DuPont adds to Chatham facility

Friday, November 1, 2013

by MATT MCINTOSH

Two new processing towers are under construction at DuPont Pioneer's Chatham facility. Once completed, farmers looking to plant Bt corn will be able to buy integrated refuge hybrids.

This, says a recent DuPont Pioneer press release, means growers will not have to order and plant refuge seed separately, saving them time and money.

In the news release, Tim Weller, senior production manager at DuPont Pioneer, says that integrating refuge seed right at DuPont's Chatham facility will "simplify the process of incorporating a refuge in growers’ fields” and protect “the technology they depend on.”

Refuge seed refers to corn that has not been modified to produce Bt, a naturally occurring bacteria that's toxic to harmful, corn boring insects.

The federal government mandates that fields planted with Bt corn must contain 20 per cent refuge seed. Harmful insects gravitate to the refuge plants instead of those modified to produce Bt, which helps prevent the bugs from developing a Bt resistance.

The new addition – which also includes the construction of more soybean bins and dryers – will cover over 24,000 square feet, and comes at a cost of $19 million.

Construction should be completed in August of next year, the release said. BF