DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Strong global demand
for corn and record commodity prices are driving up demand for high-yielding
seed. For leading seed companies like DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, that
means significantly increasing the number of acres needed to grow their seed
and the number of people they need to hire to produce the crop.
Pioneer said today that demand for its products is driving a 30 percent
increase in the number of acres it needs for seed corn production in 2008.
That is on top of another significant increase in 2007.
Along with the increase in acres comes a sharp increase in the number of
part-time workers needed in the fields this summer to detassel the corn -- a
key step in the process of producing the high-value hybrid seed corn that
farmers will plant in the spring of 2009.
"Detasseling gives people -- often young people, while they are off from
school -- near our seed production locations a chance to earn money over a
couple weeks and still have some summer left to spend it," said Bill
Tomlinson, supply operations director, Pioneer Hi-Bred.
Across North America, Pioneer plans to hire more than 30,000 detasselers
this summer in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, Washington,
and Ontario, Canada. The detasseling season runs from late June or early July
through the early or middle part of August, depending on when a field gets
planted and the weather.
Those looking for part-time work this summer aren't the only ones
benefiting from the increased demand for Pioneer seed. The increased acres
also means additional opportunities for farmers who grow the seed and others
who help harvest and transport the crop, condition the seed and ship it to
Pioneer customers.
"Much of the financial investment Pioneer makes to produce a corn hybrid
is spent where the seed is grown," Tomlinson said. "Contract seed growers,
our work force and their communities reap the benefits of this investment."
Detasseling is the act of removing the pollen-producing tassel from a corn
plant. Detasselers walk through seed fields and remove the tops of corn
plants that were not removed by machines. Their work helps ensure genetic
purity is maintained when the hybrid cross is produced commercially.
For more information or to apply for a detasseling job, visit the
"Careers" section at www.pioneer.com and select "Summer Jobs."
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world's leading source of
customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed
processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to
advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a science-based products and services company.
Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions
essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating
in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products
and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and
construction; communications; and transportation.
