Monsanto’s announcement in January of plans to build a state-of-the-art cotton seed processing facility in Lubbock means economic development for the community and represents the ongoing commitment the Deltapine brand has to Texas cotton farmers.

The new Lubbock site represents a $140 million capital investment and is expected to employ 40 full-time personnel. The site will be established as Monsanto’s primary U.S. hub for all commercial cotton seed processing operations—including cleaning, treating and bagging of cotton seed—while existing processing facilities will transition to support storage and warehousing, pre-commercial operations and research in various parts of the Cotton Belt.

“With a sizeable Deltapine variety breeding and testing program in the High Plains, we are bringing high-performing cotton varieties to market for Texas farmers,” said Deltapine Marketing Manager, Brad Roberts. “Modernizing our seed processing operations in Lubbock adds to our leadership position in Texas and enhances our ability to not only produce high-yielding varieties, but also supply the market with elite genetics and traits in quality planting seed.”

Two-thirds of the Texas cotton acres are either dryland or have limited water for irrigation. Severe drought areas can receive rainfall sufficient to make a decent cotton crop when weather patterns shift. Therefore, Texas growers need cotton varieties that make the best use of available moisture to maximize every acre on their farms. The 2016 lineup of Deltapine varieties for Texas includes proven performers on dryland and limited-water situations, as well as varieties that can perform on well-irrigated ground. They include:

The performance of each Deltapine variety available for planting in 2016 was proven by farmers in the New Product Evaluator (NPE) Program, and many of them topped university, county agent and other trials across Texas last season.

Since it began in 2008, the Deltapine NPE Program has become the cotton industry’s premier field evaluation program, resulting in the commercialization of some of the top-planted varieties by growing region across the Belt. For more on Deltapine cotton varieties and the NPE Program, visit www.deltapine.com. Photos, videos, agronomic tips and more can be found at the Deltapine Twitter^® (@Deltapine) and on Facebook^® at https://www.facebook.com/Deltapine.

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^{Individual results may vary. Always read and follow IRM, where applicable, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Deltapine® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2016 Monsanto Company.}