SANW S and W Seed Company

FIVE POINTS, Calif., Jan. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq: SANW) today announced that its proprietary, non-dormant, high yield alfalfa varieties marketed as "SW 9720" and "SW 9215" have been renamed "SW 9720S" and "SW 9215S."  The added "S" will serve to distinguish and emphasize the varieties as highly tolerant to salty soil and salty irrigation water.  The name change has been reviewed and authorized by the California Crop Improvement Association, the seed certifying agency under the California Seed Law.

In field trials conducted at UC Davis and the University of Arizona, SW 9720S and 9215S have consistently demonstrated high yields of high quality hay grown in a wide array of harsh farming conditions.  SW 9720S has won distinction as the number one high yielding alfalfa variety in university trials, and led all entries in both yield and feed quality in trials conducted at the USDA Salinity Laboratory where alfalfa and other forage species are under salt water irrigation management.  Similarly, SW 9215S has tested among the highest yielding salt-tolerant alfalfas certified to date, yielding 18% above salinity check varieties when irrigated with water with very high saline content.

Mark Grewal, President and CEO of S&W, stated, "Adding the 'S' to 9720 and 9215 is expected to allow S&W to achieve greater marketing differentiation for these alfalfa varieties, providing an important indicator to farmers that they are indeed well suited for yielding the highest quality hay grown in areas around the world where salty soil and salty irrigation would otherwise prohibit or greatly limit the production of essential forage crops."

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 also offers seed cleaning and processing at its 40-acre facility in Five Points, California.  In fiscal 2010, the Company launched a business expansion initiative centered on mass producing stevia leaf in the U.S. in response to 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, 2010, and other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE S&W Seed Company