Roger D. Malkin, a pioneer and leader in American agribusiness and long time chairman and chief executive officer of Delta and Pine Land Company, passed away on November 22, 2000 at the age of 69 at his home in Scott, Mississippi. 

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Malkin became a trusted member of the Mississippi Delta community and the cotton industry at large thanks to his tireless devotion to improving the conditions individuals and farmers faced. 

"Roger left us an incredible legacy and we will continue to build upon the vision he had for us as individuals and for his company," said Steve M. Hawkins, Delta and Pine Land president. "In his work, he combined a vision for the future with the daily connection to farmers - that combination
is extremely rare and will be missed. He also championed the arts and education, making our community stronger through his commitment and actions."

Malkin's most notable contributions to agriculture came during his more than 20 years at D&PL. It was Malkin who shifted the business from a production farming operation to a major research force, creating the world's leading cotton planting seed company. During Malkin's tenure at D&PL, the company introduced early maturing cotton varieties (which have helped reduce susceptibility to insects and allowed farmers to harvest their crops before harsh weather), as well as transgenic varieties.

"In the early 1980s, Roger had his eye on the future and the possible contributions biotechnology could have for agriculture," said Murray Robinson, D&PL chief executive officer and vice chairman. "The years that followed were exciting as we moved through the exploratory phases to research and development and, ultimately into commercialization. This technology has revolutionized cotton production in terms of pest management and enhanced profitability."

This year, Malkin's contributions to the Mississippi Delta and the cotton industry received notice with the honor of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Delta Council. He also recently received a Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Mississippi Arts Commission for his significant contributions as a patron to the artistic culture of the state and nation. 

Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove commented that, "Roger was a visionary, he saw the big picture. He knew what it took to succeed in both the business world and the community. He was a tireless force for advancing education and the quality of life in the Delta. He will be sorely missed."

Roger Malkin is survived by his daughter Melissa Malkin, of Encino, California, his son Jonathan R. Malkin and daughter-in-law Philippa Feigen Malkin and two grand daughters of Washington, Connecticut. He is also survived by his companion Barbara Jakobson and his brother Peter L. Malkin of New York.

Services in remembrance and celebration of Malkin's life will be held in Scott on Tuesday, November 28 at the Delta and Pine Land Community Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be directed towards the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, PO Box 16528, Jackson, MS 39263.


ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION FOR ROGER D. MALKIN:

* His activities in agribusiness encompassed the industry's breadth from logistical operations to production farms, from agricultural biotechnology to enabling technologies. 

* After an initial career in real estate, in 1968 he acquired, in one of the earliest leveraged buy-outs, Federal Compress and Warehouse Company, the world's largest cotton compress and warehouse company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The company owned some 31,000,000 square feet of commercial warehouse space across the South and Southwest. Under Mr. Malkin's management the company developed the majority of the space into commercial space to serve the growing needs of the increasingly non-farm economy.

* In 1985, Mr. Malkin acquired Superior Farming Company of Bakersfield, CA from the Mobil Oil Company. The farm operation included 38,000 acres and an extensive fruit breeding program which had resulted in several patented varieties including stone fruit and seedless table grapes.

* His greatest accomplishment was Delta and Pine Land Company, which he acquired in 1978 from Courtaulds Ltd., the English textile group. At the time, the company was one of a handful of seed producers serving the U.S. cotton and Southern soybean markets. Under Mr. Malkin's leadership the company focused on developing better seed varieties and technology for the farmers. 

* In the early 1980s, he met with the first generation of biotechnology companies to determine if biotechnology would be applicable to agribusiness purposes. He also focused the traditional breeding operations on traits which would provide better economics to the cotton and Southern
soybean farmer. From this came several important breakthroughs including early maturing varieties which helped reduce the farmer's vulnerability to late season adverse weather as well as smooth leaf cotton which permitted cleaner harvesting and higher fiber quality. As a result, by the end of the 1990s Delta and Pine Land Company had grown to be the largest cotton breeder in the world with commercial activities in the U.S. market as well as in 18 other countries.

* It was in the 1990s that Mr. Malkin's interest in technology changed cotton production and U.S. agribusiness. The discussions with biotechnology companies initiated in the preceding decade led to major research collaborations with DuPont and Monsanto, and research initiatives with a number of prominent biotechnology firms in the U.S. and abroad. The goal of these relationships was to develop biology-based solutions for crop protection. By the early 1990s it was evident that traditional methods of crop protection were no longer as effective or economically viable as cotton
acreage and productivity shrank. 

* In 1996, Delta and Pine Land Company commercialized the first transgenic row crop with the sale of its cotton seed with Monsanto's bacillus thuringiensis gene technology. This product allowed the cotton plant to produce its own insecticide instead of using chemical sprays. In 1997, D&PL sold the first Roundup Ready* cotton seed which allowed for weed control with the broad spectrum herbicide Roundup. These transgenic products have proven to be the most successful new class of agricultural products in the history of U.S. agribusiness. These products have resulted in a substantial increase in yield per acre, reduction in application of pesticides and an increase in the less environmentally disruptive practice of no-till agriculture. At present, transgenic cotton is planted on approximately 80% of all cotton acreage in the United States. 

* Delta and Pine Land Company was first publicly traded on the NASDAQ in 1993 and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. Roger Malkin served as the Company's Chairman and CEO for 22 years, taking emeritus status in late October of this year. Delta and Pine Land Company remains the only NYSE-traded public company headquartered in the Mississippi Delta.

* Roger Malkin's most recent endeavors included serving as a member of the General Partner and Business Advisory Board of Agricultural Technology Partners LP, a private equity fund dedicated to the Life Sciences. With Mr. Malkin's guidance ATP built a portfolio of companies involved in
forestry biotechnology, bioinformatics, transcriptome/proteome analysis, small molecule design and embryonic stem cells development.

CULTURAL NOTES:
* Mr. Malkin was a champion of education programs. 
* His involvement with Dartmouth College included serving on the President's Leadership Council, establishment of a scholarship program for young men and women of the Delta to attend Dartmouth as well as support of the Center for Jewish Students at Dartmouth. 
* He served as a director of the Delta State University Foundation in Cleveland, Mississippi and was the benefactor of the school's Delta and Pine Land Theatre at its Center for the Performing Arts. 
* Mr. Malkin was also a benefactor of the Mississippi State University Agribusiness Institute as well as serving on its advisory board. 
* Mr. Malkin received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. 
* Mr. Malkin was a member of the Board of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. 
* In addition, Mr. Malkin created the Deer Creek Foundation to improve the quality of life in the Delta.

Company news release
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