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 GREENLEAF OFFERS UNIQUE RESOURCE June 2006 Name: Ron Wulfkuhle Title: Chief Executive Officer, Greenleaf Genetics LLC Education: B.S. in agronomy, Kansas State University Career: He has spent his career in marketing leadership and product management positions with Syngenta legacy companies, with both U.S. and global responsibilities, since 1984. Editor's note: We invited Mr. Wulfkuhle to provide information about the new joint venture that was formed by Syngenta Seeds and Pioneer Hi-Bred International. Everyone in agri-marketing should be so fortunate to experience once in their career the kind of ride the folks at GreenLeaf Genetics LLC have recently experienced in 30 days this spring: • Announcing that they are the first-ever to out-license Pioneer genetics. • Announcing the opportunity to represent the new Optimum™ GAT™ trait and the Agrisure™ traits to the seed industry. • Getting word that a federal court judge ruled in Syngenta's favor in a suit brought by Monsanto alleging sales of GA21, branded by Syngenta as Agrisure™ GT, infringed their patents. • Reporting sales result for their first year that equate to approximately 3 percent of the U.S. corn market share. GreenLeaf Genetics LLC is the industry's first joint venture to out-license corn and soybean genetics to United States and Canadian seed companies, with potential to expand worldwide. The joint venture was formed by Syngenta Seeds, Inc. and DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. in April 2006. We will offer corn and soybean genetics from both Pioneer and Syngenta and facilitate the licensing of biotech traits from both companies. While Syngenta originally launched GreenLeaf Genetics as a traits and genetics licensing business in 2004, DuPont will, for the first time, provide other seed companies targeted access to the world's largest plant genetics library at Pioneer. GreenLeaf Genetics will also facilitate the licensing of Agrisure GT, Agrisure CB, and in the future, Agrisure RW and Optimum GAT to independent seed companies. Dean Oestreich, DuPont vice president, general manager and president of Pioneer pointed out that the joint venture and the licensing agreements bring together the strength of two industry leaders to deliver new technologies to the market more quickly. He and Pioneer are excited about making the results of our research investments in both genetics and traits available to more farmers sooner. The basic business of GreenLeaf Genetics is to identify inbreds and hybrids from within the Pioneer and Syngenta product portfolios that can be made available to seed companies to improve that company's product offer to farmers. Many of those inbreds or hybrids will contain traits, and GreenLeaf Genetics can facilitate the licensing of those traits for the seed companies. The genetics GreenLeaf Genetics will make available to seed companies will be performance leaders. Our mission is to: be a sustainable source of elite traits and genetics in order to help independent seed companies grow and profit. We established the business two seasons ago with five core values that must ring true in all that we do: 1.) Kinder, simpler and easier to do business with; 2.) Support customers to grow with us; 3.) Support our customers' business needs; 4.) To be trusted as a long-term technology partner; 5.) Position traits and germplasm as quickly and aggressively as possible. GreenLeaf Genetics distributes inbreds and hybrids directly to seed companies and also works with foundation companies that represent GreenLeaf's germplasm products in their own product brands. We've found that we have a much better reach to customers if we work cooperatively with other foundation companies versus being full competitors. As Mike Mack, COO of Syngenta Seeds has stated: "The formation of the GreenLeaf joint venture is outstanding news for growers and the seed industry because it will make available a new and unique pool of corn and soybean traits and genetics from both companies' research efforts." We help seed companies give their customers' access to broader product choices and technologies. Jeff Meints, co-owner of Farm Advantage, a farm supply and seed business located in Belmond, IA, sums up what many seed companies are saying: "We're glad that GreenLeaf has been successful in getting established, gaining access to Pioneer genetics and winning the GA21 lawsuit. We want to give our farmer customers good solid product choices, and GreenLeaf Genetics represents more options to choose from." As part of a simpler and easier approach, GreenLeaf Genetics has implemented a straightforward pricing scheme for genetics and a trait pricing structure that is transparent. These reward the seed company for completing necessary regulatory requirements for trait stewardship. GreenLeaf Genetics is based in Omaha, NE. Additional members of the management team are: Dawn Judkins, CFO; Greg Kegler, COO; and Dave Gebhardt, chief technical officer. Tweet |
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