DuPont Pioneer to double Pioneer® brand Plenish® high oleic soybean contract acres in NE Indiana and NW Ohio

DuPont Pioneer announced recently it will more than double acreage of Pioneer® brand soybeans with the Plenish® high oleic trait in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio for 2016.

For the 2016 growing season, soybean farmers around Delphos, Ohio, Decatur, Ind., and Bellevue, Ohio, will have the opportunity to grow Plenish® high oleic soybeans for delivery to a participating elevator or directly to designated Bunge North America facilities for processing. Growers will be eligible for a processor-paid incentive for producing and delivering the Plenish® high oleic soybeans. The 2016 contract program will support rapidly growing demand for Plenish® high oleic soybean oil with Bunge’s food and industrial products customers.

"For several years now, Ohio and northeast Indiana growers have successfully grown Plenish® high oleic soybean varieties,” said Randy Minton, DuPont Pioneer business director. “This solid performance in the field, combined with the added profit opportunity with grower premiums, makes participation in this program an attractive decision for growers. Increasing Plenish® high oleic soybean acres for 2016 comes at a good time for our soybean customers considering the challenges they face with lower soybean prices.”

"We are pleased to be working with DuPont Pioneer and our farmer customers in Ohio and Indiana to increase production of Plenish® high oleic soybean oil. It’s a product our oil customers are demanding as a result of its superior functionality and improved nutrition profile,” said Tim Gallagher, executive vice president, Bunge North America.

The development and commercialization of Plenish® high oleic soybean oil is a significant milestone for DuPont Pioneer to bring product innovation to the food industry. It’s an example of how biotechnology is being used to develop products with direct food industry and consumer benefit. The oil’s improved fatty acid profile provides a soy-based trans fat alternative for food companies and foodservice operators. Its enhanced stability provides longer frying life in restaurant applications and longer shelf life in packaged food products.

From a health and nutrition perspective, Plenish® high oleic soybean oil has 0g trans fat per serving and 20 percent less saturated fat than commodity soybean oil, making it a more attractive ingredient for health conscious consumers of food products.

The high oleic soybean varieties are developed by DuPont Pioneer using its elite genetics and cutting-edge technologies. Field testing has confirmed yields on par with elite commercial products, providing growers with added incentive to grow Plenish® high oleic soybeans.