Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. | Puerto Rico Winter Farm Services

ICIA’s Puerto Rico Winter Farm began supplying seedsmen and researchers with off-season service in 1985. The facility was initially established to provide for winter growouts to satisfy OECD post-control requirements for corn. Since that initial program, our Puerto Rico Farm has provided the land, labor, management, and infrastructure for countless researchers seeking to advance the cause of agriculture worldwide.

Puerto Rico is an ideal location for a winter research farm. The warm climate, rich soil, and state-of-the-art drip irrigation system create an ideal environment for growing seed.

Compared to other winter farms located in areas like Florida and Hawaii, the ICIA farm offers some unique advantages. Unlike sites in Florida, there is no risk of freezing temperatures; the balmy Puerto Rican south coast usually has daytime temperatures in the high 80’s whereas evening temperatures fall to the mid to high 60’s. The tropical speedup phenomenon results in faster turnaround times. Compared to Hawaii, the commute to Puerto Rico is shorter and less costly and shipping to the Midwest is faster and less expensive. In comparisons of the same seed planted in both Puerto Rico and Hawaii on the same date in November, the Puerto Rico plot was almost 2 weeks ahead of that in Hawaii at harvest.

Our Puerto Rico Winter Farm offers the following services:

•	Corn, cotton, sorghum and sunflower growouts.
•	Nursery space for plant breeders.
•	Acreage for corn isolations.
•	Acreage for soybean seed increase and generation advance.
•	Lighted soybean plots for F1 advance and hand pollination.
•	Acreage for peanut increase and advance.
•	Acreage for cotton increase.
•	Custom programs for researchers.
•	AOSCA/OECD certification for corn inbreds and single crosses.

Please contact us if you have need for a program that is not presently offered; we will be glad to discuss your requirements and work with you to satisfy your needs.

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