Delta and Pine Land Company’s research program in Leland, MS will be headed up by Jim Mitchell, cotton breeder previously with the company’s Stuttgart, AR facility. The program has introduced a series of highly successful varieties due to the work of legendary breeder Dr. Bob Bridge who died unexpectedly last spring.

Mitchell has committed his entire career to cotton breeding, most recently providing expertise in the D&PL, Paymaster and Hartz breeding programs during his tenure in Stuttgart. Mitchell began his career in El Paso, Texas at the branch station for Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES). Prior to his move to Arkansas, Mitchell worked as a breeder for Stoneville Pedigreed Seed. A native of Marks, MS, he holds bachelor and masters’ degrees in crop science from Mississippi State University.

For almost two decades, Mitchell has focused on breeding better cotton picker varieties in the Mid-South. His new role will focus on varieties adapted for the northern areas of the region, along with Dr. Don Keim’s program for the southern Mid-South.

Delta and Pine Land Company is a commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed, as well as soybean seed in the Cotton Belt. For more than 80 years, the Mississippi-based company has used its extensive plant breeding programs drawing from a diverse germplasm base to develop superior varieties. Delta and Pine Land has offices in seven states and facilities in several foreign countries.