Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina
January 8, 2008
BASF Plant Science
presented the first Marketing Excellence Award to GrowDirect.
This award recognizes exemplary BASF seed partners for their
commitment to BASF Plant Science and NutriDense® hybrids. The
award was presented during the 2007 Corn & Sorghum and Soybean
Seed Research Conference held in Chicago, Illinois, by the
American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).
We started this award to fulfill a need we saw in the market to
showcase those seed companies that take seed marketing and
grower education to another level, said Barney Bernstein,
director of trait marketing and sales for BASF Plant Science.
This past year GrowDirect was exemplary at communicating the
value of NutriDense® hybrids and educating growers about the
value of utilizing corn silage, and that's why we are thrilled
to present them with the first Marketing Excellence Award.
A priority for GrowDirect is continuing to deliver value to
their customer base. This is exemplified by constant training to
improve the knowledge of their personnel, educational programs
that allow their growers access to industry leaders, and the
addition of innovative products like NutriDense® for silage.
In 2007, GrowDirect held educational teleconferences for dairy
producers that focused on silage quality, forage management, and
the key benefits of NutriDense® silage. The teleconferences
featured Dr. Jerry Weigel, a nutritionist for BASF Plant
Science, and Dr. Mike Hutjens, dairy extension specialist with
the University of Illinois. The teleconference raised awareness
about how to get the most value from corn silage through
improved harvest, storage and feeding recommendations.
We're very happy to receive this award and we're proud of the
accomplishments we've had marketing NutriDense®, said Bill Gass,
vice president of marketing and new business development for
GrowDirect. We have a great relationship with the people at BASF
Plant Science who have given us the support we need to sell
NutriDense® and provide our customers with what they need. We're
excited about working with BASF Plant Science in the future.
GrowDirect has been a NutriDense® licensee since 1999 and is the
owner of two of BASF Plant Science's seed partners, Heartland
Hybrids and Fielder's Choice Direct®. They were recently
purchased by American Seed Incorporated (ASI), a Monsanto
Company.
BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the
products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
All BASF activities involving plant biotechnology are
incorporated in BASF Plant Science. BASF Plant Science
coordinates an international research and technology platform
with eight sites in five countries in Europe and North America
and employs about 700 people. In addition, BASF Plant Science
has established numerous complementary cooperations with
research institutes, universities and biotechnology companies in
Europe and North America. The research activities of BASF Plant
Science are concentrated in the areas of more efficient
agriculture, renewable raw material and a healthier nutrition
for humans and animals. These include, for example, plants with
improved agronomic characteristics, a higher content of vitamins
or omega-3 fatty acids for preventing cardiovascular diseases,
as well as plants with a higher nutritional value for animals.
Between 2006 and 2008 BASF is investing $430 million (U.S.) in
the expansion of its plant biotechnology operations.
To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please see our Web
site at:
http://www.basf.com/biotechnology.
More about NutriDense® can be found at
http://www.nutridense.com.
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North
American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF
employs more than 15,500 in North America and had sales of
approximately $14.3 billion in 2006. For more information about
BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news
releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical
Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics,
performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals
to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually
all industries, BASF's high-value products and intelligent
system solutions help its customers to be more successful. BASF
develops new technologies and uses them to meet the challenges
of the future and open up additional market opportunities. It
combines economic success with environmental protection and
social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future.
BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of
€52.6 billion (approximately $66.1 billion) in 2006. Further
information on BASF is available on the Internet at
www.basf.com.
©2007 BASF Plant Science L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. NutriDense
is a registered trademark of BASF Plant Science L.L.C. Fielder's
Choice Direct is a registered trademark of GrowDirect, Inc.
BASF Plant Science recently awarded GrowDirect with the first
Marketing Excellence Award for its outstanding service as a seed
partner. Pictured from left to right are Dennis Schlott, vice
president of sales and product management for GrowDirect, Barney
Bernstein, director of trait marketing and sales for BASF Plant
Science, and Bill Gass, vice president of marketing and new
business development for GrowDirect. |
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