Pioneer Hi-Bred Announces New North Carolina Research Center

Center addresses product development for local product needs

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 8, 2009 – Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, announces today that it is opening a new research center in eastern North Carolina dedicated to better addressing product development for southeastern environments. The Center for Dryland Research – Coastal Plains will leverage drought and limited water-stressed research with native and biotech traits to develop products for these targeted geographic market segments.

Research efforts at the new center will build on the decades-long work that has already been conducted in the southeastern U.S. With the world’s largest germplasm base, Pioneer has dedicated extensive efforts in this region over the past several decades to develop high-yielding hybrids and varieties for growers across the South and the East Coast.

Current activities are centered out of a temporary facility near Kinston, N.C. A permanent location strategically located to meet the needs of the research envisioned and the agriculture of the region will be determined in the near future.

“The new Pioneer research center will further expand the company’s commitment, providing better products that fit the specific needs of the region,” says Greg Wichmann, Pioneer southern business unit director. “We’re very excited about this new stage in our crop research commitment.”

The facility will involve product development and testing of both corn and soybeans. An increased emphasis on conventional and transgenic developmental approaches in water-stressed environments will be conducted to develop products with the appropriate levels of tolerance for the unique heat- and water-stressed growing conditions for the South.

More information will be provided as further decisions are made about the new Pioneer research center.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world’s leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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7/8/09

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Contact:
Jerry Harrington
800-247-6803, ext. 6908