product to put their names, faces and reputations on the line. It also required a substantial commitment of time and energy from these growers during the full swing of a busy cropping season.

But when the call went out, the response was swift and strong. Growers from west to east showed a tremendous

interest in participating and stepped up to the plate to contribute. The result was a home run for the new InVigor campaign.

truth in advertisingOne thing that became clear early in the process, was just how powerful the grower-based strategy was. The participating InVigor growers represented a broad range of production scales, geography, stages of life and experience with the product.

But what they all shared was a clear passion and pride for agriculture, along with a trusted belief in InVigor as a critical part of their canola success.

passion, pride and familyShooting days were organized across the Prairies and in Eastern Canada. Many producers brought their families on set and the days included a lot of fun and visiting while getting the job done. The farming talk was mixed with stories of farm life and sharing news on kids’ activities, from school and dancing to motocross and hockey.

The campaign organizers were blown away both by the response and professionalism of everyone involved. It’s not easy to ask a producer to take a day in the middle of early summer or during harvest to stand in front of a camera, but they did it with a sense of enthusiasm and fun – showing truly what makes an InVigor grower stand apart.

Another refreshing angle was the positive, progressive, modern faces of farming these growers represented. InVigor growers are a good reflection of most producers today. They’re devoted to their families and communities, passionate about their profession, and bring an enthusiasm and enjoyment to the challenge and opportunity that each day brings. They are not only farm business managers, but front-line decision makers at the cutting edge of a sophisticated industry.

But like the new campaign shows, there’s also a little something extra to an InVigor grower. You see it most clearly at times like seeding or harvest, when their confidence and satisfaction shines through.

Watch for the new InVigor advertising in a variety of media in the coming months. You may just see a familiar face – a friend or family member, or the neighbour down the road.

24 FARM FORUM / CROP TALK / WINTER 2012

A NEWSLETTER FROM BAYER CROPSCIENCE

new health option

hits the maRket

A new health hybrid canola launched by Bayer CropScience carries a one-two punch that packs a wallop.

Health-minded consumers get the high oleic oil content they demand and growers get the yield potential they expect from an InVigor, along with the bonus of a simple contract premium.

Sound like the best of both worlds? It is. Welcome to a new generation of canola health hybrids, ushered in by a truly innovative new product – InVigor Health L156H.

new standard in health hybridsThis new canola hybrid stands tall alongside any other leading canola. InVigor Health L156H features LibertyLink® technology, leading-edge seed genetics and a range of agronomic advantages second to none.

Among health hybrids, it sets a new standard – raising the bar in oleic content, yield and overall performance. No yield drag here, and growers can bank on the high-stability oil profile required for contract premiums – icing on the cake for a canola

line that clearly delivers strong returns on its own merits.

The numbers tell the story. InVigor Health L156H outyields the new checks by 112 to 115 percent and the old checks (46A65 and Q2) by a whopping 138 percent. That represents a big jump in returns per acre that will look great on any grower’s bottom line.

leading-edge seed technologyThe health value power-packed into InVigor Health L156H is equally impressive. And it couldn’t come at a better time, as health-conscious consumers drive a shift away from the trans fatty acids created from hydrogenated vegetable oils, toward healthy alternatives such as high oleic content canola oil.

These advantages add up to an attractive package for growers for the 2013 cropping season. InVigor Health L156H will be available exclusively through Cargill and select independent retailers. Learn more at www.cargill.ca, under “Specialty Canola Programs” or contact Cargill directly at (204) 947-0141.

the bar for health hybrids just went up

a couple notches, and Canadian canola

growers are positioned to reap the rewards.

health Value. Produces oil with high oleic content.

high peRfoRmanCe. All the yield potential of an InVigor hybrid.

tRusted name. Get the agronomic performance you can count on.

ContRaCt pRemium. Contact your Cargill representative for details.

InVigor Health L156H delivers:

FARMFORUM.CA / CROP TALK / WINTER 2012 25

‘The boomerang effect.’ InVigor Health L156H delivers strong returns, time and again.

 The Scourge of Saskatchewan. The Manitoban Menace. The Annihilator of Alberta.

By any name, sclerotinia has quickly become the number one, unwanted yield-robbing disease for Canadian canola growers.

What’s the best way to protect your crop? The most important first step is to take this disease seriously and proactively plan for it. With the range of the disease now widespread and well established, there’s no question it’s out there. The only question is how much you can afford to lose.

The simple fact is nothing offers better disease protection than a timely fungicide application. It needs to happen early, before the disease symptoms begin to show (between 20 – 50 per cent bloom). Even if you think you’ve never had a serious problem with sclerotinia or believe that

your crop is disease free, make no mistake – it’s there and the results are disastrous.

expect disease and plan aheadA number of surveys, including by the Canadian Phytopathological Society and each of the Prairie provinces, show it has increased steadily in recent years. Last crop year saw reports of widespread sclerotinia infection in all growing areas of the prairies.

Because of this, the threat is even greater this season and could further increase depending on early season humidity. But even if it’s a cool, dry spring, don’t think that you’re not in danger. With the overall sclerotinia level in the prairies today, it always pays to spray. The returns simply increase proportionately to the amount of disease.

Bayer CropScience has an online Proline® Logic Calculator to help you pinpoint the return on investment and guide your fungicide decision. Find it at BayerCropScience.ca/ProlineROICalculator.

fungicide the best weaponThe bottom line? You need to plan to apply fungicide at the right time. A quality fungicide treatment not only protects the yield and quality of your canola, it also protects your profitability.

One of the best fungicides available is Proline from Bayer CropScience – a top-performing, proven option to effectively shut down sclerotinia.

payoff you can bank onResearch results from Bayer CropScience show that Proline sets the standard for sclerotinia control in canola. Proline can reduce sclerotinia infection rates by over 80 per cent1 and increase yields by over 15 per cent2 compared to not using fungicide.

Those are numbers canola growers can take to the bank – the big-time payoff of an investment in a healthy, high yielding crop. That’s what you can expect from the tough disease protection of Proline. Learn more at BayerCropScience.ca/Proline.

26 FARM FORUM / CROP TALK / WINTER 2012

WHAT'S NEW WITH BAYER CROPSCIENCE PRODUCTS

taCkle sCleRotinia with a pRoaCtiVe stRategy

Sclerotinia has quickly become the number one, unwanted yield-robbing disease for Canadian canola growers.

1 Source: Eight Bayer CropScience internal research trials, 2003 -2005.2 Source: 14 Bayer CropScience internal research trials, 2003 – 2010.

get tough. there’s no question it’s out there. the only question is how much you can afford to lose. timely fungicide application is the best way to reduce disease and ramp-up yield.

A NEWSLETTER FROM BAYER CROPSCIENCE

FARMFORUM.CA / CROP TALK / WINTER 2012 27

pRoteCt youRself with tRaitguaRdInVigorResults.ca

is better than ever

Book earlysave

and

Right at your fingertips, the newly redesigned InVigorResults.ca makes it easier to find the information you need to make your 2013 hybrid selections. Compare hybrids from over forty different trial sites across the prairies.

impRoVements:

» Simplified site navigation makes it easier to target specific growing locations

» Hybrid comparison tool allows you to easily compare the hybrids you’re considering

» Compare days to maturity, harvest ratings and yield, all from local and provincial Demonstration Strip Trials

» All requested information can now be output in a print-friendly format or sent directly to your email account

See the results for yourself and make an informed purchase decision.

Save up to 15% on participating BayerValue products by early booking your selected InVigor hybrids by January 31, 2013.

With the breadth and depth of Bayer CropScience’s crop protection solutions, we have the right fit for your farm. Visit BayerCropscience.ca/BayerValue for complete details.

Early season crop establishment can be unpredictable and that’s why Bayer CropScience developed TraitGuard™. As part of the Liberty & Trait Agreement (LTA), TraitGuard is designed to help reduce the risk to InVigor canola growers and protect them from early season cropping concerns.

Through TraitGuard Bayer CropScience will refund growers the trait fee from each bag of InVigor hybrid seed or other LibertyLink canola seed for acres that have been reseeded (with InVigor) or taken out of production by June 28, 2013. Learn more at BayerCropscience.ca/traitguard

Not only does Liberty herbicide maximize your InVigor yields and increase your bottom line, it also helps fight herbicide resistance.

To see the video for yourself, simply visit www.youtube.com and search for Liberty resistance management.

the only gRoup 10

BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. InVigor®, Liberty®, LibertyLink®, Proline® and TraitGuard™ are trademarks of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.