S&W Seed Company to Participate in the 2014 World Seed Congress

FIVE POINTS, Calif., May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW) today announced that its management will participate in the 2014 International Seed Federation ("ISF") World Seed Congress.  The ISF World Seed Congress is a preeminent forum for the exchange of information on developments in global seed trade, seed breeding and industry regulation. ISF meetings are designed to promote meetings between participants that lead to new business for seed suppliers, strategic partnerships and even to acquisitions.

Mark Grewal, president and chief executive officer of S&W Seed Company, commented, "S&W executives from the U.S. and Australia not only will meet with existing customers and business partners, but also add new ones. Our attendance at ISF Congresses has been valuable to us in the past."

Mr. Grewal added, "The timing and location of this year's World Seed Congress are fortuitous. We are seeking to expand our dormant seed distribution platform internationally. We believe that China, in particular, can be a major part of our future. We started alfalfa hay trials in July 2013, at four different sites in China, using multiple varieties in the dormancy 2 through 4 ranges. These ongoing trials are evaluating the performance of S&W dormant varieties in typical Chinese growing environments, using a set of criteria that includes forage quality, yield and persistence.  We are encouraged by the fields that we have planted there to date, as are our prospective partners in the region.  We intend to actively solicit initial orders for our dormant varieties in the second half of the 2014 calendar year."

Mr. Grewal concluded, "Chinese demand is driven by the desire for a higher protein diet and an increased focus on childhood nutrition.  The Chinese hay market continues to remain strong and, with global milk prices hitting multiyear highs, we don't see signs of that abating. Recent reports highlight the fact that approximately 75,000 metric tons of hay was shipped from the western U.S. to China in March 2014, an amount equivalent to the total shipments from the U.S. to China for all of 2009.  We believe that the Chinese market can become an important source of growth of our business, given S&W's well-suited product portfolio."

For more information on the International Seed Federation, please visit www.worldseed.org.

About S&W Seed Company

Founded in 1980, S&W Seed Company is a global agricultural company, headquartered in the Central Valley of California. The company is the largest producer of non-dormant alfalfa seed varieties in the world, with production operations in the San Joaquin and Imperial Valley's of California, as well as in South Australia. The company has worldwide sales and distribution through both a direct sales force as well as dealer-distributors.  The company's proprietary varieties are designed to meet the shifting needs of farmers that require high performance in poor and highly saline soil conditions and have been verified over decades of university-sponsored trials.  Additionally, the company is utilizing its research and breeding expertise to develop and produce U.S.-based stevia leaf.  Stevia is an all-natural, zero calorie sweetener from the food and beverage industry. For more information, please visit www.swseedco.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may," "future," "plan" or "planned," "will" or "should," "expected," "anticipates," "draft," "eventually" or "projected." You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks identified in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, and in other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE S&W Seed Company