Severe weather season will soon be upon the heartland. To help farmers and other rural residents better prepare for potentially damaging storms, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Des Moines, IA, announces the company is working in conjunction with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to promote the use of NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) receivers.

“Pioneer has always been a safety-conscious company and a company committed to helping our customers and the communities in which they live and work,” says Rick McConnell, president of Pioneer. “Pioneer works closely with NOAA to provide our customers with weather-related information through the Pioneer GrowingPoint magazine. Promoting the life-saving benefits of NOAA Weather Radio receivers is a logical extension of this effort.

“NOAA Weather Radio saves lives by notifying users of approaching storms, particularly when severe weather happens at night.” McConnell explains. “Rural residents are typically out of earshot of municipal alert sirens, and even in towns and cities, sirens may not effectively warn all residents.

“Weather definitely impacts our customers and their ability to manage their operations. Pioneer believes weather radios are an essential tool they can use to prevent injury and loss-of-life from severe weather and also a tool to help better manage their operations on a daily basis,” McConnell adds.

Pioneer is promoting placement of weather radios in homes, farm shops, businesses and public facilities such as hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities and libraries through an informational campaign to customers, rural residents and employees.

The company also is offering top-of-the-line programmable weather radio receivers for sale at a substantial discount through the company’s Country Store Online. More information on both a desktop and a hand-held portable weather radio is available by logging on to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and accessing the Country Store.