CEO.CA Chairman's Briefing

HANFORD, Calif., May 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW), a leader in the alfalfa seed industry, today announced it has entered into a distribution agreement with Wilbur Ellis, a leading marketer and distributor of agricultural products, animal feed and specialty chemicals and ingredients. Under the Agreement, Wilbur Ellis will distribute S&W's alfalfa seed varieties through its retail sales channels throughout North America, providing Wilbur Ellis' customers with access to S&W's full portfolio of premium alfalfa seed genetics, including the industry's highest salt tolerant varieties with the Roundup Ready® technology.

It is anticipated that Wilbur Ellis will look to expand S&W's varieties through its more than 160 branch locations, primarily in the western and central United States. With a dedicated team of seed salespeople to drive adoption, Wilbur Ellis' customers will have access to S&W's dormant and non-dormant alfalfa seed traits, including the industry's highest salt tolerance, high yield, leading drought resistance, improved disease resistance for most pests including Anthracnose, Phytopthora root rot, Aphanomyces, Verticillium wilt, stem nematode, aphids, tolerance to lodging, as well as Roundup Ready® products as they become available.

In addition to Wilbur Ellis' distribution of branded S&W varieties, S&W has agreed to provide seed for Wilbur Ellis' private labeled 'Integra' brand of alfalfa seed.

Mark Grewal, chief executive officer of S&W Seed Company commented, "Wilbur Ellis and S&W have rich histories in the alfalfa seed industry.  Wilbur Ellis maintains a full network of field specialists that enable them to gain clear understandings of the agronomic needs of their customers, recognize and respond quickly to opportunities and develop strong one-to-one relationships. We look forward to leveraging this strong distribution network to drive further adoption in the United States of S&W's premium alfalfa seed traits and varieties. We look forward to a mutually rewarding long-term relationship with Wilbur Ellis and their customers."

About S&W Seed Company
Founded in 1980, S&W Seed Company is a global agricultural Company, headquartered in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Company's vision is to be the world's preferred proprietary seed Company which supplies a range of forage and specialty crop products that supports the growing global demand for animal proteins and healthier consumer diets. The Company is a global leader in alfalfa seed, with significant research and development, production and distribution capabilities. S&W's capabilities span the world's alfalfa seed production regions, with operations in the Western United States, including the San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys of California, Australia, and Canada, and S&W sells its seed products in more than 30 countries around the globe.  The Company also provides hybrid sorghum and sunflower, and is utilizing its research and breeding expertise to develop and produce stevia, the all-natural, zero calorie sweetener for 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." Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the anticipated benefits of new distribution channels, the demand for our products, and our general commercialization strategies and our ability to execute those strategies. 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 risk that we may not achieve our expected results, risks associated with our distributors' abilities to effectively distribute and market our products, risks associated with our ability to successfully commercialize, optimize and diversify our business, and risks related to factors beyond our control that may impact market prices or demand for our products.  These and other risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management's assumptions and estimates as of such date.  The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE S&W Seed Company