Scientists at a research center in Lancaster County are developing advanced varieties of corn that thrive in different conditions, and the center itself has been expanding, too.
Pioneer Hi-Bred's facility near New Holland is one of its 45 research stations around the United States and the only one in Pennsylvania. The scientists who work there are tasked with inventing new hybrid varieties of corn that can stand up to disease and increase the amount produced per acre. Corn research scientist Dave Whitaker explains that it usually takes between eight or 10 years to produce a new variety of corn suitable for being grown commercially.
The New Holland facility, which is also the base for research at 20 sites around Pennsylvania and Maryland, now employs 15 people. That's up from just five workers in 2004. Pioneer Hi-Bred has also invested in the site, dedicating more land for corn-growing and research stations. The latest addition is a new building for storing equipment.
Even more significantly, Whitaker is behind the first strain of a new type of corn expected to be released next year. It's called brown midrib corn and is notable because it's easier for animals to digest and gives dairy farmers another option for feeding their cows.
Source: Dave Whitaker, Pioneer Hi-Bred
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen