Scott, Mississippi
July 15, 2003

In 2004, bags of Upland varieties will hold a fixed number of seeds

Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) Upland cotton varieties will be sold in packaging that contains a fixed number of seeds beginning in the 2004 planting season – a change that will help producers determine per-acre seed and technology costs more accurately.

“When we deliver seed for the 2004 production year, bags and Boll Boxes™ of most D&PL Upland varieties will hold a fixed number of seeds,” says Randy Dismuke, senior vice president and head of U.S. business operations at D&PL. “The only exceptions are that D&PL Pima and Acala varieties will continue to be packaged in the traditional 50-pound bags this coming season.”

D&PL officials are still evaluating the best seed count for bags based on the different weights and densities of the company’s various Upland cotton varieties. The final determination on the number of seed per bag will be made in the near future.

“After nearly three years of research on the mechanics of the packaging process and after hearing from producers, we felt like the time for fixed-count seed units was right,” Dismuke says. “We’ve studied the seed sizes of our varieties and looked at packaging seed count by weight, and now feel the systems and equipment are available to offer precise, fixed-count seed packaging of D&PL cotton varieties. We are very confident in the process that will allow us to package in fixed-count seed units. D&PL has always been committed to offering quality planting seed and we are equally committed to packaging precisely.”

Seed-count packaging has a number of benefits. Because of the seed size difference among varieties, there are 11 different technology fees set by Monsanto for Roundup Ready® varieties and 10 different fees for Bollgard®/Roundup Ready varieties. Establishing the fixed seed count in bags and Boll Boxes will help standardize technology fees on D&PL varieties.

A fixed number of seeds in bags and Boll Boxes will assist producers in determining more preciely their needs for planting. It enables them to more easily and efficiently manage input costs associated with planting, notes Dismuke.

“This new packaging strategy has benefits throughout the seed sales and distribution channel,” he says. “Retailers and dealers will be able to manage inventory more precisely with seed-count packaging.”

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 almost 90 years, the Company has used its extensive cotton plant breeding programs drawing from a diverse germplasm base to develop improved varieties. Delta and Pine Land (NYSE: DLP), headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, has offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries.