Customer success remains the cornerstone to Gold
Country Seed growth.
Gold Country Seed roots run deep with some of its founding
members serving the seed industry for more than seventy-five
years. Gold Country Seed Inc. was formed in 1989 when
thirteen independent seed companies drew the original
blueprint for what has become one of upper Midwest’s fastest
growing seed corn brands. "Customer success will remain the
cornerstone to Gold Country Seed growth." states Gold
Country Seed Chief Executive Officer Dennis Sjogren, a
veteran of thirty-five years in the seed industry. "As we go
forward, our linkage with American Seeds, Inc. becomes an
obvious benefit to our farmer customers, dealers and
employees".
Gold Country Seed holds a long history of close working
relationships with its dealers and farmer customers. This
tradition continues with support from district managers,
product/agronomy service managers, and customer service
representatives. Ten independent soybean seed
processors/retailers located in Minnesota, North Dakota, and
South Dakota form the framework for a most effective
distribution network consisting of 400 Gold Country Seed
dealers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa,
Wisconsin, and Michigan. Seed Corn is produced in six
Midwestern states and the country of Chile. Seed corn is
carefully conditioned in state the art processing plants in
Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
"This new relationship allows each of the Gold Country Seed
processors/retailers to what we do best do best …. provide
our farmer customers with the best genetics, trait
technologies and service available in the industry today,"
shared by brothers Gene and John Lundquist , Wheaton,
Minnesota. A founding member of Gold Country Seed,
Lundquist Seed formed in 1955 is operated by second and
third generation family members and serves a much wider
geography than it did many years ago. "With the advent of
larger farms we serve customers from as far away Aberdeen,
South Dakota (125 miles distant) When a customer calls
needing a semi-load (1000 units) of soybeans at 2 am in the
morning, I have them loaded and on their way in five
minutes," John Lundquist notes from experience.
"Gold Country Seed dealers and customers have quickly seen
the value of Monsanto's corn rootworm technology with sales
of YieldGard® Rootworm and Roundup Ready® Corn 2 booming,"
states Dale Bain, Gold Country Seed Sales Director.
"Industry leading genetics and trait technologies delivered
in seed, and service from friends and neighbors you trust -
that's what we are all about," states Joel Leafblad, Gold
Country Seed Corn Product Manager.
"The rapid farmer acceptance of new seed technologies has
contributed to the decision announced today." States Harvey
Pyle, Gold Country Seed Chairman of the Board and President
of Unity Seed, Casselton, North Dakota. Gold Country Seed
and other regional members of American Seeds Inc. share many
of the same values. "We are committed to a strong customer
focus that rewards the producers who plant our seed
products" states Mo Forseman, president of ASI’s Core group.
With the addition of Gold Country Seed to the ASI family the
combined brands bring growers in northern corn producing
states high yielding hybrids with plant health integrity
contributing to greater profitability and easier harvest.
With Minnesota as it's base of operations, Gold Country Seed
is well prepared to serve the growing ethanol market that
presently utilizes 14% of the US corn crop. The 2006 Gold
Country Seed lineup includes six Processor Preferred Highly
Fermentable (HFC) corn hybrids and two Highly Extractable
Starch (HES) hybrids.
Gold Country Seed Adds to ASI’s Focus on Bringing
Technology to Growers
ASI was developed by Monsanto as a business model to serve
farmers through regional, customer-focused companies. ASI
provides a vehicle for Monsanto to make equity investments
in regional seed business, which – like Gold Country Seed –
are incorporated and run as autonomous subsidiaries,
according to Dennis Plummer, president of ASI.
"The ASI model is one that we believe can help connect
regional seed companies to innovation in Monsanto’s pipeline
to accelerate their growth and provide more options for
growers," said Plummer. "The addition of Gold Country Seed
is a great opportunity to serve more farmers and it builds
on our strategy to add regional seed companies to this model
and accelerate growth in targeted areas."
American Seeds Inc. (ASI), which was formed by Monsanto
in 2004, serves as a holding company for regional seed
companies that market primarily corn and soybeans. ASI
provides support for these regional seed businesses with
capital, genetics and technology investments. These
investments allow the operating companies of ASI to more
directly connect their customers to significant innovations
in genomics-based breeding and other new technologies while
continuing to operate autonomously and locally, providing
great services to their customers.
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global
provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural
products that improve farm productivity and food quality.
