"The HIGH PLAINS cotton market is a new area of commitment and opportunity for us," says Randy Dismuke, president of Deltapine Seed. "Other companies have offered varieties in this stripper harvest area for quite some time, but Deltapine Seed is bringing some new material to the area with the Deltapine brand. We are causing quite a stir by competing with traditional stripper cotton varieties by offering new, well-suited, high-yielding varieties like DP 2156 and DP 2379.

"Our effort in the stripper area encompasses research, testing, agronomic services and sales and all three have increased their efforts over the past few years," says Dismuke. "One of the primary reasons we are entering the market on such a high note is the company's breeding program in Lubbock, headed by Pat "Bo" Downer. Bo and the entire Deltapine research staff have been working on the High Plains since we acquired the Funk/Agri-Pro Program in the early 1990s. They have already given us two strong varieties and we have several other promising strains in development."

The company is investing research time and resources to developing both conventional and transgenic stripper varieties. Downer tests his promising material in the High Plains, as well as getting the assistance of Deltapine cotton research programs in the Southeast, Mid-South and
Arizona.

"The High Plains has unique challenges for cotton growers," Downer says. "We're looking at the big picture on all the challenges they face. First and foremost, our goal is to bring picker yields to stripper varieties. We'll do that by offering high yielding genetics that carry all the traits, including storm resistance, needed for this environment. We're working on key traits from disease resistance to Roundup Ready. We want to be sure Deltapine varieties help growers make the
profits they need."

On-Farm Testing and Service Agronomic Services serves as conduit between Deltapine Seed's
research and marketing arms. The department has a staff of agronomists who conduct on-farm trials on both commercial and experimental varieties. In Texas and Oklahoma, Agronomic Services performed 55 cotton trials in 1997.

"The number and quality of trials are impressive but the impact that information can have is what we are really interested in," says Marc Bates, vice president of Agronomic Services. "Those trials help us decide which products to launch commercially. It also helps us position varieties in the areas they will do best.

"Getting that information to growers is a key step," he adds. "They can utilize it in selecting the right varieties for their operation ­ soil type, irrigation, season length, etc. ­ and in managing that variety to maximize its potential."

Dismuke points out that Deltapine is a familiar name because the brand has long been a leader in the picker market, however, Deltapine Seed is a new entity and is offering new varieties and service to the Southwest. In fact, the promise of DP 2156 and DP 2379 and the experimentals, led the company to add to their sales and service staff in the area.

"Deltapine is the entity which launched Delta and Pine Land Company (or D&PL) into the industry's consciousness. Since that time, there have been some changes, but Deltapine remains the leader," he says. "Deltapine Seed became a separate operating division in January 1997 ­ until that time, Deltapine and D&PL were synonymous, but not anymore. Deltapine is the customer­oriented part of the equation. Our departments and programs are all targeted to the customers' business, and the stripper market is a big part of that focus."

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