Karen McMahon

March 23, 2011

1 Min Read

Bayer CropScience is strengthening its position in soybean breeding with the purchase of Hornbeck Seed Company. Bayer made the announcement March 23. Hornbeck is a privately held seed company that sells soybean germplasm along with breeding for wheat and rice. The company is located in DeWitt, AK, and has supplied seed mostly to the South.

A news release from Bayer CropScience states that the upcoming purchase of Hornbeck will help Bayer meet the needs of southern soybean growers in particular. The Hornbeck soybean germplasm base and breeding program will be used to commercialize Bayer’s proprietary traits, including herbicide-tolerance and insect- and nematode-resistance traits.

“Soybean is a strategically important crop for Bayer CropScience, and this acquisition is an important first step towards realizing a fully integrated soybean business,” stated Sandra E. Peterson, Chairman of the Board of Management at Bayer CropScience, in a news release.

Previous seed-related purchases by Bayer CropScience include Stoneville Pedigreed Seed in 2007 and Athenix Corp. in 2009. The company also entered a collaboration with M.S. Technologies in 2007.  

About the Author(s)

Karen McMahon

Karen McMahon has been a well-respected and award-winning agricultural journalist for more than three decades. In 2000, she served as president of the American Agricultural Editors' Association (AAEA), a group of more than 400 professional farm writers. She also is active in the Agricultural Media Summit (AMS) and served as chairman in 2001 and chair of the sponsorship committee for several years. She has attained the top Master Writer Award level from AAEA and won various writing awards from the Am. Society of Business Publication Editors and Minnesota Monthly Publications Association.

Karen joined Farm Industry News as senior editor in 1998 and was named editor two years later. Prior to that, she was managing editor for five years of another Penton publication, National Hog Farmer. She grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm near LeMars, IA, and earned her degree in journalism from South Dakota State University. Since then, Karen has worked in agricultural communications.

Her experience on magazines and organizations includes work on Hog Farm Management, the National Pork Producers Council, and Hogs Today/Farm Journal.

Karen may be reached at 9520851-4680

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