Posted 8 November 2001. Plant Health Progress.

Syngenta Crop Protection Launches New FarmAssist^® Software

Syngenta Crop Protection. www.syngentacropprotection-us.com.

(Greensboro, NC, November 2, 2001)  Syngenta Crop Protection has released its “FarmAssist®“ 6.0 crop management software program to accompany the recently launched FarmAssist.com web site. The new free software helps farmers track the cost of chemical and fertilizer applications, weather observations, irrigation use, disease information, leaf and soil analysis, and yield projections. FarmAssist.com provides growers with access to a broad range of agricultural resources and crop production information. This innovative tool allows growers to quickly obtain facts and figures about agricultural issues that directly impact the success of their business.

FarmAssist 6.0 greatly expands on 5.0's functionality. The new version has all of FarmAssist's standard features, plus contact and calendar functionality, more detailed farm operations record keeping, and comprehensive reporting. FarmAssist 6.0 allows growers to track virtually every aspect of their farming operation. Seed variety and tolerance, as well as fertilizer and pesticide costs and rates are recorded on a field-by-field basis. In addition, the software maintains permit, storage, and equipment information.

“Accurate farm record-keeping has become increasingly important as regulators and food companies ask growers for more accurate reporting, and as growers seek to maintain profitable production in a challenging farm economy,” said Warren Boerger, head of e-business at Syngenta.

Items featured on FarmAssist.com include frequently updated market news, cash grain bids, commodity price information, pest alerts, agronomic information, Syngenta product updates, and more. Growers can also access the “FarmAssist Resource” site, an electronic library containing up-to-date agricultural information such as pest identification, reference and treatment information; product recommendations; product labels and MSDS forms; and government forms and templates.

“FarmAssist allows growers to customize information specific to their needs — and it's available to them 24 hours a day,” said Boerger. “The combination of the FarmAssist® software and web site provides growers with a powerful, customizable total business management tool,” he added.

FarmAssist® software was first introduced in 1985 as a hard-copy informational resource. In 1999, an Internet-based FarmAssist® software was developed and launched to allow for more frequent updating and make it more readily available to customers.

The FarmAssist 6.0 software is free and can be ordered through FarmAssist (www.farmassist.com) and the Syngenta Crop Protection (www.syngentacropprotection-us.com) web sites, by calling 1-800-968-8614, or through your local Syngenta representative.

Syngenta is a world leading agribusiness. The company ranks first in crop protection, and third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Pro forma sales in 2000 were approximately US $6.9 billion. Syngenta employs more than 20,000 people in over 50 countries. The company is committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative Research and Technology. Formed in November 2000 by the merger of Novartis Agribusiness and Zeneca Agrochemicals, Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange, and in London, New York and Stockholm.