"Most Endangered Studs Contest” Finalists Announced

A Connecticut farming couple, a Texas family of four and the owners of a century-old Florida home have been selected as the finalists in the "Most Endangered Studs Contest,” created by BASF to find – and treat – the property most vulnerable to termite damage in the United States.

Now it’s America’s turn to go online and vote for the winner, who will receive up to $10,000 in termite treatment by BASF with Termidor® termiticide/insecticide – the nation’s No.1 defense against termites. People can select the grand prize winner by casting votes on saveastud.com until Sept. 7, 2009. Winners will be announced on or about Sept. 21, 2009.

The three finalists were selected by BASF from among multiple homeowners who entered the "Most Endangered Studs Contest” this summer and shared their true-life termite stories on the saveastud.com Web site.

Carol and Eric Bender of Lebanon, Conn., entered the contest because they want to preserve a part of history: An old ice house – now infested with termites – that stands on their property, along with their farmhouse and barn.

"We are farmers who believe in saving what we can,” the Benders explained in their contest-entry essay. "An ice house was a vital part of life before electricity. We would like to save this one and use it as a playhouse for our grandchildren.”

Eddie and Janet Gallaway of Anahuac, Texas, also live too-close-for-comfort to a termite-infested building. They built a new home this year for themselves and their two daughters, but their old termite-plagued house sits on the same lot.

"There are so many (termites) that they are actually visible to the human eye!” the Gallaways wrote in their contest essay. "We are moving into the new home and do not want the termites to invade the new home. Please help us!!”

Mark and Amanda Searle reached out to saveastud.com to save their rare 105-year-old home in Jacksonville, Fla. Today, termites are making a meal of the house, and the Searles say they need help to combat the invaders.

"We keep planning to get something done, but there are so many things to keep up on a historic home that we haven't been able to get to it yet,” the Searles wrote in their contest-entry essay. "Needless to say, they keep getting worse.”

The three finalists were chosen from multiple entries submitted between June 22 and Aug. 3. Finalists were chosen by a panel of BASF experts. Dr. Bob Davis, BASF Chief Entomologist, stated that "We were pleased to see such a strong response, though termites are never good news,” Davis said. "But there is good news when it comes to treating termites – today’s advanced products are available to everyone through their local pest management professional.”

About the Crop Protection Division

With sales of € 3.4 billion in 2008, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com.

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BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of approximately $17.5 billion in 2008. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals, as well as oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has approximately 97,000 employees and posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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