Independent and co-op retailers who sell DuPont Canada’s ag chemicals in Western Canada can add some exclusive Pioneer Hi-Bred canolas to their product lines starting this fall.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, which is owned by DuPont, announced the new agreement with its parent’s Canadian wing Tuesday, saying it has more new canolas in its pipeline than its current dealer network can market.
Pioneer now sells its canola seed varieties to Prairie farmers through its own independent sales reps and through grain handler Viterra’s ag retail outlets. Those sales agreements don’t change with this deal, said Ian Grant, president of Pioneer’s Canadian operations, in a release.
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The sales reps and Viterra “will each continue to have access to their own exclusive lineup of high-yielding canola products,” while the DuPont dealership network will handle different exclusive varieties, the company said.
The new canolas aren’t yet available on the market and the company said it will have more details on those varieties at a later date.
“Our canola pipeline is so strong that we have more top-yielding canola
hybrids available than we can practically bring to market through our current distribution channels,” Grant said in the company’s release.
Thor Cruse, business director for DuPont Canada Crop Protection, said the new system “allows us to serve (Prairie canola) growers better by giving them access to a new seed choice at their preferred independent or co-op retailer.”
The agreement will bring the new product line to “hundreds” of retail outlets, the company said, although agreements with those dealers are still being finalized and a full list isn’t yet available.
The deal will also allow the DuPont retailers to offer “enhanced” offerings on both seed and crop protection products, the company said.
DuPont territory reps will be the primary contacts for independent and co-op retailers selling the seed, which is expected to be in their warehouses this fall before spring seeding in 2009. The DuPont reps are to have tech support from Pioneer Hi-Bred area agronomists.
DuPont stressed that this agreement only applies to Pioneer brand canola seed sold in Western Canada. Pioneer Hi-Bred reps will still be the exclusive distributors for its other product lines such as corn, soybeans, sunflowers, alfalfa and Sila-Bac forage inoculants.