Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
June 23, 2002

BASF and Seeds 2000, Inc., announced today that they have signed a commercial agreement to provide growers with new hybrids of herbicide-tolerant CLEARFIELD* sunflower for use with the CLEARFIELD* Production System.

The CLEARFIELD Production System for sunflower may be available in 2003 if an emergency exemption, or section 18 registration, is received for Beyond™ herbicide.

“The primary objective of the agreement is to develop CLEARFIELD sunflower into elite commercial hybrids through traditional plant-breeding methods,” said Bruce Cranfill, CLEARFIELD sunflower market manager for BASF.

The CLEARFIELD Production System for sunflower is a unique production system comprised of non-GMO herbicide-tolerant sunflower hybrids and Beyond herbicide to manage pigeongrass/foxtail, wild oats, wild mustard, cocklebur and other tough grasses and broadleaf weeds that plague sunflower growers.

“By partnering with Seeds 2000, we have the opportunity to incorporate the outstanding CLEARFIELD* technology into some of the best sunflower hybrids available to growers,” Cranfill said. “The combination of CLEARFIELD sunflower and Beyond™ herbicide will be powerful. Beyond is the only post-emergence herbicide that controls a wide range of both broadleaf and grass weeds in sunflowers.”

Seeds 2000, Inc., based in Breckenridge, MN, is a privately held company specializing in the research, development and marketing of sunflower hybrids and other crop seeds. Founded in the early 1990s, Seeds 2000 sells directly to growers while providing service and support to its customers. The company offers both oilseed and confection sunflower hybrids. Its product line-up includes NuSun™ hybrids Mustang, Defender, Maverick, Ranger, Colonel, Blazer and Bronco, as well as confection hybrids 6946, Caribou, Bigfoot, Kodiak and Grizzly.

Steve Kent, president of Seeds 2000, said the company could offer its first CLEARFIELD sunflower hybrids as early as 2003, provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves Beyond herbicide for use in sunflowers.

“Through this agreement with BASF, we will give grow ers the opportunity to further increase the value of their crop by combining superior weed control with high-performing sunflower hybrids,” Kent said. “We are committed to offering market-leading sunflower hybrids to growers.”

The CLEARFIELD* Production System for sunflowers will provide growers with weed control options better what they have today, he added.

Since the first imidazolinone-tolerant crop was launched in 1992, thousands of growers have taken advantage of the benefits of the CLEARFIELD* Production System in corn, wheat, canola and rice – broad-spectrum, residual weed control that helps growers maximize yield and may decrease the need for tank mixing and repeat applications, Cranfill noted. As a result of the BASF/Seeds 2000 agreement, these same opportunities soon will be available for sunflower growers, he added.

Other key components resulting from the agreement are: 
Achieve seed availability in several sunflower hybrids with significant quantities in 2004;
Develop a broad range of CLEARFIELD sunflower hybrids that are commercially competitive throughout the United States; and
This development program also may result in licensed sunflower products adaptable to other sunflower-growing regions worldwide.

CLEARFIELD sunflower is one of the key crops in the CLEARFIELD Production System that combines agronomically advanced seed varieties and hybrids with custom-designed imidazolinone herbicides with extended weed control and superior farm management benefits.

Other CLEARFIELD* crops include:
CLEARFIELD wheat and CLEARFIELD canola with Beyond™;
CLEARFIELD rice with Newpath™ herbicide; and
CLEARFIELD corn with Lightning® herbicide.

CLEARFIELD* sunflower is recognized as non-GMO by international regulators. Globally, BASF and its seed partners offer the broadest portfolio of non-GMO herbicide-tolerant genetics available.

Seeds 2000 is a privately held company specializing in the research and development of sunflower hybrids and marketing of sunflower, canola, corn and soybean varieties. Seeds 2000 was founded in the early 1990's by two experienced seedsmen, Dr. Gary Fick and Jay Schuler, who had a vision of what farming would be like in the 21st century.

The BASF Agricultural Products business in North America markets a range of innovative crop protection materials and systems that enable growers to increase their cost-efficiency as well as their crop yield potential. Its headquarters are in Research Triangle Park, N.C. It is a unit of the BASF Global Agricultural Products Division, located in Mount Olive, N.J.

BASF, the world’s largest provider of chemicals and related products, is recognized for innovation in helping its customers make products better for consumers. The company is an industry leader in environmental protection, safety and health, and social responsibility. Headquartered in Mount Olive, N.J., BASF Corporation is the North American affiliate of BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany). BASF AG had sales of approximately $29 billion in 2001 and employs more than 90,000 people worldwide.
BASF AG shares are traded on the stock exchanges in New York (BF), Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), Zurich (BAS), and Paris (BA). In North America, BASF had sales of $6.9 billion in 2001 and employs more than 14,000 people at approximately 50 locations.

Always read and follow label directions. Newpath herbicide is subject to a FIFRA 24(c) special local needs registration in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, subject to the following restrictions: Do not use treated fields for aquaculture of edible fish and crayfish. The special local needs registration expires July 31, 2002, in Arkansas and Jan. 1, 2003, in all other states.

CLEARFIELD and Lightning are registered trademarks and Beyond and Newpath are trademarks of BASF. NuSun is a trademark of the National Sunflower Association.

© 2002 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved