Dow AgroSciences Announces Agreement to Acquire Dairyland Seed Co., Bio-Plant Research Ltd.
Dow AgroSciences LLC announced today it is acquiring Dairyland Seed Co., Inc., the West Bend, Wis. based business with plant breeding programs in hybrid corn, soybeans and alfalfa, and Bio-Plant Research, Camp Point, Ill., a business affiliated with Dairyland Seed with a primary focus on licensing of soybean, alfalfa and wheat germplasm. The addition of Dairyland Seed will build upon Dow AgroSciences’ current seeds business and will expand its broad range of product offerings. The closing is expected later this month. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Dairyland Seed has a product portfolio and brand that strengthens our corn, soybean, and alfalfa business in the U.S. and globally,” said Jerome Peribere, president and CEO, Dow AgroSciences. “Furthermore, Dairyland Seed’s investment in research and development compliments our increased investment in developing industry leading proprietary plant breeding programs.”
The agreement includes all crop genetics, brands, plant breeding programs in hybrid corn, soybeans and alfalfa as well as Dairyland’s research, processing and production locations. Tom Strachota, currently CEO of Dairyland Seed, will remain with the business to lead Dairyland Seed as Dow AgroSciences’ general manager for the business. Chuck Simmons will continue to lead Bio-Plant Research Ltd. as its General Manager.Dow AgroSciences will continue to independently market Dairyland Seeds under the Dairyland brand. Dairyland Seed will continue to be headquartered in West Bend, Wis.
“The seed industry has gone through some dramatic changes in the last 10 years. And while we’ve been highly successful, our family owners along with our board felt that in order to grow in the future and best utilize our world-class genetics, we needed to align with a leading company in the area of biotechnology, marker assisted breeding and other emerging technologies,” noted Tom Strachota, CEO for Dairyland Seed Company. “Our goal was to find a partner who shared our values, our philosophies and our commitment to employees and we’ve found that with Dow AgroSciences.”
This is another step in the Dow AgroSciences strategy to build a world class Plant Genetics and Biotechnology platform business. Dairyland is the fifth acquisition, including Agromen, MTI, Duo Maize, and Triumph Seed, in the last 12 months as Dow AgroSciences builds a global seeds platform. This combination of companies will provide a strong regional presence for Dow AgroSciences to commercialize its HERCULEX® Insect Protection traits, SmartStax™, and Dow Herbicide Tolerance (DHT) technologies for the benefit of corn and soybean growers.
