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Strategic Partnership established to Launch the CoAXium® Production System for Barley in Australia

  • A strategic three-way partnership has been established to launch CoAXium® Production System for the Australian broadacre field crop market
  • Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), Sipcam and Albaugh, LLC have partnered to bring the CoAXium Production System to Australian barley growers providing a non-GMO herbicide tolerance trait for expanded grassy weed control options in barley
  • CoAXium Production System will provide barley growers with a new tool (Group 1 herbicide - Aggressor®) tool to control difficult grass weeds like brome grass, barley grass, wild oats and susceptible annual ryegrass

ANKENY, IA May 16, 2022 — A strategic 3-way partnership has been created to bring the CoAXium Production System to Australian barley growers. Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), Sipcam and Albaugh, LLC have joined forces to bring true grower innovation to Australian barley producers. This partnership was created to combine the key elements of the CoAXium Production System including the Australian owned and developed non-GMO herbicide tolerance trait, elite barley germplasm, Aggressor® brand herbicides and industry stewardship.
“AGT is excited to bring this locally discovered technology to growers in Australia. We are especially proud that Australian barley growers will be the first in the world to take advantage of the benefits of the CoAXium Production System for Barley” stated Dr. Tristan Coram, AGT’s Head of Science & Business Development. AGT has been developing barley genetics since 2014 and have recently released commercial varieties Beast, Cyclops, Minotaur and Yeti. The AGT team is actively incorporating the CoAXium trait into elite genetics and expect to make the first CoAXium Barley variety available to growers for the 2023 season. “To bring this technology to market we searched for partners that understood Australian conditions and had a track record of delivering new technologies to growers” said Dr. Coram. This 3-way partnership will ensure growers receive the full benefit of the CoAXium Production System for Barley while also protecting the technology through industry stewardship.
“Our focus is to expand the global footprint of the CoAXium Production System platform to enhance the performance and value of novel weed control systems for cereal growers around the globe” stated Douglas A. Kaye, Albaugh’s North America President. We are excited for the value that the partnership will bring to Australian barley growers. Albaugh’s innovation platform is focused on strategic partnerships to identify technologies around the globe to provide performance and value to growers. The CoAXium Production System platform represents Albaugh’s initial exposure to Australia, and we look forward to bringing more innovative technology to the Australian growers in the near future. Chad W Shelton, Albaugh’s Global Director, Innovation Platform Technologies stated, “This partnership represents the backbone of Albaugh’s Innovation Platform which focuses on strategic partnerships to deliver unique and novel technologies around the globe. Aggressor herbicide brands have been developed using a 30-year-old active ingredient that through innovation gives barley growers a new tool to address grassy weeds in barley production.”
Sipcam Australia Marketing and Operations manager, Richard Branson, says the pending introduction of the CoAXium production system will potentially change how barley is grown in Australia. “This system provides new weed control options for barley growers using non-GMO pathways,” he said “There is so much more to CoAXium than just a herbicide and a herbicide-tolerant barley variety. In effect, it’s a whole new production system that has major ramifications for the entire cropping program, which is why CoAXium will be fully supported by a stewardship program developed by Sipcam. This program will involve all aspects of growing herbicide-tolerant barley, including the use of Aggressor herbicide, rotation implications, herbicide resistance strategies and integrated weed control.” Sipcam, a leading supplier of crop protection and nutrition products to Australian farmers, will provide the sales and technical support for Aggressor herbicide and the CoAXium production system. “We are delighted to be part of the partnership with Albaugh and AGT,” he said. “Since our very first discussions, it became clear that all three stakeholders have common business philosophies of harnessing innovation and partnerships to deliver genuine value for farmers.”

ABOUT AGT
Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) is Australia's largest plant breeding company, breeding improved wheat, barley, durum, lupin and canola varieties for Australian farmers. At AGT, we consider ourselves privileged to be able to serve Australian farmers and the world’s population by developing new field crop varieties that are more productive, better quality and cost less to grow. This is what drives our people. We want to see Australian farmers more prosperous, and the global population to be well nourished.  
A world-class breeding & research company, AGT are excited by new technology, innovation and scientific breakthroughs. Seeing scientific concepts transformed into real solutions that deliver to Australian grain growers is the inspiration behind AGT’s success.  To learn more visit agtbreeding.com.au.
Contact: Tristan Coram, Head of Science & Business Development, tristan.coram@atbreeding.com.au, +61499799646

ABOUT Sipcam 
Established in Italy in 1946, Sipcam’s mission has been to create a link between global chemical research and the needs of farmers. Sipcam Australia commenced operations in Australia in 1997 and a strong focus on innovation remains fundamental to the company’s business philosophy. Today Sipcam Australia is part of Sipcam Oxon Group. Sipcam Oxon is a global player developing and distributing an Agrochemical, Biorational and Nutritional portfolio, operating synthesis and formulation Plants in Italia, Spain, Brazil, and China. Sipcam Oxon continues to invest in the development of people, new chemistry, bio solutions and brands. Much of the Sipcam product range is under patent or data protected. 
Contact:  Richard Branson, Business Manager, rbranson@sipcam.com.au , + 0407 537 219 

ABOUT Albaugh, LLC  
Albaugh, LLC is a privately-owned US limited liability company founded by Mr. Dennis Albaugh in 1979.  Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, Albaugh offers a broad and growing portfolio of crop protection products and innovation throughout the world.  Albaugh operates multi-functional plant sites in the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Slovenia, China, Taiwan and India.   
Contact:  Chad W. Shelton, Global Director, Innovation Platform, chads@albaugh.com, (509) 385-4140