Des Moines, Iowa
March 2,  2001

Growers can expect to find a variety of choices in products designed to deliver value to their
individual operations in the new corn hybrids Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. is introducing for the 2001 growing season.

"The highest priority of our corn breeding program has always been to provide our customers with a broad selection of products that yield top performance across a range of conditions and over a
variety of locations and production systems," notes Bob Heimbaugh, product line management director for Pioneer. 

The results of this focus are clearly evident in the 2000 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Yield Contest, where Pioneer® brand hybrids earned first-place honors in all nine categories and accounted for 25 of 27 national place-winners. The genetics that yielded these exceptional results also serve as the foundation for the new hybrids for 2001.

"The new introductions show our company’s continued commitment to providing growers with hybrids that have superior, high-yielding genetics and field-proven plant health and agronomic packages," Heimbaugh says. "Our new corn offerings also provide more choices than ever in the critical areas of weed and insect control."

Included in the new introductions for 2001 are:

Nine new Elite conventional corn hybrids. 
Ten hybrids with the YieldGard1 gene. 
One hybrid with the LibertyLink2 gene. 
Three hybrids with the YieldGard gene and the CLEARFIELD3 Production System. 

The new class of 2001 hybrids – and the entire Pioneer corn line – does not contain hybrids with a combination of the YieldGard and LibertyLink genes. Grain from these hybrids are not yet approved for import into the European Union. Pioneer has decided to postpone sales of these hybrids for the 2001 growing season to minimize possible confusion among customers.

Finding the right mix of Pioneer brand corn hybrids – among both new and existing products – that offer the greatest overall return on investment per acre is as simple as contacting your local Pioneer sales professional. These representatives have in-depth product information and 2000 yield data. They are prepared to help you select the products that best meet your individual agronomic and production needs, as well as fit the requirements of your local grain merchandisers.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a DuPont business, is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers worldwide. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer develops, produces and markets a full line of top-quality seeds and forage and grain additives and provides services to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition, health care, apparel, home and construction, electronics and transportation.

Company news release
N3354