Aiken, Texas
October 17, 2000

Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) president Steve M. Hawkins officially opened a major expansion of the company’s Aiken, Texas location today. The $3.75 million expansion provides consolidated storage for the company’s seed production and has begun accepting high quality "fuzzy" seed. The investment in Aiken was one of two new long-term investments the company has opened this week, the Rolling Plains research facility in Haskell is currently in the process of harvesting its first crop.

"High Plains cotton farmers have welcomed technological developments – both in conventional breeding and the incorporation of transgenic traits," Hawkins says. "Several years ago, D&PL entered this market with Paymaster which has been very successful in this area. Growers have embraced new varieties containing the Roundup Ready and Bollgard traits and our business has grown. We continue to expand both our research and operations capacity to better serve those growers. We want to insure they have the seed supply they want and need."

Randy Dismuke, D&PL senior vice president, provided more insight on the Aiken investment.

"Over the past couple of years, our sales in Texas have increased as have the complexity of the products we are handling. This expansion will help us meet the production needs that come with increased product line and sales more efficiently and with an even closer eye on quality," says Dismuke, who heads D&PL’s operations, quality assurance and supply chain management/information services departments. "We are using the latest technologies to move and store seed in our Aiken facility, increasing the bulk warehousing capacity from 8,000 tons to 38,000."

To support greater storage capacity, heightened quality assurance testing is also involved in the investment. The lab provides a full line of testing for seed vigor, emergence potential, presence of transgenic traits, as well as other key physical and physiological factors. Testing needs have already increased substantially this season to insure seed taken in to the warehouses will perform well in the field when it comes planting time.

The expansion was started this spring and is taking in "fuzzy" seed (seed which comes from contracted gins) now. D&PL will process that seed in its Aiken plant as well as through the use of contract delinters.

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 more than 80 years, the Mississippi-based company has used its extensive plant breeding programs drawing from a diverse germplasm base to develop superior varieties. Delta and Pine Land (NYSE: DLP) has offices in seven states and facilities in several foreign countries.

Company news release
N3061