Plant Impact Share Discussion Threads

[visionon] 28/9/2015 17:57

Imteresting to note that one of them was soy beans seed manager at Syngenta. After the failed Montsanto bids Syngenta announced earlier this month that they were going to sell their seed business and do a share buyback. So hopefully this guy brings some useful seed know how to give PIM an angle on seed treatment.

[wan] 28/9/2015 09:53

Today's announcement is again very encouraging, in that PI are attracting such high calibre individuals, not to mention the expansion of R&D capabilities.

[wan] 23/9/2015 07:57

Some Bayer news -

I reported this previously, but this is the 'new' Bayer/English version -

Tuesday, September 22, 2015de-DE
Bayer CropScience and Round Table on Responsible Soy join forces to promote certification of soy in Brazil

“Soybeans are a crop with great strategic importance for the region and for Bayer CropScience. We want to contribute to an enhanced and improved production, and certification is one important tool to this end. We encourage farmers to follow sustainability standards like RTRS which will make their business more sustainable and also more profitable in the long run,” said Eduardo Estrada, Head of Bayer CropScience Latin America.

“Bayer CropScience’s Valore program is a crucial contribution to help farmers implement sustainable practices through RTRS certification,” said Agustín Mascotena, Executive Director of RTRS. “At the same time, by valuing the certification of crops, the company demonstrates that it understands the real value of more sustainable customers in the medium and long term. Bayer CropScience is clearly investing in more sustainable agriculture in the broadest sense. These important and concrete actions demonstrate Bayer CropScience’s commitment to responsible production and to the RTRS, of which it is a member. We hope to see other stakeholders follow the example of Bayer CropScience and join the collective effort towards a more evolved agriculture.”

Full release -

The 'new' Bayer -

Friday, September 18, 2015de-DE
Bayer aligns organization with Life Science businesses

Leverkusen, September 18, 2015 – Following the economic and legal separation of Covestro, Bayer is charting the course for its successful development as a Life Science company. On Friday, the Supervisory Board approved the reorganization proposed by the Board of Management. From January 1, 2016, the company’s business will be managed by three divisions: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health and Crop Science.
Full release -

The planted soybean acreage in Brazil is foreceast to rise -

Increased plantings

Soybean markets also had their eyes on Brazil, where the low real has boosted the profitability of soybeans, encouraging heavy sowings.

Michael Cordonnier told Agrimoney.com that he has forecast a 3.3% increase in plantings form last year, to 33.0m hectares, and said given the weak real that might be "on the low side".

Some forecasts call for an increase in sowings of 5%.



September 23, 2015

South American Acreage and Production Estimates
As you can see from the tables below, I am expecting the South American soybean acreage to increase 3.4% (2,000,000 hectares) and for the corn acreage to decline 2.0% (400,000 hectares). It is very early of course and these estimates will change as the growing season progresses.

At this point, my bias is for even higher soybean acreage in South America due to potentially more soybeans being planted in Brazil. For the corn crop, I have a neutral bias because the safrinha corn acreage may increase in Brazil while the corn acreage in Argentina may decline even further.

[wan] 19/9/2015 07:50

A long, but highly recommended weekend read, with too many good paragraphs to highlight! -

Feeding the Developing World: The Search for Solutions
September 17, 2015

[mg1982] 15/9/2015 11:00

wan

our posts crossed.

Didn't hear anything new or worth posting

[wan] 15/9/2015 10:59

MG 1982...Thanks. Another positive review, albeit providing nothing new.

[mg1982] 15/9/2015 10:25

wan and others:
ignore - havent seen anything worth mentioning

[wan] 15/9/2015 07:41

Two more positions posted up on PI's website yesterday, I thought this one was particularly interesting -

Research and Technology Analyst

September 14, 2015
This exciting new role will support our Portfolio Innovation Manager in identifying and screening innovative and viable new crop enhancement technologies and product concepts to help us expand our product pipeline.

Role Purpose

The main purpose of this role is to accelerate our new technology and product screening activities. The role holder will achieve this by analysing relevant information from internal research programmes, academic literature and external parties in order to identify potentially viable new technologies and product concepts.

We currently have a range of patented and proprietary technologies from which we have developed and commercialised various formulated foliar chemical spray based products to improve crop performance (e.g. yield, quality, post-harvest attributes etc.). These crop enhancement products include inorganic fertilisers, biostimulants and biological pesticides.

We aim to further expand the application of these technologies to new product formulations for use in crop enhancement. Importantly, we also seek to identify and screen innovative new technologies that can be combined with our existing technologies to help create effective new improved product formulations.

[cerrito] 11/9/2015 10:22

On second thoughts given that PIM's products are an input for US$ denominated exports should not have any real impact

[cerrito] 10/9/2015 21:28

let's hope that the big weakening of the Brazilian Real over last week does not dampen sales/margins too much

[mg1982] 10/9/2015 12:33

ok we're ready for the next leg up now.

Hopefully moving up from this range.

[visionon] 06/9/2015 10:08

Wan. Transfuse N should go well in the USA given the enormous number of golf courses. A mate from the states was telling me that golf is still growing there, whereas here it is in decline.

BugOil was the product that created all the original hype for PIM when I first invested…doh ! Am inclined to agree that positive cash-flow opens the door to allocating more time and money to it. Or if they feel it is not a core area they could just sell it off I guess.

[wan] 06/9/2015 07:21

Visionon...Thanks I had not seen that, and with PI clearly marked on the label one assumes launch 'proper' must be getting close (considering the dates and the fact that I have been monitoring events). However, the product is not listed on Simplot's website and product list yet. Tansfuse N is already registered as a commercial fertiliser in the US (by Simplot), but that has been the case for quite some time.

The sports turf industry in the US is very large and within that light application of nitrogen directly onto the turf grass leave is an embedded and very frequent process, and thus successful entry into this market should be positively felt in financial terms and do no doubt assist PI's US endeavours.

For some interesting statistics regarding golf courses (albeit from 2006) -

Nutrient use

Summed over all golf course components and all golf courses, in 2006 a total of:

101,096 tons of nitrogen were applied to 1,311,000 acres (154 pounds of nitrogen per acre)
36,810 tons of phosphate were applied to 1,131,000 acres (65 pounds of phosphate per acre)
99,005 tons of potash were applied to 1,260,000 acres (157 pounds of potash per acre)
These application rates are within the guidelines recommended by university scientists.

One way to put nutrient use on golf courses in context is to compare it with nutrient use by other agricultural crops in rate per acre applied and total amount applied (rate per acre multiplied by the number of acres fertilized). Nutrient use of corn and tomatoes were chosen for comparison with nutrient use on golf course turfgrass.

Corn is a widely grown agronomic crop, and tomatoes are a high-value, intensely maintained vegetable crop. When the rate of application of fertilizer applied to turfgrass on golf facilities within the U.S. is compared to corn and tomato production, turfgrass on golf courses is fertilized at a slightly higher rate than corn and at a slightly lower rate than tomatoes.

Turfgrass on golf courses is grown on slightly less than 1.5 million acres, and those acres are fertilized with 101,096 tons of nitrogen, 36,810 tons of phosphate, and 99,005 tons of potash. Corn, which is one of many crops grown nationwide, is grown on over 76 million acres and is fertilized with 4,690,000 tons of nitrogen, 1,696,000 tons of phosphate, and 1,901,000 tons of potash. While the total amount of nutrients used at golf facilities is considerably less than corn, golf facilities should incorporate environmental stewardship practices to protect water resources.



I have also been looking at prospects for Bugoil and indeed the regulatory aspect in Europe. Bugoil is already registered in the US, so given Bugoil went on the back burner due to limited resources, this may now be getting the attention it deserves -

In December 2012, Arysta assigned to Plant Impact its rights to several synergy patents related to the application of TGT-01 in combination with a variety of conventional insecticides. Steve Adams, the Company's Director of Product Development, commented "TGT-01 is an effective biological insecticide technology, particularly when used in combination with conventional chemistries of the avermectin family, such as abamectin. These new synergy patents allow us to press forward with our development of the product in the United States, where we have received EPA regulatory approval. With growing financial and resource capability, we expect to reinvigorate our regulatory efforts relative to a European Annex 1 registration."


For a very interesting read (not to mention PI connection with Warwick University)-

June 2015

Biopesticides: challenge of
regulatory change
Wyn Grant


Europe is indeed getting interesting with political and regulatory pressures causing a clear shift in the European crop protection market away from conventional pest and disease control. At the same time persistent demands from retail players and consumers for reductions of chemical residues in produce also result in increasing investigation of alternative biocontrol products. As I have highlighted previously, and the above document indicates, think combinations.

[visionon] 05/9/2015 11:49

More on Transfuse N here:



click on specimen to see packaging

[here and there] 04/9/2015 12:55

The job description talks about soya and wheat. They need to get trial data re. veritas on Soya in America ahead of a product launch. they also need to trial their new products as well.

good to see them having the resources and faith to start preparing to break into the N.American market.

good to see them continue to follow the plan that Brubaker outlined 3/4 years ago

[wan] 04/9/2015 12:20

Readers might care to note the following -

US Technical Manager

September 03, 2015
Plant Impact is seeking to appoint an experienced scientist who can lead Pi’s USA trial program, commissioning, monitoring and reporting results from trials.



Staying with the USA; recall PI's agreement with Simplot, which has apparently been held up by labelling backlog with US authorities -

Simplot Partners with Plant Impact to launch novel nitrogen technology for US turf

March 28, 2014

Simplot Partners and Plant Impact plc today announce that Simplot Partners will launch a new product within their Specialty Product line. TransFuse™ N, a product which incorporates Plant Impact’s PiNT technology, will launch this year in 11 western U.S. states in order to offer Simplot Partners high performance turf customers an improved controlled uptake nitrogen solution
Full release -

I wonder if the following implies that the issue might have been resolved?

TRANSFUSE N - Trademark Details

[wan] 04/9/2015 12:06

We know how many countries Arysta has exclusivity in for Banzai, and I note the commentary today that "The first commercial year of Banzai(R) is also expected to be successful, starting in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast". I have been watching the cocoa market accordingly expecting to see PI benefit this financial year as the 'main' cocoa season approaches in both the launch countries, and one assumes Ghana will ultimately follow -

Cocoa seasons -


3 September 2015
COCOBOD repays $1.7 billion loan for cocoa purchases in 2014/2015 season

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has completed the repayment of the $1.7 billion loan it raised from a consortium of banks in 2014 to finance cocoa purchases in the 2014/15 crop season.

The repayment of the loan started in February this year and ended last month, within which the board paid off the principal and the accumulated interest.

The completion of the payment paves the way for the board to make another entry into the global financial market to raise funds to support cocoa purchases in the 2015/16 season

Concurrently, Mr Amenyah said, the board was also mentoring some youth to cocoa production to help replace aging cocoa farmers, which has been identified as a major challenge to cocoa production.

“Already, over 20,000 youth farmers had registered and were being assisted to cultivate various acreages of cocoa to augment those operated by the aged”, he said.
Full story (including commentary on Ivory Coast) -


SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Ghana’s fine flavour cocoa variety to harness growth

The country’s Fine Flavour Cocoa Project expects to harness growth in demand and help create a business model that is both commercially viable and has developmental benefits for smallholder farmers.

The model is based on the concept that diversity is an innovative approach that complements other efforts to increase productivity and crop diversity on West African farms.
Full story -

Cameroon reveals ambition for 100,000 tons of cocoa yearly
Posted by: APA Posted date : September 3, 2015

Cameroon has revealed an ambitious plan to triple cocoa production to 100,000 tons a year in the short-term, the Inter-professional Council on Cocoa and Coffee (CICC) said.The country’s current cocoa yield is estimated at 33,000 tons a year.

Achieving this goal will depend mainly on securing some investments.

Firstly, the Sic Cocoa Corporation, a subsidiary of the French group Barry Callebault, a leader in local processing, will invest up to CFA5 billion francs.

The Dutch company SNV will proceed with the construction of two processing units in Cameroon in partnership with local groups in Ayos in the centre and Konyè in the southwest.

Through the local empowerment program of processing cocoa, the government aims to create 10 cocoa processing units throughout the country, to enhance the local volume of processing.

The Cameroonian cocoa production which reached 230,000 tons in 2015 could be 260,000 tons in 2016, according to estimates by the National Office for Cocoa and Coffee (ONCC).

By 2020, Cameroon forecasts an annual production of 600,000 tons including 50 percent of locally transformed cocoa beans.

[mg1982] 04/9/2015 08:55

Broker Peel Hunt says BUY Plant Impact (PIM). Says of year-end update - Sales increased from £2.5m to £4.5m as Veritas (soy enhancement product) moved to commercial launch with Bayer in Brazil. This more than offset a slower performance in Northern European sales. Net income in the period moved from a loss of £0.7m to a profit of £0.1m helped by a £400k R&D tax credit. Net cash was £7.6m (vs £0.7m at H1) due to the £6m fundraising and $3m from Bayer. Encouraging progress in Brazil, with a step-up in marketing by Bayer and increased orders. Recent multi-year deal with Bayer to develop new soy products in Brazil and to extend into other countries in the Americas provides significant upside. Also new deal with Arysta for cocoa in Africa will start to contribute. Northern Europe expected to show modest growth, but will become increasingly minor part of the portfolio. Our price target of 70p is based on our risked NAV, with our un-risked NAV on 102p. We continue to see substantial upside as the company develops products for the key global crops in association with the industry leaders.

[jaf111] 04/9/2015 08:19

Market appears to like the update too.....and so it should!!!

[wan] 04/9/2015 08:17

Plant Impact management..............does what it says on the tin!

I have been busy in the background here, more from me later.

[mg1982] 04/9/2015 08:15

Was waiting for the catalyst to finally put money in. Today that has been announced. Market is keen on seeing profitability for these kind of companies. That was what I was waiting for to so the key bit for me was:

"The Group traded profitably through the full 2015 financial year: net profit after tax in the twelve month period ended 31 July 2015 is expected to be £0.1m (2014: loss of £0.7m). The Directors are pleased to report that this result is ahead of market expectations."

I also like the fact that they have ambitious plans for 2016 for sales growth. One to tuck away for long term.

Good to know wan is here to :-)

GLA

[jaf111] 04/9/2015 07:18

Another positive update....should push share price back up me thinks.... Key parts

The Group traded profitably through the full 2015 financial year: net profit after tax in the twelve month period ended 31 July 2015 is expected to be £0.1m (2014: loss of £0.7m). The Directors are pleased to report that this result is ahead of market expectations.

The Directors have a positive sales outlook for the 2016 financial year. Substantial growth is anticipated in Brazilian markets, as Veritas® will continue to expand its reach to soy growers in all parts of that country. As of the date of this Trading Update, the Group has received firm orders for most of the Group's expected Veritas® sales in the 2015/16 Brazilian soy season. Production and shipments to Brazil will continue through the first six months of the 2016 Financial Year.

John Brubaker, CEO of Plant Impact, commented: "FY2015 has been a transformational year for the Group, and I am delighted to announce this trading performance. It demonstrates our continued delivery against our business strategy and highlights the capability we have established to continue to accelerate our geographic expansion, product portfolio development and sales growth. FY2016 is an important year for multiple growth programmes, and we are confident that our strategy will continue to deliver for our customers and our shareholders in the coming years."

[wan] 28/8/2015 08:51

Brazil news (translated)-

BAYER, SANTANDER, UNILEVER AND YARA UNITE TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SOY CHAIN
Producing Program One offers support for obtaining the RTRS certification, which expands the market for the national grain

Four large groups linked directly or indirectly to food production in Brazil - Bayer Cropscience, Santander, Unilever and Yara Fertilizer - came together to stimulate national chain of soybean to fit the most comprehensive international standards for environmental agribusiness accordingly. The Producing Right program will assist producers in obtaining the RTRS certification (Round Table on Responsible Soy) and is aligned with the Stockholm Convention, which regulates the use of pesticides in the world.

In assuming commitments with the adoption of good manufacturing practices, social responsibility and the proper management of natural resources, the producer is up to date with environmental laws and still have easy access to credit facilities, in addition to opening the market for the sale of soy to the most demanding international buyers.

The program is managed by the Earth Alliance, a civil society organization (OSCIP) founded in 2004 and works with over 800 farmers across the country. Initially, Producing Right will be offered in producer regions in soy Uberlandia (MG ) and Rio Verde (GO).

"The first step was in direct contact with farmers suggested by partner companies. For those who have accepted to join the project, we provide access to a benefits package offered by supporters brands, "explains Aline Maldonado Locks, general manager of the Earth Alliance. From this, farmers receive technical visit OSCIP.

Producers receive technical visits and assistance for necessary adjustments. And may also have courses and consulting services offered by partner companies. Only the first phase of the program, 132 have been raised with potential clients for certification in Goias and Minas Gerais - the initial focus will be given to producing regions in Uberlandia (MG) and Rio Verde (GO).

Supporters adopt complementary lines of producer support:
Bayer CropScience - make available to the Valore, a recognized certification in agricultural production. For this, provide technical services, integrated solutions for the management of crops and its relationship platform with the field. The company also plans to enhance soybeans for its barter process.

Santander - will give greater flexibility to the participant producer credit rating to finance their agricultural activities through the lines of Rural Credit, CPR or onlending BNDES, prioritizing service to these clients.

Unilever - Commits with the purchase of all claims from soy certification.

Yara - Their technicians prioritize the program properties in your visits, giving all the necessary support for better plant nutrition, with personalized service. Source: Ascom.

27/ 08/ 2015
Bayer, Santander, Unilever e Yara se unem para estimular a sustentabilidade na cadeia da soja

[wan] 12/8/2015 08:58

Bayer are presenting results from field trials this week (excuse the translation) -

According to Everson Zin, Strategy manager FOX® Marketing, Bayer CropScience believes that discussions on the use of pesticides in agriculture are needed, so it supports the event. "Our challenge is to continue developing innovative solutions for all cultures, making the farmer always has a production better and more quality. Thinking about this, Bayer will use its space in the Congress to present the latest results we have of FOX® fungicide, based on field experiments, as a fundamental tool in the management of soybean crop, wheat and beans, "he explains.


I also note the following event in March 2016 -

Brazil Summit 2016 – Sustainable Intensification

This summit will bring government, civil society, academia, farmers, farming unions and cooperatives, industry bodies and global business together to understand the challenges Brazil faces in delivering sustainable intensification. All stakeholders and attendees will have the opportunity to develop a framework for IPR, Precision Farming, Irrigation, Mechanisation, Soil Management and Bio innovation by which Brazil will achieve its Low-Carbon Agriculture Programme .



BRAZIL:
CLIMATE-SMART
AGRICULTURE
ACHIEVING
SUSTAINABLE
INTENSIFICATION

In March 2016, Challenge Advisory, with
the support of the Embrapa and the Ministry
of Agrarian Development will convene
an extraordinary meeting in Brasilia to
explore Sustainable Intensi ication across
Brazil, through the use of Climate-Smart
Agriculture. Within Brazil there is a need
to improve the way agricultural systems and
natural resources are managed to effectively
achieve sustainable economic growth.

Brazil has the greatest farmland capacity in
the world, the FAO putting its total potential
arable land within Cerrado alone at over
200m/ha; yet only 50m/ha is being used.

Areas such as Bahia, Goias, Mato Grosso,
Mato Grosso Do Sul, Tocatins, Maranha
and Minas Gerais have the potential to
serve Brazil’s economy and help with
the food security of an additional 3
billion people.

The summit, on the 1st-2nd March,
will bring together key stakeholders,
to continue the framework development
of Brazil’s agricultural growth. It will
be addressed through Thought
Leadership and allow debate and
explore opportunities in the region.
Participants can understand the
challenges in Brazil and introduce
solutions which showcase their products
to demonstrate how new technological
innovations can deliver resilience and
push the Climate-Smart Agriculture
agenda forward