Des Moinies, Iowa
February 19, 2003

Severe weather season will soon be upon the Heartland. To help farmers and other rural residents better prepare for potentially damaging storms, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., today announced the company is working in conjunction with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to promote the use of NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) receivers.

“Pioneer has always been a safety-conscious company and a company committed to helping our customers and the communities in which they live and work,” says Rick McConnell, president of Pioneer. “Pioneer works closely with NOAA to provide our customers with weather-related information through the Pioneer GrowingPoint® magazine. Promoting the life-saving benefits of NOAA Weather Radio receivers is a logical extension of this effort.

“NOAA Weather Radio saves lives by notifying users of approaching storms, particularly when severe weather happens at night.” McConnell explains. “Rural residents are typically out of earshot of  municipal alert sirens, and even in towns and cities, sirens may not effectively warn all residents.

“Weather definitely impacts our customers and their ability to manage their operations. Pioneer believes weather radios are an essential tool they can use to prevent injury and loss-of-life from severe weather and also a tool to help better manage their operations on a daily basis,” McConnell adds.

Pioneer is promoting placement of weather radios in homes, farm shops, businesses and public facilities such as hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities and libraries through an informational campaign to customers, rural residents and employees. The company also is offering top-of-the-line programmable weather radio receivers for sale at a substantial discount through the company’s Country Store Online. More information on both a desk-top and a hand-held portable weather radio is available by logging on to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and accessing the Country Store.

How NWR works

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service (NWS) office. NWR broadcasts severe weather warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard-alert information to the public 24-hours-a-day on seven public-service radio bands. Individuals wishing to receive NWR information need a radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. In the case of severe weather, NWR receivers emit an alarm tone triggered by the NSW announcement or emergency information.

For added convenience, many NWR receivers also feature Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology, which allows them to be programmed to receive emergency information for a selected local area such as a county or area of a county. SAME technology prevents unwanted alerts for areas that do not pertain to the individual’s location.

Today, NWR coverage reaches 90 to 95 percent of U.S. residents, including those in most rural areas and efforts are underway to reach 95 percent.

Continuous weather forecasts, civil emergency alerts added benefits

NWR provides a number of additional benefits in addition to weather alerts. Through efforts of the Federal Communications Commission’s new Emergency Alert System, NWR is also an “all hazards” radio network, used to broadcast information such as AMBER Alerts plus disaster information including terrorism, tornadoes, flash floods, mud slides or hazardous materials spills.

Ag producers also can use the NWR continuous broadcasts of daily weather information in planning field operations, spraying, travel and livestock management during severe weather extremes of heat and cold. And because growers are always on the go, Pioneer is making a portable, hand-held weather radio receiver available as well as a fully-programmable desk-top model.

Weather radio receivers, and more information about their use, are available from Pioneer at www.pioneer.com/growingpoint or electronics stores across the country.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, 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, crop protection solutions and quality crop systems to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science company headquartered in Wilmington, Del. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people’s lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation, apparel, home and textiles.

® Trademarks, registered or applied for, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

Tips for selecting a weather radio receiver

Hundreds of models of weather radio receivers are available from electronics stores across the
country. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration) do not endorse any brand or model, but NOAA suggests the radio you choose
meet these criteria.

1. Capable of receiving all seven NOAA weather channels.

2. Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology, which means the receiver is capable of
turning itself on from a silent mode in the case of an alarm for the geographic area pre-selected by
the user.

3. Provides Selectable Tone Volume, which is needed for different noise environments and the
hearing impaired.

4. Selectable Alert Functions, which allows selection of alerts for only the events you choose, i.e.:
eliminating inapplicable alerts such as hurricane or tidal wave.

5. Minimum of eight-character digital display to provide visual display of the warning, or watch
name (mandatory for hearing-impaired users to differentiate between types of emergencies which
require different steps for protection).

6. Alert-status indicators to visually inform users of weather/emergency watches, warnings and
alerts.

7. External-alert terminals, allowing the use of external devices such as strobe light or pillow vibrator
for hearing- or sight-impaired users.

8. External-antenna connector -- an external antenna would enhance reception in outer coverage
areas where the NWS signal may be weak or in poor reception environments.

9. Battery backup, enabling the receiver to operate in case of a power failure.

10. Minimum eight hours battery backup life, providing continuing protection for the duration of
most watches or warnings during extended power failure.

11. Memory system capable of at least 15 location codes. In the future, counties will be subdivided
into nine different coded sectors, which will allow the radio to be more effectively programmed to
maximize its usefulness.

12. Supplied with 110 -120 volt AC wall power transformer for primary power.

13. Capable of using alternative 12-volt DC power source, allowing use of the NOAA weather
radio in a car, truck, RV, boat or with any other 12-volt power source.

14. Receives the message type to indicate the required weekly test.