Waterloo, Nebraska
April 10,  2001

Midwest corn producers who raise Golden Harvest® hybrids can look forward to a new marketing opportunity with National Starch & Chemical plants. In the first year submitted, four Golden Harvest hybrids have been tested, approved and are now listed on the National Starch preferred list for delivery. Growers producing for National Starch can expect a minimum of 10 cents per bushel above the Kansas City terminal base price. Depending on the producer’s local basis, the value to the producer can be up to 28 cents per bushel using forward pricing opportunities offered in the contract.

The approved Golden Harvest hybrids—H-2547, H-2552, H-2581 and H-9403 —were tested by National Starch in 2000 and approved based on their high extractable starch content. According to Wayne Fithian, agronomy system manager for The J.C. Robinson Seed Company in Waterloo, Neb., "Golden Harvest has built a reputation for offering consistent, high quality hybrids. That’s significant, but it really comes down to how that consistency can be turned into marketing advantages for today’s producers. The National Starch preferred list is another example of the growing demand for identity-preserved products and the new opportunities for growers."

Fithian says it’s also another example of the logic behind the Golden Harvest^® Consistent Corn^TM program, introduced by The J.C. Robinson Seed Company last fall. Consistent Corn provides producers with information to progress from simply "raising a commodity" to delivering a consistent product that meets the exact needs of end-users, often at a premium price.

With the approval of these Golden Harvest hybrids, Corn Belt producers have the opportunity to respond to marketplace demand and deliver consistent product that meets exact processing needs for sales to major food and beverage companies. Historically, the National Starch plant in Kansas City has drawn corn from northwest Missouri, southwest Iowa, southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas. National Starch & Chemical Company, which has been in business more than 105 years, is the largest specialty starch company in the world. National not only holds the patents and markets for more types of starches than any other company, it is a leading manufacturer of adhesives, specialty synthetic polymers, electronic and engineering materials and specialty food, pharmaceutical starches and industrial starches. The company, which operates an international network of more than 125 manufacturing and customer service centers in 36 countries, produces thousands of technically advanced products.

According to Jason White, technical service agronomist for The J.C. Robinson

Seed Company, the four hybrids selected offer high starch content as well as consistent agronomic traits:

• H-2547 is a top-yielding hybrid that combines extremely high yield potential, excellent standability, superior drought tolerance, and late-season plant health. The agronomic package allows a wide range of adaptation that fits all production practices in Iowa and Nebraska (no-till, conventional, dryland and irrigated).

• H-2552 combines exceptional yield potential with late-season plant health. This superior hybrid performs well in dryland and irrigated conditions, and is known for its superior disease tolerance as well as good tolerance to high pH soils.

• H-2581 is known for its consistent performance and excellent agronomic package, including stalk and root strength, ear retention, test weight, staygreen, and natural tolerance to European corn borer.

• H-9403 features excellent emergence and strong seedling vigor with outstandingyield potential. Notable for its tall plant and ear height, this hybrid offers a combination of disease tolerance and seedling vigor that makes it an excellent choice for no-till production.

The J. C. Robinson Seed Company is one of five member companies comprising Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc., the nations 4^th largest seed brand. Family-owned and family-led since 1888, The J.C. Robinson Seed Company has grown into a network of more than 1,500 employees, farmer-dealers and distributors. The company markets to the western Corn Belt states of Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, the West Coast, plus international sales in Europe and Mexico.

Golden Harvest^® is a registered trademark of Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc.
Consistent Corn^TM is a trademark of Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc.
National Starch and Chemical Company is a member of the ICI Group.

Company news release
N3443