Dow AgroSciences and Schillinger Seed sign licensing agreement

Mar 18, 2009 9:31 AM, By Mark Moore

Dow AgroSciences continues to broaden its soybean seed portfolio. The company recently announced a licensing, research and development agreement with Schillinger Seed for the commercialization of transgenic commodity seeds.

“Together with the soybean genetics acquired with Dairyland Seed, Dow AgroSciences will now have soybean genetics from group 00 to group 7 soybeans,” says Ben Kaehler, commercial leader, Seed Affiliates and Traits Licensing for Dow AgroSciences. “It will also add additional elite genetics for our platform to launch the Dow herbicide tolerance (DHT) trait.”

John Schillinger, president and CEO for Schillinger Seed, says the agreement will provide additional avenues for the company’s soybean genetics. “We will maintain our focus on our company’s eMerge Genetics program that targets the development of specialty soybean products for the food and feed industry,” he says.

Under the agreement, Dow AgroSciences obtains the Schillinger Seed brand and exclusive right to breed, produce, distribute and sell Schillinger Seed brand transgenic commodity soybeans. In addition, Schillinger will continue to develop and produce proprietary soybean germplasm for Dow AgroSciences to use in breeding and commercial sales.

Schillinger will continue to independently research, develop and market non-genetically modified and specialty soybeans under the eMerge Genetics brand.