"This acquisition is all about broadening the varieties available from Stoneville by giving additional support to mid to full season markets like the Southeastern states," Hughes explains. "Purchasing the HCR program adds cotton breeding material that complements the existing Stoneville germplasm base. It also adds a pipeline of value-added 'transgenic' varieties already in development with Roundup Ready and 'stacked', Bollgard/Roundup Ready products. The ultimate goal, of course, is to crossbreed the HCR germplasm with existing Stoneville germplasm to make new pedigrees of cotton varieties and then to incorporate valuable transgenes into those new products."

Helena President/CEO Mike McCarty, adds, "We feel good about having somebody of Stoneville's caliber taking our germplasm program to the next level. We know the germplasm that we have worked hard to develop will continue in the marketplace and growers will benefit from it."

Stoneville Vice President for Research and Development Don Panter expects this germplasm will be developed into transgenic and conventional varieties. "In fact, transgenic versions of some of the products in the program are close to commercial release," Panter says. "Because of this acquisition, coupled with Stoneville's competencies in bringing products to market quickly and confidently, growers can look forward to new transgenic varieties from this program within two to three years."

Helena Vice President of Crop Protection Products and Seed Milton Allen says, "Ever since we started the HCR program, we have bred specifically for high quality fiber with competitive yield potential. We have taken the program to that level, and Stoneville will take it to growers' fields." The Helena germplasm acquisition follows on the heels of Stoneville's purchase of the stripper cotton breeding programs of Brownfield Seed and Delinting Company in early 2000, and Holland Cottonseed in 1997. Hughes says, "The cotton seed business is about one thing: the future. We have to invest money into germplasm and research if we want Stoneville and our customers to be competitive in tomorrow's market-and that is exactly what we are doing. Since adding germplasm broadens our breeding capabilities, strategic germplasm acquisitions benefit the future of Stoneville, and ultimately, cotton producers."