Ames, Iowa and Hooper, Nebraska, USA
April 8, 2013

Farmers Cooperative Company (FC) and Hoegemeyer Hybrids announced today they have formed a strategic alliance enabling FC to be an exclusive dealer of Hoegemeyer and HPT® brand seed in 37 counties of Iowa.

“We’re proud to work with an amazing organization to provide our farmer-owners access to another of the largest pools of germplasm in the world,” says Gary Peter, FC Vice President of Agronomy Sales and Marketing. “With our DeKalb/Asgrow brand, we have access to the immense pool of Monsanto genetics. This collaboration rounds out our lineup and provides our growers the advantages of the DuPont Pioneer innovations in Hoegemeyer and HPT brand genetics.”

FC and Hoegemeyer share like-minded core values and a rich history of serving farmers in terms of their individual needs, which continues to be a focus, even in today’s global marketplace.

“The Hoegemeyer brand and products have been recognized for over 75 years for quality and consistency. Our diverse genetic line up will bring strong yield performance and will protect against challenges growing in importance in Iowa, like Goss’s Wilt. We are excited to be able to work with a tremendous company like FC,” says Stephan Becerra, Hoegemeyer General Manager.

FC is the largest cooperative in Iowa, serving a trade territory of over 3,000,000 acres. This agreement will enable FC to be the exclusive retailer of Hoegemeyer seed within that territory, allowing growers to have genetic and trait access they can’t find elsewhere.

“We believe that sets us apart in the industry in terms of what we can offer a grower,” says Todd Claussen, FC Director of Agronomy Technical Services. “We will be bringing a unique bag of seed to the growers in our footprint. The genetics will be hand-selected to match the needs of the farmers we serve. That’s a huge advantage for our customers. They are
basically able to have their bag of seed genetically formulated to match the acres on their farm.”

As a cooperative, FC’s philosophy is to utilize the combined resources of their members and bring value back to the farmers who own the company. This relationship allows FC to provide its members something no other retailers in this area are able to offer.

“The power of the DeKalb/Asgrow brand, combined with all that Hoegemeyer brings to the mix creates a lineup that will bring unmatched genetics and innovation together. We value the new alliance because it dovetails with our flagship brand to offer something completely unique to the marketplace,” said Peter. “We believe Hoegemeyer, backed by DuPont Pioneer genetics, has both the pedigree and the performance to be on the FC roster. We’re planning on some big wins for our growers.”

Founded in 1937, Hoegemeyer Hybrids serves farmers with seed products specifically chosen for exceptional performance in the Western Corn Belt. For more information on the complete line of Hoegemeyer products, please visit www.therightseed.com.

FC is the largest farmer-owned agriculture cooperative in Iowa, founded in 1881 on the premise that if a group of people with similar goals get together, they can achieve more than any one of them could on their own. Today, FC serves over 5,300 active members throughout a trade territory of over 3,000,000 acres. Members are served from over 50 locations by more than 450 full time employees. For more information, visit http://www.fccoop.com.

Website: http://www.fccoop.com.

Published: April 10, 2013