Date: Jan 09, 2009 Source: (
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(West Des Moines, Iowa) Schillinger Seed, a specialty soybean seed company headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa has introduced eMerge Genetics -- a new division of the company focused exclusively on non-GMO soybean seed. eMerge fills a growing market demand for food-grade, non-GMO soybeans from both overseas food companies that require non-GMO products and domestic food companies who are increasingly looking for healthier food ingredients.
The new entity will tap into the growing demand from farmers looking to profit from some of the highest grain premiums offered in the industry as well as those who are becoming increasingly concerned with the rising costs of conventional seed.
"We've found that there is an untapped opportunity in the marketplace," said John Schillinger, President and founder of the company. "Food companies are coming to us with aggressive grain premiums in order to get the types of soybean products they want. Growers are looking for more profitable alternatives to higher-priced conventional seed. Our job is to make sure they find each other by providing the products that fill both sides of the seed/food equation."
By focusing on "output" traits like higher protein and low-linoleic characteristics, eMerge has taken a different approach to product research and development than other seed companies.
"Most seed companies start by looking for "input" traits like disease and chemical resistance that focus on the production side of the industry," said Schillinger. "We've taken our efforts a step further by focusing on characteristics that the end users demand. By taking this approach, we know the demand for our products will be greater than that of conventional seed. For farmers, that translates into higher premiums -- because they aren't just selling commodity grain anymore.
