April 22, 2003

Gene Kassmeyer, Corn Product Manager at Garst Seed Company, announces the addition of Dennis Penland as Specialty Products Manager. Penland will be responsible for the marketing of Garst¹s specialty corn products as well as market development for specialty grains.

"We are very happy to have Dennis on staff. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from the seed industry as well as the wet-milling industry. His extensive knowledge of specialty grain characteristics and knowledge of the specialty grains industry will help advance Garst¹s marketing efforts and provide processors with the information they need," said Kassmeyer.

The Specialty Products Manager position is new to Garst Seed Company and is a testimony of the company's continued commitment to performance and technology.

"This is an exciting position to be in and I look forward to working with grain processors and specialty grain originators to identify Garst products that will advance their efforts," said Penland.

Penland has worked extensively in the specialty seed industry. From 1994 to 2001, Penland was the Specialty Corn Origination Manager at Cerestar USA, Inc. While at Cerestar, Penland initiated research trials designed to identify starch extractability variance within commercialized corn genetic
lines with a focus on waxy and high-amylose corn. Penland was instrumental in Cerestar¹s development of a high-amylose product line and identified preferred hybrid lists in both waxy and common corn hybrids for optimal starch extraction rates. He worked extensively with the Biotech Working Group, a joint venture between Cerestar and Central Soya, to establish contact with biotechnology development companies for potential new product development. He was also a representative for Cerestar USA to the American Seed Trade Association. Penland holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business from Southwest Missouri State University.