Pioneer Research Center in South Dakota

NEW YORK - Mar 1/06 - SNS -- DuPont subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. will open a new Research Center in Brookings, South Dakota this spring to expand work on creating new corn inbreds and commercial hybrids.

The South Dakota Research Center staff will initially include six full-time employees and several interns.

Gary Weber, research coordinator for Maize Product Development, will relocate to the South Dakota Research Center. Weber leads corn development programs at Research Centers in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Canada.

Two key scientists will also transfer to South Dakota to coordinate the opening of the center and lead efforts to effectively test, evaluate and position new hybrids.

Jan Jackson, a research scientist with Pioneer for eight years, will lead hybrid testing and evaluation decisions and will also coordinate the transfer of hybrid performance information to customers. The move is a homecoming for Jackson, who is a graduate of South Dakota State University and worked for the USDA/ARS Northern Grain Insects Research Lab in Brookings.

Jay Hotchkiss will be responsible for inbred discovery and hybrid creation. Hotchkiss received his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Wisconsin and joined Pioneer in 2000. He previously served as a research scientist for Pioneer in North Platte, Neb., and Mankato, Minn.

In addition, Roy Luedtke, research director for early maturity corn research, will relocate to the Mankato Research Center in Minnesota. Luedtke provides management and scientific leadership to the early maturity markets in North America, including the South Dakota program.