Corteva Agriscience’s new seed spinoff, with large research operations in Johnston, will be called Vylor, the Indianapolis-based company announced Monday, May 4.
The company has been referring to the new company, which will spinoff from Corteva by the fourth quarter, as SpinCo.
The temporary name of Corteva’s crop protection business spinoff — which includes herbicides, pesticides and other products — has been New Corteva.
Officials in Iowa, where Corteva employs about 3,000 people, have been lobbying the company to make Johnston the new headquarters for its seed spinoff. It’s where Henry A. Wallace founded the Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co. 100 years ago, the foundation of the Corteva seed company and now a leading brand.
Corteva hosted a large anniversary Pioneer celebration last month that included a large sculpture of the seed brand.
Many in Iowa hoped that Pioneer would be incorporated into the spinoff’s new name. Corteva said Monday the new brand honors Pioneer and other important seed brands.
The company said the giant seed spinoff will “leverage its next generation scientific expertise to further strengthen its core business while exploring opportunities to expand to new row crops — and potentially beyond — to help farmers feed and fuel the world.”
“With more than 4,000 germplasm patents and more than 2,000 biotechnology patents, Vylor’s innovation engine will be anchored in the industry’s most elite germplasm and transformative biotechnology, including a world-class pipeline that includes gamechangers like proprietary hybrid wheat, leadership in gene editing, multi-disease resistance corn and next-generation biofuels,” Corteva said.
The new name reflects this vision, Corteva said: “For example, the stylized “l” in the brand represents the negative space formed by a single chromosome, reflecting the role genetics has played and will continue to play in advancing agriculture.
“The use of green, maroon and blue in its expanded color palette is a nod to its Pioneer, Brevant, Hoegemeyer and Corteva heritage.” And the “name itself is derived from the word ‘valor,’ honoring the valor of the generations of employees and farmers whose hard work helped feed the world. It’s also a nod to the mindset of the new company: vying for every opportunity.”
“Vylor traces its roots back a century, to a single idea: that innovation could transform agriculture, and with it, the world. This belief — in the power of science to advance agriculture and help farmers feed and fuel a growing population — remains our North Star,” said future Vylor CEO Chuck Magro.
“From food security to energy security, powered by groundbreaking technology, elite germplasm and an advanced product portfolio, Vylor will be uniquely positioned to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges. The new brand reflects both this ambition and the determination to achieve it.”
Vylor will launch from a position of strength, with the largest seed production network in the world, world-record yields in corn and soybeans and industry-leading route-to-market, the company said.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Corteva seed spinoff has a new name, and it’s not Pioneer
Reporting by Donnelle Eller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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