DuPont Pioneer in Chatham growing with a $19M expansion

2
2178

pioneer

A $19-million expansion is underway at DuPont Pioneer in Chatham.

The work includes building two new, 30-foot processing towers.

Tara Moir, company spokeswoman, said the expansion will be done by mid-August and is aimed at making it easier for farmers to grow certain types of corn varieties.

Farmers who plant Bt corn varieties to protect their crop against yield-robbing insects are also required to plant a 20% refuge of non-Bt corn in their fields.

Bt corn is corn that has been genetically modified to produce the insecticidal proteins that occur naturally in Bt – Bacillus thuringiensis – a bacterium found in soils throughout the world. It naturally produces crystal-like proteins that selectively kill a few specific insect pests.

Planting a refuge of non-Bt corn seed is designed to prevent insects from developing resistance to Bt corn.

The expansion at the Chatham location, along with new processing equipment, will blend the Bt-hybrids with the refuge products to help growers easily comply with the planting standards.

It’s a concept known in the seed industry as “refuge in a bag.”

“They buy the bag, and the refuge and their other hybrids are all in one bag, so they can just put their corn in the planter and go,” said Moir. “There is no need to worry about switching hybrids or making sure they have to plant the right refuge configuration.”

In addition, Moir noted the expansion would significantly increase the capacity of the location’s corn production.

“We will be able to process more products more quickly, so there’s less legwork when it comes to switching from one product to another,” said Moir, noting that the expansion could add another 10 to 12 jobs to the plant in the longer term.

The bigger facility will also house new soybean conditioning equipment, including dryers and bins.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I am so sorry that so many of our local farmers have been sold such a false bill of goods by the bio-tech firms. Sadly, they will learn, in time, that these firms are better at propagating myths than healthy plants! These chemical companies have only one interest in agriculture; and that is the sale of more chemicals. Consumers and governments in Europe have rejected genetically modified food more widely than here in North America. Yet the opposition to GMOs continues to grow. It stems from a fear of potential health risks and the rise of agricultural monocultures, which are perceived as being bad for the diversity of local agriculture and the food supply. GMOs are bad for human and animal health, bad for the environment, and permanently damaging to biodiversity. http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/05/11/scientists-discover-bt-toxins-found-in-monsanto-crops-damage-red-blood-cells/

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here