Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. applauds Kip Cullers of Purdy, Missouri, for establishing a new world record in soybean production at 139 bushels per acre, well above the U.S. average soybean yield of 43 bushels per acre. Cullers achieved this with Pioneer® brand soybean variety 94M80 in his Missouri Soybean Association yield contest plot this season.

“We congratulate Mr. Cullers on demonstrating the yield potential that exists with today’s elite soybean varieties,” says Pioneer President Dean Oestreich. “Combining effective management practices with the latest soybean genetics is key to ensuring we are able to meet the growing demand for soybeans as food and fuel. We are excited about the opportunity to see what we can learn from Mr. Cullers that can help other growers increase their productivity.”

With cutting-edge crop genetics technology, Pioneer has delivered high-yielding soybean varieties for many years. Pioneer has been the market share and brand leader in U.S. soybeans for the past 17 years. In the last five years, higher-performing varieties have helped improve the market share of Pioneer soybeans in the United States by six points.

94M80 is a late-Group IV soybean variety with excellent harvest standability and tolerance to soybean sudden death syndrome. The variety also is resistant to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and contains the Roundup Ready® gene. The SCN resistance was developed using Pioneer’s proprietary marker-assisted selection technology to more efficiently identify and develop such traits.

Breaking 100-Bushel Yield

While Cullers’ achievement is astounding, Pioneer knows the yield potential of its soybean genetics. This year, a treated plot of Pioneer brand 93B36 broke the 100-bushel mark in an internal Best Management Practices (BMP) study, which provides data for Pioneer researchers to increase soybean yield. The BMP study, conducted at the York, Neb., Research Center, surfaced some additional high-hitters with several plots yielding more than 90 bushels, and five of the six varieties in the study averaging 88 bushels or more.

The BMP study was a small plot, replicated-research study, with four rows of the top-selling Pioneer brand commercial varieties replicated four times within the field. Initiated two years ago by Jim Trybom, a Pioneer research scientist in Champaign, Ill., the purpose of the study is to improve yield and seed quality.

20 New Varieties for 2007

For the 2007 planting season, Pioneer is adding 20 new soybean varieties to its lineup. These high-yielding varieties offer growers protection against yield-robbing pests such as soybean cyst nematode, Phytophthora root rot, sudden death syndrome and brown stem rot.

“Soybean growers are approaching an exciting time where different sectors are competing for soybeans,” says Oestreich. “We’re excited to see this demand from our customers, and we’ll continue to deliver a research pipeline with products and traits that not only hold great value for farmers, but also for processors, food companies and consumers.”

Pioneer currently characterizes its soybean varieties for oil content to determine impact on biodiesel production. It is committed to providing soybeans that will help fulfill the growing demand of biofuels.

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-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.

® Registered trademark of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
® Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company.

Jefferson City, Missouri
November 14, 2006

Kip Cullers wins Missouri Soybean Association yield contest and sets new world record with 139-bushel yield

Kip Cullers, Purdy, MO, has established a new world soybean production record. Averaging 139.39 bushels per acre, Cullers is the winner of the conventional category of the 2006 Missouri Soybean Association (MSA) yield contest. He accomplished this by planting Pioneer® soybean variety 94M80 on an irrigated and conventionally tilled field.

"The exciting thing about this world record is that it points out how the yield capacity for soybeans is dramatically higher than most people believe," said Dale R. Ludwig, MSA executive director/CEO. "Therefore, this causes us to pay greater attention to capturing higher yields by focusing on every aspect of production management."

Cullers utilized BASF Headline® fungicide and Syngenta Warrior® insecticide on his soybeans during the growing season as instructed on the product labels.

The record-setting yield was harvested Oct. 7, 2006. Cullers' weigh check was witnessed and verified by a third-party, MSA-approved official. The award-winning crop was grown in a sandy loam soil in Newton County near Stark City, MO. The seed populations used on the field were close to 300,000 with about 245,000 plants in the final stand. The soybean plants averaged approximately 120 pods per plant.

This is the first year Cullers has entered the MSA soybean yield contest. Last year, he posted the second-highest corn yield in the nation in the National Corn Growers Association yield contest with 345.95 bushels per acre. There is currently no national soybean yield contest; but according to past USDA records, no soybean yield has ever come close to Cullers' yield of 139 bushels per acre.

Seed genetics foundation to success

Cullers' attention to detail and proactive management style helped him achieve this yield. He monitors his fields closely to check for production challenges, such as disease and insects. He says a good fungicide program is critical to growing quality crops, as are good genetics.

"During two decades of farming, I've come to realize that starting with great yield potential through good genetics is key," says Cullers. "We build from there by making sure our plant populations are in the right range for our rich, red soils."

Cullers co-owns and operates a diversified farm, K&K Farms, located southeast of Joplin, Mo. Cullers has been involved in farming for more than 20 years, owning or managing farms in Newton and Barry counties in Missouri. He manages more than 5,000 acres of corn, soybeans, green beans and greens - spinach, collard, kale, mustard and turnips. The farming operation is located in Missouri's fertile Newtonia red soil. K&K Farms also includes beef, hay and poultry. Cullers and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Noah and Naaman.

The Missouri Soybean Association is a membership organization comprised of more than 1,700 farmers from across the state. The purpose of MSA is to communicate challenges facing farmers and rural Missouri to legislators at both the state and national level to increase profitability for Missouri soybean farmers. MSA is directed by a volunteer board of 16 farmer leaders.

® Registered trademark of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
® Headline is a registered trademark of BASF.
® Warrior is a registered trademark of Syngenta.