26 years ago

PRESCOTT JOURNAL Prescott, Wisconsin February 8, 1996 Quote of the week: “The days of the small, regional seed companies are over.” —Jerry Caulder, CEO of Mycogen Plant Sciences Mycogen CEO Caulder confirms move By R. E. Herman “You owe it to your employees to look them in the eyes and let them know what’s going on,” said Mycogen Plant Sciences CEO Jerry Caulder last week.

What he told them was going on was that the company would be constructing a new corporate office facility near the Twin Cities and closing the marketing and general offices here in Prescott, but any current Prescott employee who wanted to make the commute would continue to have a job. “All they have to do is show up,” said Caulder.

Caulder was in town last Wednesday to speak with local Mycogen employees about corporate plans, the pending move and how the employees will be affected by it.

Following an early morning meeting with the employees, Caulder and corporate communications director Mike Sund met with Prescott mayor Jim Richman and myself to answer questions and tell a little about the corporation’s plans and desires.

Caulder explained that the demands on agricultural production are growing almost geometrically, while the public awareness of the importance of agriculture in American continues to diminish.

“The only success story we have in our trade deficit is agriculture,” said Caulder, himself born and raised on a farm.

Agriculture represents over 20 percent of our gross domestic product,” explained Caulder. “Once you get out of the rural areas, people have no appreciation of that fact.

“We’ll have to produce more food calories in the next forty years than we have in the next 10,000 years,” Caulder said.

It is this problem that has presented Caulder and Mycogen with, in his view, a tremendous opportunity, the bio-engineering of plants to contain their own ultimate delivery system of naturally occurring pesticides.

For this, according to Caulder, germ plasm is required.

“We didn’t have it,” said Caulder. “So we had to buy it.

When Mycogen acquired Agrigenetics (which included Jacques Seed), they obtained a two percent presence in the market which was not sufficient to be sustainable in the marketplace.

“Jacques was going to be closed down by Agrigenetics,” said Caulder. “They were losing $15 million a year.”

Once again Mycogen had to look to acquiring what they needed through other companies, which resulted in the arrangement with DowElanco last month.

“Our objective is to become the number two seed company in this country,” said Caulder.

And it is this objective that had brought change to Mycogen’s Prescott location.

“We are going to build a headquarters near Minneapolis,” said Caulder. “We tried to pick a spot that would not create a hardship with the commute for any of our employees.”

He stated that the current locations under consideration are about 22 miles from Prescott, placing them within an approximately equal commute for the majority of employees.

According to Caulder, only those companies that keep on the front edge of technology will stand a chance for success.

“The days of the small, regional seed companies are over,” said Caulder.

He noted that Mycogen had attempted to locate a suitable location for their new offices in Prescott, but could find nothing.

In addition, Caulder indicated that Prescott location worked against placing a headquarters here as there is not a large enough local employment pool to meet the demands of a rapidly growing company like Mycogen.

Referring to employees as “human capital,” Caulder stated that Mycogen really has a lot of problems recruiting (in Prescott),” despite Prescott’s many advantages as a place to live and raise a family.

Mayor Richman asked if there was anything that Prescott could do to attract Mycogen to expand here.

Caulder had a surprising response: “I get tons of offers of getting things for nothing and I ignore them all.”

He indicated that without the proper conditions it doesn’t matter what concessions are given by local governments.

In short, no matter what Prescott might try to do for Mycogen, the city no longer fits the corporate needs of Mycogen, with the possible exception of warehousing, distribution, and some production.

When asked about any possible upgrading in Prescott, it was discovered there are plans for spending about $1 million on the Hastings location, in order to meet company needs.

The move will affect about 75 Mycogen Prescott employees and Caulder noted that not all of those are Prescott residents.

While the company is looking to move the offices during the fourth quarter of 1996, they see the move as realistically happening in one year.

Current plans call for the closing of the offices here, possibly renting out some space for the short term, and maintaining the warehousing and distribution facilities.

Little he said contained any messages of optimism for Mycogen’s role in the community of Prescott.

While Caulder was generous in his praise of Prescott as a residential community, he repeatedly referred to the needs of a high growth company and how those needs could not be met in a city located as is Prescott. More State border news 40 years ago THE PRESCOTT JOURNAL February 11, 1982 Erosion from development explored by city planners Five hundred tons of soil are lost from each acre developed, much greater than the soil loss from agriculture, was one statistic given to the Prescott Planning Commission at the February 1 meeting. The commission is exploring the possibility of drawing guidelines for builders and developer to follow to ensure that erosion isn’t happening as homes are built.

Modern Cottage Grove starts to rise 61 years ago THE REPORTER March 17, 1961 A bill letting Cottage Grove operate water and sewer systems was scheduled for the Governor’s signature, with a similar bill for Woodbury included as well.

“I believe it fits with the overall plans of the metropolitan sewer district,” Representative Raphael Salmore says of the legislation.

March 10, 1961

Glen Brown, incumbent township supervisor for Cottage Grove: I am 35 years old, having resided in the Cottage Grove area all of my life and I am married and have three children. I have served on the Town Board of Cottage Grove for the past three years and at the present time I am chairman of the board.

I graduated from Hastings High School in 1943 and was in military service for two year, serving in the South Pacific for a year and a half.

I own my own farm in the town of Cottage Grove and have been active in 4-H work. At the present time I am president of the Cottage Grove Community Club, a member of the Thompson Grove Country Club and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Because of the increasingly complex problem caused by the change of the Cottage Grove area from rural to combined urban-rural, the time required to adequately serve the area as a member of the Town Board has increased greatly.

Because I am self-employed as a farmer I have adequate time available to properly serve the community as a member of the Town Board and I am willing to contribute whatever time is required by the interests of the community.

Having served on the Town Board during the transition period from rural to urban, I am familiar with the problems created by this transition, such as the necessity for adequate police and fire protection and other municipal services.

Because of this experience I am equally familiar with the problems lying in the path of solution of these problems. I strongly feel that these problems can and must be solved with the welfare of both the rural and urban segments of the community in mind. The interest and well-being of both segments require that these problems be squarely met and solved immediately.

I feel that it is also the duty of the Town Board to exercise its control of construction in the area to secure the prompt completion of roads and service lanes in those areas of Thompson Grove where home construction is complete or nearing completion.”

March 3, 1961

County Residents Seek Plans Group Summary: Representative from two-thirds of those 18 communities in school district 834 met to organize a planning Commission for central Washington county. Bayport, Stillwater, and Oak Park figure prominently. Officers to be elected March 20, with problems studied including “roads, zoning, and building codes.”

Upriver at the Stillwater Prison 134 Years Ago THE PRISON MIRROR January 4, 1888 For the Mirror. A Tragedy. (Continued from the March 3 Journal issue).

Background: The writer meets a young man in New York City on his way home from college, who becomes a fast friend and invites the writer to visit him in the country, which the writer later does by train).

I am sorry I cannot present him to you as a great hero. I know it would be more interesting for you to read if he were one, but remember, dear reader, if this was the case I would not have this dark chapter to write. Ah, if I could have foreseen the great tragedy that I was to witness at that house I would have taken the first train to New York; but not being able to read the future I stayed, day after day, and I enjoyed the sweet country life. It seemed to me like Paradise. One afternoon, while passing through the entrance hall, I heard my kind hostess weeping. I asked her if she had had bad news, and if I could do anything for her.

She rose from her sitting posture, and with her right hand extended towards the lawn where her son was reposing in a hammock said: “Look out of that window and you will see the cause of my weeping and sorrow.”

But,” I said. “Surely madam, you cannot mean your son—he so young, pure, and innocent of wrongdoing. I should think you would be proud and happy to be the mother of such a son.”

To you, dear reader, these words of Mrs. Forsyth may seem strange. So they were to me, but I will try to explain their meaning as it was imparted to me. During the forenoon she received invitations for her son and myself to be present next evening at Squire ——’s hall, where there was to be a reception given in honor of my young friend and the Squire’s only daughter, who were betrothed and were to be married in June of the following year. I will present the young bride to you as Miss Nellie ——, but you will ask what this has to do with the beginning of our young friend’s sorrow? His mother knew that at the reception her son would be asked to drink, and she also knew that he would not refuse. As she predicted for her son, it all happened.

At 12 o’clock, when the bell rang for lunch, we all marched to the great dining room and of course young Forsyth (the groom) had for his partner his betrothed. When the first toast was called it was to our two young friends, Frank and Nellie, and she poured out two glasses of wine and presented one to our friend and asked him to drink. He at first refused, and she, who spoke to him like an angel a few moments before, turned on him like a tigress.

“What, sir?” said she, “you, that have sworn on your knees that you loved me and would willingly die for me, will not drink this little glass of wine for my sake, and to my health? Sir, if you do not drink this I sever every connection between us from this night, and hereafter we are strangers?”

And what do you suppose he did? Drank it, of course, as you or I would have done had we been in his place. So glass after glass he drank, and the result was that not being in the habit of drinking he was carried to bed intoxicated. What did Nellie say or do? you will ask. Nothing, but laugh and say to some of her young lady friends, “how droll Frank acted tonight.” But if she could have foreseen what the consequences would be she would have remained on her knees all night and prayed…(to be concluded). French Canadian in the Twin Cities 137 Years Ago Echo de L’Ouest (Western Echo) March 4, 1885 The health of General Grant declines rapidly.

Death notice In this village on the first of March, Phillippe, tenmonth- old infant of Monsieur Arthur Demers.

Centenniary A man of great age…is surely Monsieur Etienne Pedneau, He will be 102 years old on the next July 7th, is in excellent health. Once a resident of Malbaie, he is currently a resident of Chicontimi.—L’Hcho des Laurentides.

Alphabet de la sante (Alphabet of health) A—Aussitôt leve, secouez bien les draps et les courvertures de votre lit, au grand air.

Immediately after waking, shake the sheets and covers of your bed well, to the open air.

B—Then use some instruments to exercise the body, but not to fatigue.

Next County Over Almost 155 Years Ago THE ANOKA STAR February 18, 1865 The Draft.—The President’s proclamation said if the quotas were not filled by the 15th, then there would be a draft. On Monday, the Provost Marshall issued orders also, that in localities where the quotas were not filled by the 15th, preparations should be made for a draft; when ready for the draft it will take place at once. In the meantime the recruiting goes on. This has been the usual proceeding.

–A Chicago paper mentions the fact that a party of a dozen Indians, chiefs and braves of the Sioux tribes, passed through that city on Friday, en route for Washington, whither they go with a view of making a treaty for permanent peace. The Journal says of them: “They were a stalwart, muscular band, fancifully attired in new trappings, bedecked with feathers, bells and war-paint, and bearing with them the inevitable bow and arrow. Each of the party carried long and elegantly made snowshoes, upon which they had traveled over the deep snow from the fastness of northwestern Minnesota.

A Truly Christian Offer.— Caleb Wilbur of Champlin in Hennepin County, proposes to furnish sufficient seed corn, wheat and potatoes to sow or plant twenty-three acres upon his own farm for the benefit of the Freedman’s Aid Society, providing any man or company of men will cultivate and harvest the same for the same benefit. His land is rich and in good order, and the fence will need but little repair. Here is certainly a good opportunity for the exercise of Christian philanthropy. Mr. Wilbur will go east in the opening of navigation and unless he is above generous proposition is acceded to he will be obliged to sell or let his farm. He request that immediate action be taken as frequent opportunities for disposing of his farm are presenting themselves. He would prefer to give the benefits above, named to selling or leasing his farm, but asks that what may be done by the friends of the freedman be done quickly.