Win Nearly All of National Categories in NSP Yield and Management Contest

Growers planting Pioneer® brand sorghum hybrids recently won four of five first-place finishes and 12 of the 15 national categories in the 2011 National Sorghum Producers (NSP) Yield and Management Contest. Ten of these growers won national finishes with Pioneer sorghum hybrid 84G62.

First-, second- and third-place national honors were awarded in each of the five segments. Growers compete within a broad range of five sorghum production classes, including conventional-till irrigated, conventional-till non-irrigated, mulch-till non-irrigated, no-till non-irrigated and reduced-till irrigated.

In addition to national placings, growers planting Pioneer sorghum hybrids captured 73 percent of all state category placements.

Jeff Scates, Gallatin County, Illinois, won the 2011 Irrigated Bin Buster Award with Pioneer sorghum hybrid 84G62 at 192.73 bushels per acre. Levin Farms, Phillips County, Kansas, won the Non-Irrigated Award with Pioneer sorghum hybrid 85G46 at 185.91 bushels per acre.

NSP contest winners are awarded based on their ability to exceed established USDA yield averages for the county where the contest field is grown; the "bin-buster" awards are given to the actual highest yield gained in irrigated and non-irrigated categories.
The NSP Yield and Management Contest is an annual competition among sorghum producers with the goal of producing the highest yields.

"Once again, growers planting Pioneer sorghum hybrids have dominated the NSP yield contest this year," says Rowdy Smith, Pioneer senior marketing manager, Lincoln, Neb. "The attentive management practices of these growers, along with strong-performing products, led to their success. Having the majority of the top-yielding hybrids in this contest shows the advantages Pioneer products bring to the financial bottom line of sorghum producers.

"The success these growers have with Pioneer sorghum products is a testament to the quality research program that delivers higher harvestable yields and defensive traits to protect those yields."

State and national winners will be recognized at the NSP Yield and Management Contest Awards Dinner on Friday, March 2, during the 2012 Commodity Classic in Nashville, Tenn.
Details about individual winners can be found on the Pioneer website at http://www.pioneer.com/nsp/. For more information about the broad range of top-producing Pioneer products, growers should contact their local Pioneer sales professional.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering SuccessTM.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.

12.21.2011