USA: Greater investment in Syngenta's NK seeds brand reinforces commitment to offering growers and retailers unique choice, greater value

• Syngenta is proving its commitment to a strong retail seeds brand through increased investment in genetics and traits
• Additional R&D support will enable introduction of new NK Corn and Soybean genetics more rapidly
• Expanded staffing will support growers and retailers with a dedicated NK agronomy and sales team

Growers who purchase corn and soybean seeds from retailers will have even more choice and greater value through the reinvigorated NK® seeds brand. Syngenta today announced a comprehensive long-term commitment to NK seeds that includes boosting research and development, expanding staff and enhancing retailer support.

As part of the investment, the number of U.S. plant breeders will increase by 50 percent while the number of product selection leads will increase by 38 percent. In addition, trialing will increase by 30 percent.

“More than ever, today’s growers are looking for increased options to maximize returns. We are committed to investing in our NK seeds brand to deliver unique choice and greater value through our retail partners,” said David Hollinrake, president of Syngenta Seeds. “We will rapidly bring to market new hybrids and varieties, offering greater value for growers to help them achieve that better ROI.”

A boost in R&D

The new investment builds on a legacy of science-driven advancements for NK.

Innovations like high-speed trait conversion – executed at the state-of-the-art Syngenta Advanced Crop Lab in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina – have helped produce fully-traited NK seeds at a much quicker pace, with hybrids and varieties now coming to market an average of two years faster than before. This is the direct result of the $1.3 billion that Syngenta already spends each year on global research and development. And now, the company is committing to a significant incremental investment specific to U.S. seeds over the next five years.

“We expect to develop and deliver game-changing innovations that will keep improving growers’ performance – innovations like NK hybrids featuring Agrisure Duracade® 5222 E-Z Refuge® that offer the ultimate trait stack for premium insect control, choice and simplicity,” Hollinrake said.

Dedicated support in the field

On top of a boost to research and development, retailers will see an expansion of dedicated NK staff. Within the next year, Syngenta will more than triple the NK sales and agronomy teams, adding a dedicated team of NK agronomists and introducing intensified training opportunities – delivering more personalized support to both growers and retailers.

“We are committed to building a strong retail seed brand with NK,” Quinn Showalter, head of NK sales. “By increasing our investment not only in research and development, but also in our people, we’re able to provide greater local support and enable our retailers to better serve their growers’ needs and deliver greater value.”

For more information, visit www.NK-US.com.

About NK
NK offers growers a science-driven boost to their seed portfolios. Our researchers tap into “big data” to drive innovation that helps growers spread risk and maximize whole crop return. Plant the seeds of change to see the difference that innovation can make.