JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Pioneer Hi-Bred will build a new facility on 129 acres in New Madrid County and expects the plant to be operational and employing 50 new workers by the fall of 2011, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported.

Gov. Jay Nixon today released the following statement on the announcement by DuPont that its Pioneer Hi-Bred business plans to construct a soybean seed production facility in New Madrid County:

"Missouri is already home to many firms that are worldwide leaders in life sciences and plant science, and the construction of a new Pioneer Hi-Bred production facility only enhances our state's reputation as a hub for cutting-edge commerce and research. The expansion in Missouri of companies like Pioneer Hi-Bred will provide good-paying jobs for our highly skilled workforce, and bring precisely the kind of next-generation growth that will help Missouri lead the country's economic recovery."

The Missouri Department of Economic Development and Missouri Technology Corporation played a vital role in the selection of Missouri as the site for the new production facility.