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Syngenta US News

Syngenta Seed Care Takes Cotton to New Heights with Launch of AVICTA Complete Cotton Blimp

Syngenta Seed Care™ is celebrating its third season of AVICTA® Complete Cotton seed treatment helping fields reach higher yield potential with a blimp tour of the South.

The 128-foot AVICTA Complete Cotton blimp will launch at the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 29, and then will venture out to various cotton-growing areas across the Cotton Belt. Along its path, the blimp is expected to travel more than 3,000 miles over 10 states in the Delta and Southeast until May. Syngenta Crop Protection also will host educational meetings throughout the tour with cotton growers, consultants and retailers to provide the latest cotton production news and offer participants a chance to win a ride on the blimp.

“Syngenta Seed Care is looking forward to another successful season of helping cotton producers protect against early-season pests and maximize yield potential,” said Steve Russell, crop manager, Syngenta Seed Care. “It is our hope that the AVICTA Complete Cotton blimp will bring additional excitement into cotton-growing communities across the South that have supported AVICTA Complete Cotton for the past three years.”

Besides showing support for agricultural communities across the Cotton Belt, Syngenta Crop Protection also is partnering with the Believe In Tomorrow™ Children’s Foundation and its Hands On™ Adventures program. Syngenta Crop Protection will help fulfill the program’s mission to offer critically ill children a chance to believe in and focus on the future, rather than the stressful routine of hospital visits and treatments, by providing blimp rides to children at airports near numerous hospitals throughout the tour.

Founded in 1982, Believe In Tomorrow provides exceptional hospital and retreat housing services to critically ill children and their families. The Foundation believes in keeping families together during a child’s medical crisis and that the gentle cadence of normal family life has a powerful influence on the healing process. The Foundation has five respite houses on the East Coast and two hospital houses in Baltimore. Two years ago, Believe In Tomorrow launched a major national initiative to prioritize its services to critically ill children of active U.S. military families.

“Syngenta Crop Protection sees a tremendous opportunity to give back to communities and contribute to the lives of critically ill children by partnering with Believe In Tomorrow. We are excited about this partnership and the chance to provide children with a unique and exciting experience on the AVICTA Complete Cotton blimp, just as we have continued to bring new and innovative technologies to cotton fields across America,” Russell said.

The AVICTA Complete Cotton blimp provides a unique opportunity for cotton growers across the South to see one of less than 20 blimps in the world. In fact, blimps are so rare, more people are qualified to land a space shuttle than are qualified to land a blimp. Fuel efficient and environmentally friendly, the AVICTA Complete Cotton blimp will take less fuel in two weeks than a 747 jet uses to taxi to the end of a runway for take-off.

AVICTA Complete Cotton is the leading seed treatment nematicide, insecticide and fungicide that defends cotton seedlings against all important early-season destructive pests. A combination of three separately registered products – AVICTA seed treatment nematicide, Cruiser® seed treatment insecticide and Dynasty CST® seed-delivered fungicide – AVICTA Complete Cotton offers convenient and simple seed-delivered nematode, insect and disease protection from the start.

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2007 were approximately $9.2 billion. Syn