B6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 13,1980 Local Pioneers told seed corn supply down BY SHEILA MILLER TIPTON, Ind. - “Seed corn production is a high risk business,” said Floyd Collins, president of the Eastern Division of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. while addressing a group of several hundred farmers and salesmen here on Tuesday. Pioneer, one of the leading producers of seed corn in the nation, has felt the effects of this Summer’s extremes m weather, too. The com that is being harvested now shows the effects of too much ram in the beginning of June (12 inches fell in 24 hours leaving water standing in fields for days) and then a drought at the time of pollination. Driving past fields of seed com production, the visitors viewed acres and acres of short, yellow stalks far from being high as an elephants eye. And at the Pioneer headquarters, the com being dumped mto bins showed signs of stress. Robert Wichmann, executive vice-president of the company told the group representing sales personnel Looking down, down, down into the deep grain dryer bin are David Coble, R 1 Hershey; Thomas Mowrer, R 1 Spring City; Marvin Nissley, R 1 Mount Joy; and Scott Osborne, R 2 Peach Bottom. N.Y. woman is Number One TIPTON, Ind. Frances Pogroszewski was one of several hundred sales people who hopped on board jet airplane traveling here to take part in a tour of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.’s Eastern Division headquarters. Frances has the distinc tion of being the only woman sales person for the seed company in the East and perhaps m the nation, ac cording to her District Sales Manager Donald Martin. Frances hails from Hilton, Montgomery County, New York where she was bom and raised. How did she become a Pioneer sales woman’ As she explains it, her involvement in the seed sales business was a gradual one. She had always helped her husband, Stanley, with and customers from the Eastern States from Ken tucky to New England that the 1981 supply of seed com would be down from previous years. He noted the yield of sensitive inb.ed lines had been reduced 15 percent more than estimated by the Federal government analysts. Wichmann did note, however, that there would be an adequate supply of the short season variety seed com. As a matter of fact, he told th sales personnel that these particular varieties were in grerater supply that in 1979. The more popular long season varieties that are m shorter supply will be salvaged somewhat by last year’s cany over supply, he noted. Along with predictions on the effects of the rams and lack of rams on the seed com harvest, the visitors were given a tour of the Tipton reasearch facility and plant. They walked through test plots and demonstration plots of the various vaineties, and saw first hand the effects of diseases and insects on varieties that in Pioneer’s sales his dealership answering the telephone, keeping the books, taking orders,' she said. About seven years ago, however, Stanley decided to get out of the dairy business and sold his cows in order to go to work in a bank, she recalled. As a result, he didn’t have much tune to sell com and the sales began to drop off. “We were missing out on all the nice premiums that Pioneer gives sales per sonnel! for meeting their goals,” mused Frances. After two years of dropping com sales and no premiums, she said, she decided to start selling. During the twenty odd years that Stan had been actively involved in selling Pioneer com, Frances had accompanied him to many of do not have resistance bred into their line. The Indiana corn producers said they have not yet felt the sting of Goss’s disease that has broken out m Illinois. They commented their worst problems come from Southern matis and anthracnose. And the com borer has done a lot of damage in fields that have been planted to com for the p£st 35 years, said a spokesman. The tour included a trip through the processing buildings where the visitors learned how Pioneer sizes their seed. Climbing to the top of the roof, the visitors peered down mto the storage bins where some of this year’s varieties were already m the process of drying down. Entering still another building, they saw the mechanics installed to handle the baggmg of the seed com. And the last step of the tour was to visit the cold storage where they saw skids of com ready to ship to Italy and Greece (under the name of Regina rather-than 3369 A). Some of the group visited * i|||l the sales meetings, By the tune she assumed the sales responsibilities for their area, Frances said she was already familiar with the best varieties for the local farmers to plant. “At first the farmers called and wanted to talk to Stan. Now they’re calling and sending me the checks,” she said with pnde. Frances pointed out she does not have the dealership m her name as yet. But, she added, her district manager has informed her that she should have it m the near future. What’s the hardest part about being a sales woman for Pioneer’ Frances smiled and said selling was the easiest part collecting the money was the hardest part. As far as what ‘ recommend, Fi omu t.r • M '.i the research farm where Mark I wig and John Hoff beck discussed the ongoing research at Pioneer and the current work in developmg varieties for maximum production and disease resistance. Dr. Hoffbeck explained that for every variety put on the market by Pioneer, Pennsylvania farmers and salesmen inspect quarters in Tipton, Indiana. much and too little rain on seed corn parent stock to Henry Budnt, Lebanon, NJ. and Edward Bilyk, R 1 Belvidere, N.J., right. she finds out what’s best as their sales meetings. However, there are basically only four varieties that have a short enough growing season for their part of New York, she pointed out. The most frustrating part of her job, she said, is when she sells a farmer a new variety of com to try and compare, and when she returns to find out how it performed the farmer can’t remember where it was planted. The ex-school teacher has done well in the past five years, meeting her goals and winning premiums. The only problem is that all of the watches presented as premiums are unfortunately made for a man. “Oh well,” she sighed, “They make great gifts for my husband and kids.” anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 experimental varieties were thrown out. He explained that it takes 15 to 20 years before a variety is tested and available for farmers to plant. Dr. Iwig echoed his counterpart’s comments and said that the varieties he is presently working on m Frances Pogroszewski, along with several hun dred sales people from Pennsylvania and ottej Eastern states, toured the Pioneer resea* facilities and headquarters at Tipton, Indiana on wheat research projected to be on the market in 1995. Area farmers taking part in the tour included: John Weidman, Regional Sales Manager of the Eastern Division, Mount Joy; Tim Markovits, District Sales (Turn to Page B 8) loneers , I
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