A total of 26 new hybrids highlight the 2005 seed corn lineup from Fielder’s Choice Direct^®, the nation’s premier direct-to-the-farmer seed company.

In all, Fielder’s Choice will offer corn growers 116 hybrids for the 2005 growing season, according to Dennis Schlott, vice president of sales and product management.

“With the addition of these 26 new products, 81 of our hybrids - that’s 70 percent of our lineup - will have been released during the last three years,” Schlott notes. “This infusion of superior new products is a direct result of our increased investment and expanded development, testing and hybrid advancement program that began in 2000.”

Fielder’s Choice also has broadened the array of available technology traits, he says.
“We offer corn growers the option of every technology trait on the market today,” Schlott says. “Growers can select from hybrids with individual or stacked traits, including Roundup Ready, YieldGard Corn Borer, YieldGard Rootworm, YieldGard Plus, Clearfield, LibertyLink and Herculex.”

 Schlott adds that 72 Fielder’s Choice hybrids are available with Poncho seed-applied insecticide and another 49 hybrids can be coated with Intellicoat Early Plant, which enables growers to plant as much as four weeks earlier without the risk of chilling injury.

The relative maturities (RM) of the Fielder’s Choice lineup range from 80 to 118 RM. Many of the new hybrids for 2005 are concentrated in two important maturity groups: nine new products are in the 94-105 RM group, while 14 are in the fuller-season 108-117 RM.

For forage producers, Fielder’s Choice offers five corn hybrids with NutriDense, as well as seven alfalfa varieties.

The “New” Fielder’s Choice Direct

Schlott also notes that, in addition to new genetics and technology, Fielder’s Choice Direct has enhanced its service offering - including on-farm agronomic calls and multiple payment and financing options.

"We've always been known for our great prices, and the one thing we haven’t changed is our pricing system,” he adds. “Even with our elite genetics and leading-edge technologies, growers will find our direct-to-the-farmer distribution system yields prices up to 35 percent less than those of traditional seed companies.

“But we also believe our customers will appreciate that the new Fielder's Choice Direct is a great deal more than simply price,” Schlott says.

Based in Monticello, Indiana, Fielder’s Choice Direct is the leading direct marketer of seed corn and other crop inputs to American farmers. Fielder's Choice Direct and Intellicoat are members of the Landec Ag group of companies, subsidiaries of Landec Corporation, which is traded on NASDAQ as LNDC.

Fielder’s Choice Direct, Intellicoat and Early Plant are registered trademarks of Landec Corporation.
Roundup Ready, YieldGard Corn Borer, YieldGard Rootworm and YieldGard Plus are registered trademarks of and used under license from Monsanto Company.
Clearfield is a registered trademark of BASF. 
LibertyLink is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience. 
Herculex Insect Protection Technology is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.