S&W Seed Hires Matt Szot as Chief Financial Officer

FIVE POINTS, Calif., Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW) today announced that Matthew K. Szot has been elected Senior Vice President and full-time Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") effective November 1, 2011. Before today, Mr. Szot served as S&W Seed's part-time CFO under its CFO Support Services Agreement with Cardiff Partners, LLC.

Grover Wickersham, Chairman of the board of directors of S&W Seed Company commented, "Since March 2010, Matt has been the company's part-time CFO under a contract with Cardiff Partners. This was a cost-effective solution that enabled S&W's shareholders to have access to services of a higher caliber CFO than most companies of our size.  However, the board recently concluded that our business has advanced to the point where we need an expert public company CFO on a full-time basis. We are delighted that Matt was willing to fully commit to the opportunities he sees materializing at S&W."

Mark Grewal, president and chief executive officer of S&W Seed, commented, "In view of our organic growth in alfalfa seed, stevia and seed processing markets and, especially our acquisition strategy going forward, having Matt's expertise and full-time commitment is needed. We highly respect Matt, and know his abilities very well. I am extremely pleased to welcome Matt on board as a full-time member of our senior management team."

Mr. Szot commented, "Mark and the board's strategic initiatives are beginning to bear fruit, and I didn't want to miss this opportunity. It was clear that S&W's vertical integration, growth in the alfalfa seed business, development of the stevia program, and the commitment to synergistic acquisitions, meant the company needed a full-time CFO with my skill set. I appreciate the confidence that Mark and the board of directors have in me, and they can be assured I will make every effort to carry out the vision they have set."

Mr. Szot has over fifteen years of experience in corporate accounting and finance, SEC compliance, and operational management.  From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Szot was a CPA and Audit Manager with the international accounting firm KPMG, in San Diego and Chicago and was responsible for audits of numerous public companies. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Szot was the chief financial officer of Rip Curl, Inc., a market leader in wetsuit and sports apparel products.  Since 2007, Mr. Szot has been the chief financial officer of Cardiff Partners LLC, a financial and business advisory firm that provides executive financial services to various publicly traded and private firms. Mr. Szot graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics/Accountancy. Mr. Szot is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

About S&W Seed Company

Founded in 1980 and headquartered in the Central Valley of California, S&W Seed Company is a leading producer of warm climate, high yield alfalfa seed varieties, including varieties that can thrive in poor, saline soils, as verified over decades of university-sponsored trials. S&W Seed also offers seed cleaning and processing at its 40-acre facility in Five Points, California and, in 2011, began the commercial launch of its California-based stevia business in response to the growing global demand for the 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 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, and other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE S&W Seed Company