August 20, 2008

DuPont announced today growers who plant Pioneer(R) brand corn hybrids with the Herculex(R) XTRA trait, including those stacked with the Roundup Ready(R) Corn 2 trait, will be eligible for crop insurance premium reductions in certain states in 2009.

DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred received approval from the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board of Directors to be part of a new crop insurance programme, Risk Management Biotechnology Endorsement (BE).

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced yesterday the BE programme for Pioneer corn hybrids will include non-irrigated corn for grain in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Many Pioneer sales representatives offer crop insurance through PHI Insurance Services, Inc.

"The approval of this programme for Pioneer products with the Herculex(R) XTRA trait clearly indicates this trait lowers a grower's risk," said Paul E. Schickler, DuPont vice president and general manager and Pioneer president.

Herculex(R) XTRA technology by Dow AgroSciences LLC and Pioneer is a combination of the Herculex(R) I trait and Herculex(R) RW rootworm protection gene to guard against a broader range of above- and below-ground insects in corn.

The Herculex(R) I gene protects the corn plant against European and southwestern corn borer, western bean cutworm, black cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm, sugarcane borer, southern cornstalk borer and lesser cornstalk borer, while the Herculex(R) RW trait protects against western, northern and Mexican corn rootworms.

The company's studies have shown that corn hybrids containing Herculex(R) XTRA and Herculex(R) XTRA with the Roundup Ready(R) Corn 2 traits yielded significantly more bushels per acre than hybrids without these traits.

The studies said that under higher environmental stress levels, the advantage for the hybrids with these traits was even greater.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, provides 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.