Kip Cullers of Purdy, Missouri (pictured) harvests a world record soybean yield of 154 bushels per acre in 2007 with Pioneer® brand variety 94M80 (RR), which tops the world record yield he set in 2006 of 139 bushels per acre in the Missouri Soybean Association Yield Contest Photo: Pioneer Hi-Bred

Perdue AgriBusiness is to contract low linolenic soybeans from DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, in a move to support marketplace demand for healthier foods.

Contracts will be made with growers on the Eastern Shores of Maryland, Delaware and southern Pennsylvania for the 2008 growing season.

Farmers will be able to choose from two Pioneer brand low linolenic soybean varieties, 92M82 and 93Y50, which also contain the Roundup Ready trait. Perdue will pay $0.60 per bushel premium for soybeans stored on-farm and delivered after harvest.

The low linolenic soybeans contain oil with a linolenic acid profile of less than 3%, offering better natural stability and increased shelf life. They also contribute to the efforts of food companies to reduce trans fats from their products, with low linolenic oil eliminating the need for partial hydrogenation, which creates the fats.

The project marks a continued expansion of national low linolenic soybean contracting opportunities with Pioneer soybeans, presenting 2008 as the fourth consecutive year the company has marketed the soybeans, which it began breeding in the early 1990s.

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John Ade, Perdue vice president of grain sales and merchandising, believes the contract would be beneficial for the industry. “Adding value to growers’ crops and offering solutions to customers is good news for agriculture,” he notes.

Russ Sanders, Pioneer marketing director, mirrored Mr Ade’s optimism. “We’re very excited about expanding low lin soybean contracting,” he says. “This is great news for growers seeking greater income through premiums and food processors that seek to market healthier foods.”
By Rebecca Debens

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