Hyland Seeds, a division of W.G. Thompson and Sons, and Zeneca Seeds, marketers of Garst brand seed corn in Canada, have announced the establishrnent of a joint venture early maturity corn breeding program, This unique joint venture will combine the early maturity breeding efforts of Garst with the Hyland corn breeding program.

Hyland Seeds is the leading Canadian-owned agri-seed company and a division of W.G. Thompson & Sons Limited. Hyland Seeds is based fn Blenheim, Ontario, which lies in one of the prime corn seed production regions of the world. From their research facilities, research farms, test plots and processing plants across Canada, the Hyland commitment to produce and sell to growers the highest quality Canadian seed possible is more than a business. It is a proud tradition grounded in eight decades of dedicated service to Canadian agriculture and international markets, Hyland's exceptional research facilities are the foundation of this tradition as they strive to be in the forefront of seed research including the expanding field of biotechnology. Today, Hyland Seeds has the largest private rriulti-crop species seed breeding program in Canada, Hyland is committed to the ongoing and responsible discovery of herbicide tolerant and genetically unique hybrid/varieties with the same focus on high quality and yield that the Hyland reputation demands.

Zeneca Seeds develops and markets Garst brand seed corn in Canada, Zeneca Seeds and Garst are both member companies of Advanta, the fourth largest seed company in the world. Zeneca  Seeds and Garst are together recognized as leaders in the development of high performance hybrids and leading edge DNA and trait technologies. These include the patented "Whiskers" gene transformation system used to incorporate and stack novel input and output traits in crops including corn and canola. Garst is the North American leader in the development of SMART(TM)  IT corn hybrids that are tolerant to IMI based herbicides, as well as G-STAC(R) hybrids that combine multiple novel traits including SMART IT, Liberty Link(R) and various Bt technologies. Garst is also the market leader in the development of high pH tolerant corn, which is now being tested in Canada.

"Hyland Seeds has focused attention for 23 years on early maturity corn inbred lines and hybrids," says John Cowan, General Manager for Hyland Seeds, "Marrying the Garst and Hyland research programs will combine the genetic resources and biotechnology capabilities of Garst with the early maturity breeding expertise and germplasm of Hyland to develop high performance hybrids for producers."

'This joint venture, combines two world class breeding programs, and represents a major commitment to our presence in the Canadian seed corn business," says Howard Morris, General Manager for Zeneca Seeds in Canada. "It allows us to match Garst's 75 years of experience in com breeding, where it has developed leading skills in many DNA and trait technologies, with Hyland's successful northern corn breeding program". Says Morris, "Both Garst and Hyland have committed to expanding our breeding efforts through this joint venture above and beyond what was being done through the stand alone programs." Morris notes "There is an excellent fit between our two organizations and the resources being committed to this joint venture. By combining our resources we can create economies of scale in our research efforts and provide Canadian corn growers with a new range of high performance hybrids."

The joint venture will be based out of the new Hyland Seeds Research Centre in Blenheim, Ontario. This unique breeding program will allow both Garst and Hyland to develop separate and distinct hybrids that utilize a shared research and technology base. Each company will market their own hybrids developed from this program through their established dealer networks, Both Morris and Cowan anticipate that hybrids developed through this program will be marketed in Eastern and Western Canada, the Northern U.S,, and Europe.

For more information on this new joint venture breeding program, contact either Zeneca Seeds at 1-877-GO-GARST (1-877-464-2778) or Hyland Seeds at 1-800-265-7403.

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