Celebrating Legacies and Bright Futures
October 31, 2022 It’s not often that a company gets to celebrate multiple milestone events in the same year. BASF and its Stoneville and FiberMax cottonseed brands had such an opportunity in 2022 and took time to properly acknowledge the heritage and promise of both well-recognized cotton brands.
Photo: Jim Steadman
Stoneville: 100 Years Strong
From humble beginnings in Stoneville, MS, George B. Walker and his partners launched Stoneville Pedigreed Seed Company in 1922 with three goals in mind: to identify and increase high-performing seed varieties; do practical, scientific breeding to produce new and better varieties; and to sell good seed in quantity and at fair prices.
After 100 years, it’s fair to say that Stoneville has exceeded expectations in the U.S. and international cottonseed industries. On Sept. 8, several hundred industry leaders, past and present employees, and friends of the company gathered to celebrate a century of success — just a few miles from the company’s original farm.
“Anticipation has been building for this event because we knew what this milestone would mean,” says Steve Nichols, South Region Agronomy Lead for BASF. “To have the crowd from different parts of the industry represented here today for good fellowship was is extremely humbling and valuable.”
Members of the Walker family were present for the event, which included presentations on Stoneville’s history, remarks from present and past company leaders, and a look at the Walkers’ current involvement in growing the cotton industry in Uzbekistan.
“This means a lot of to the Walkers, because it all started with them,” notes Nichols noted. “Even though they don’t own the company today, they’re still very close to us and have a lot of confidence in the brand and where it’s going. It’s an impressive 100-year legacy.”
Photo: Kylie Farmer
25 Years of FiberMax — And a Look at Its Future
On Oct. 5, BASF celebrated 25 years of FiberMax cotton during a special event in Lubbock, TX.
“FiberMax continues to be a well-known brand that continues to deliver,” says Nichols said, in his remarks to the attendees. “Cotton is a core product and will continue to bring innovation to the field.”
FiberMax cotton began in 1997 with germplasm from Australian cotton. Field trials were conducted in South Texas, and five varieties of FiberMax cotton seed launched in 1998. Since then, multiple traits have been developed and numerous varieties launched specifically focusing on the growing conditions of the Western Cotton Belt.
Panelists from various stages of the development of FiberMax shared stories to illustrate the brand’s history.
“Every day we got up, we had everybody at the table,” says said Lee Rivenbark, retired Head of U.S. and Global Cotton Business at Bayer [former owners of FiberMax]. “We worked with laser focus on the business, and we had a lot of fun.”
The panel also included comments from Harvey Buehring, former Nueces County Extension Aagent and the first person to plant FiberMax cotton seed in the U.S.; Mike Gilbert, retired Head of U.S. Cotton Business, Global Cotton Business, and Vice President of Research and Development for seeds and traits at BASF; and Linda Trolinder, BASF’s current Vice President of Research and Development for seeds and traits.
“The team in the FiberMax business has the greatest level of resilience and tenacity,” says said Trolinder. “I can tell you their passion and dedication to this business — but more importantly, to the grower — is unrivaled.”
Photo: BASF
On Oct. 6, the BASF cotton team hosted its annual Field Day at its breeding and trait development station in Lubbock, providing an opportunity for the local agriculture community to learn about FiberMax cotton’s latest varieties and trait innovations — including the Axant Flex Herbicide Trait Technology and BASF crop protection solutions available to cotton growers.
“Regulatory approval is still pending for Axant Flex herbicide trait technology, but that’s not stopping the excitement for the launch of this product,” said Cory Mills, BASF U.S. Cotton Breeding Manager. “Variety performance in the field is looking really strong. We’ve got excellent germplasm and will be ready to bring this to market in 2024. It’s going to be a game-changer for our growers.”
BASF also contributed to this article
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