The Biotech Endorsement (BE) program for hybrids with HERCULEX^® XTRA Insect Protection — including those stacked with Roundup Ready^® Corn 2 technology — has been expanded to include Colorado and irrigated acres in all previously approved states. Growers who plant qualifying hybrids may be eligible for reduced crop insurance premiums¹ next season. These new guidelines were approved by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation as part of the BE program administered by the Risk Management Administration (RMA). 

For the 2010 crop year, the BE program for corn hybrids with HERCULEX XTRA and HERCULEX XTRA stacked with Roundup Ready Corn 2 will include irrigated and dryland acres in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

This announcement is more proof that growers can continue to trust the in-plant protection provided by hybrids with HERCULEX XTRA Insect Protection,” says Duane Canfield, marketing specialist for Dow AgroSciences.

Since the program was announced in 2008, participation continues to increase as growers realize the benefits of planting hybrids with a BE-qualifying technology. In previous years, growers have saved more than $3 per acre² on insurance premiums.

“HERCULEX XTRA provides a full spectrum of season-long protection, helping growers protect their corn from significant yield losses related to pressure from common corn pests. The BE program has recognized what growers already know: HERCULEX XTRA protects their investment and helps maximize their yield potential,” Canfield says.

HERCULEX^® XTRA Insect Protection is a stacked above- and below-ground trait that provides broad-spectrum in-plant insect protection, including corn rootworm protection. It is available in a wide variety of high-yielding hybrids. HERCULEX XTRA provides in-plant protection against corn rootworm (western, northern and Mexican), European corn borer, western bean cutworm, black cutworm, southwestern corn borer, fall armyworm, southern corn stalk borer, lesser cornstalk borer, and sugarcane borer, and suppression of corn earworm.

To learn more about the value of hybrids with HERCULEX Insect Protection, visit www.HERCULEX.net.

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company that combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. Dow AgroSciences provides innovative technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and agricultural biotechnology to serve the world’s growing population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $4.5 billion. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.