DuPont Pioneer, formerly Pioneer Hi-Bred is a large U.S. producer of hybrid seeds
for agriculture. They are a major producer of genetically modified
organisms, including genetically modified crops with insect and herbicide
resistance. History
In 1926, farm journal editor and future U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace,
along with a group of Des Moines, Iowa businessmen, founded the "Hi-Bred Corn
Company". At the time, most corn farmers saved part of the seed from the harvest
and used this to plant a crop the following year . Wallace had been
experimenting with hybridization of corn and became convinced that hybrid seed
corn would become important . Timeline
1924 Henry Wallace begins selling 'Copper Cross', the first commercial
hybrid seed corn. 1926 Hi-Bred Corn Company founded in Des
Moines, Iowa, with $7,000 in capital. 1931 Roswell Garst agrees to
produce/distribute seed. The following year Garst partners with Charles Thomas
to form the 'Garst and Thomas Seed Corn Company'.
1935 "Pioneer" was added to the name of the company to distinguish it from other
hybrid corn companies. The full name is "Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Company".
1936 Pioneer founds Hy-Line Poultry Farms to produce hybrid egg-laying
chickens. Henry B Wallace serves as president of Hy-Line until 1975.
1949 Pioneer reaches annual sales of one million units.
1952 "The Long Look" business philosophy is written.
1964 The first research station outside North America is established in Jamaica.
1970 The company name is changed to Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
1973 Becomes a publicly traded company. 1973 Pioneer obtains a soybean product
line through the purchase of Peterson Seed Company.
1975 Purchases Lankhartt and Lockett companies.
1977 Pioneer acquires Microbial Products division to develop bacterial strains
for inoculation into silage. 1978 Hy-Line International is spun off.
1981 Pioneer becomes the market-share leader in North America corn sales.
1982 Annual sales pass the US$10 million mark.
1983 The name of the soybean product line was changed from Peterson to
Pioneer. 1991 Pioneer purchases 2 million shares
and establishes a partnership with Mycogen Seeds to develop Bt insect
resistance in corn, sorghum, soybean, canola, sunflower, and other seeds.
Pioneer sold the shares in 1998. Pioneer becomes the number one brand of soybeans
in North America. 1992 Pioneer paid $450,000 to Monsanto
for rights to genetically modified soybean seeds that are resistant to
RoundUp herbicide. 1993 Pioneer paid $38 million to
Monsanto for rights to Bt corn that is resistant to European corn borers.
1995 Pioneer stock is listed on the NYSE as PHYB.
1996 Pioneer acquires 20% stake in Sunseeds Co. in exchange for Pioneer's
vegetable seed operation. 1997 DuPont acquires a 20% stake in
Pioneer and the companies form a joint venture called Optimum Quality Grains
LLC. 1999 DuPont purchases the remaining 80%
of Pioneer for $7.7 billion. 2006 DuPont and Syngenta announce
GreenLeaf Genetics LLC, a joint venture to market seed genetics and biotech
traits. 2010 DuPont and Syngenta end their joint
venture, GreenLeaf Genetics LLC, with Syngenta retaining complete ownership.
2012 Pioneer announces update to business name to be DuPont Pioneer
2012 Lawsuit regarding pesticides and dust by 200 residents of Waimea, Kauai
against Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a DuPont company.
2013 DuPont agrees to pay Monsanto Co at least $1.75 billion in a new licensing
deal and both companies have agreed to dissolve their bitter legal battles over
rights to technology for genetically modified seeds.
Today Headquarters of DuPont Pioneer are
located in Johnston, Iowa, with additional offices around the world.
Pioneer produces, markets and sells hybrid seed corn in nearly 70 countries
worldwide . The company also markets and sells hybrids or improved varieties of
sorghum, sunflower, soybean, alfalfa, canola, rice and wheat, as well as
forage and grain additives. Worldwide, Pioneer sells products through a variety
of organizations, including wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, sales
representatives, and independent dealers.
Pioneer makes and sells hybrid seed and genetically modified seed, some of which
goes on to become genetically modified food. Genes engineered into their
products include the LibertyLink gene, which provides resistance to Bayer's
Ignite/Liberty herbicides; the Herculex I Insect Protection gene which provides
protection against various insects; the Herculex RW insect protection trait
which provides protection against other insects; the YieldGard Corn Borer gene,
which provides resistance to another set of insects; and the Roundup Ready Corn 2
trait that provides crop resistance against glyphosate herbicides. In 2010
Dupont Pioneer received approval to start marketing Plenish soybeans, which
contains "the highest oleic acid content of any commercial soybean product, at
more than 75%". Plenish is genetically engineered to "block the formation of
enzymes that continue the cascade downstream from oleic acid, resulting in
an accumulation of the desirable monounsaturated acid."
A lawsuit was filed in 2011 by 150 residents of Waimea, Kauai against
Pioneer. The 58-page lawsuit alleges that Pioneer’s practices in the farming
of genetically modified seed crops on fields next to Waimea unlawfully allowed
pesticides and pesticide-laden fugitive dust to blow into residents’ homes on
almost a daily basis for more than 10 years.
See also DuPont
Monsanto Company External links
DuPont Pioneer DuPont
Hy-Line International GreenLeaf Genetics
Biotech Companies Race for Drought-Tolerant Crops
References ^ a b c Waimea residents sue Pioneer -
Thegardenisland.com: Local. Thegardenisland.com. Retrieved on
2013-09-05. onsanto-dupont-gmo-idUSBRE92P0IK20130326
^ US Approves DuPont Plenish Soybeans - Farm Chemicals International Website -
Farm Chemicals International - Article. Farm Chemicals International. Retrieved
on 2013-09-05. ^ Replacing Trans Fat | March 12, 2012
Issue - Vol. 90 Issue 11 | Chemical & Engineering News. Cen.acs.org. Retrieved
on 2013-09-05.