UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

(RULE 14A-101)

Schedule 14A INFORMATION

 

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

 

Filed by the Registrant  x

 

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  o

 

Check the appropriate box:

o

Preliminary Proxy Statement

o

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

x

Definitive Proxy Statement

o

Definitive Additional Materials

o

Soliciting Material Pursuant to 240.14a-12

 

S&W SEED COMPANY

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

x

No fee required.

o

Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

(1)

Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

(2)

Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

(3)

Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):

 

 

 

 

(4)

Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

 

 

 

 

(5)

Total fee paid:

 

 

 

o

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

o

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

(1)

Amount Previously Paid:

 

 

 

 

(2)

Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

 

 

 

 

(3)

Filing Party:

 

 

 

 

(4)

Date Filed:

 

 

 


NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On April 10,October 28, 2015

Dear S&W Seed Company Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of S&W Seed Company, which will be held at The Warwick San Francisco, 490 Geary Street, San Francisco, California, on Friday, December 11, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

The matters expected to be acted upon at the annual meeting are described in detail in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting and the Proxy Statement.

It is important that you use this opportunity to take part in the affairs of S&W Seed Company by voting on the business to come before this annual meeting Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting, please vote as soon as possible. As an alternative to voting in person at the annual meeting, you may vote via the Internet, or by mailing the completed paper proxy card. Voting by either of these methods will ensure your representation at the annual meeting. Returning the proxy does not deprive you of your right to attend the meeting and to vote your shares in person.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for your continued support and confidence, and we look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.

Sincerely,

Mark J. Harvey
Chairman of the Board

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

In order to ensure your representation at the annual meeting, you may submit your proxy and voting instructions via the Internet, or, if you receive a specialpaper proxy card and voting instructions by mail, you may vote your shares by completing, signing and dating the proxy card as promptly as possible and returning it in the enclosed envelope (to which no postage need be affixed if mailed in the United States). Please refer to the Question "How may you vote?" on page 1 of the Proxy Statement for a description of these voting methods. If your shares are held by a bank or brokerage firm (your record holder) and you have not given your record holder instructions to do so, your broker will NOT be able to vote your shares with respect to any matter other than ratification of the appointment of the auditors. We strongly encourage you to vote.


7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380
Fresno, CA 93720

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 11, 2015

To the Stockholders of S&W Seed Company:

The 2015 annual meeting of stockholders (the "Special"Annual Meeting") of S&W Seed Company, a Nevada corporation (the "Company"). The meeting will be held on April 10,Friday, December 11, 2015 at 11:10:00 a.m. Pacificlocal time at the Company's corporate headquarters located at 7108 North Fresnot The Warwick San Francisco, 490 Geary Street, Suite 380, Fresno,San Francisco, California, for the following purpose:purposes:

1.

to elect nine directors to hold office until the 2016 annual meeting;

2.

to increase the number of shares eligible for issuance under the Company's Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan from 1,700,000 to 2,450,000 (an increase of 750,000 shares);

3.

to ratify the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2016;

4.

to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's Named Executive Officers (as defined in the paragraph immediately preceding the Summary Compensation Table below); and

5.

to conduct any other business properly brought before the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Proposal No. 1: To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the issuanceThese items of the Company's common stock pursuant to the terms of $27,000,000 principal amount of 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures Due 2017 and accompanying Common Stock Purchase Warrants, issued in a private placement that we closed on December 31, 2014, in each case, without giving effect to the conversion cap in such securities (as described below), which proposal we refer to as the "Share Issuance Proposal."

The substance of this matter and related informationbusiness are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this Notice.

No other business may be conducted at the Special Meeting except as required by law.

Any action on the items of business described above may be considered at the time and on the date specified above or at any other time and date to which the SpecialAnnual Meeting may be properlyproperty adjourned or postponed.

HoldersThe record date for the Annual Meeting is October 15, 2015. Only stockholders of record of the Company's common stock at the close of business on February 9, 2015 (the "Record Date") are entitled to notice of, and tothat date may vote at the Special Meetingmeeting or any adjournment thereof. In accordance with Nevada law, if necessary to obtain a quorum or to obtain additional votes needed to win approval for the Share Issuance Proposal, the Company will adjourn the Special Meeting and announce a new time later in the day on April 10, 2015 to reconvene the Special Meeting, without need to renotice this Special Meeting, or the Company will fix a new record date and renotice the Special Meeting to be held on a date in the future.

You are invited to attend the Special Meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend in person, you are urged to sign and return immediately the enclosed proxy in the envelope provided. No postage is required if the envelope is mailed in the United States. The proxy is revocable and will not affect your right to vote in person if you are a stockholder of record and attend the meeting. If your shares are held through an intermediary such as a broker or bank, you should present proof of your ownership as of the record date, such as a recent account statement reflecting your holdings as of the record date, a copy of the voting instruction card provided by your broker, trustee or nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership.

A list of stockholders entitled to vote will be available at the meetingAnnual Meeting and during ordinary business hours for ten10 days prior to the meetingAnnual Meeting at our corporate offices, 7108 Northlocated at 7801 Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CACalifornia 93720, for examination by any stockholder who is a stockholder as of the Record Date for any legally valid purpose related to the meeting.

The Company recommends that all stockholders consent to the Share Issuance Proposal, by marking the box is entitled "FOR" with respect to the Proposal and submitting your proxy card by one of the methods set forth in the proxy card that accompanies the Proxy Statement. If you sign and send in the proxy card but do not indicate how you want to vote as to the Proposal, your consent form will be treated as consent "FOR" the Share Issuance Proposal.Annual Meeting.

The Company encourages you to take an active role in the affairs of your company by either attending the SpecialAnnual Meeting in person and/or by executing and returning the enclosed proxy card.


To ensure your representation at the SpecialAnnual Meeting, please fill in, sign, date and return the attached proxy using the enclosed addressed envelope. By returning the enclosed proxy, you will not affect your right to revoke doing so in writing or to cast your vote in person should you later decide to attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the proposals identified above.


Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
for the SpecialAnnual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on April 10,December 11, 2015:

Rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission allow companies to send stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of proxy materials, rather than mail them full sets of proxy materials. For this Specialthe 2015 Annual Meeting, the Company has continued its practice of mailing full packages of materials to its stockholders. However the Company has made available on its website a set of the proxy materials, including this notice of meeting, the proxy statement and the form of proxy card. For your convenience, you can access those materials under "April 10, 2015 Special"2015 Annual Meeting" on the Investors page of the Company's website at www.swseedco.com, but you will not be able to vote on that website.

By Order of the Board of Directors

President and Chief Executive Officer

Fresno, California
March 9,October 28, 2015

 

 

 


S&W SEED COMPANY

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2015 SPECIALANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS OF S&W SEED COMPANY

AtThe enclosed proxy is solicited by the SpecialBoard of Directors (the "board") of S&W Seed Company, a Nevada corporation for use in voting at the 2015 Annual Meeting we are seeking stockholder approvalof Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") to be held, on December 11, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. and at any adjournment thereof, for the issuancepurposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of shares underlying Debentures and Warrants we issued in a financing transaction (the "Financing Transaction"), the proceedsAnnual Meeting of which were used to fund our purchase of certain alfalfa-related assets (the "Acquisition") of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. ("DuPont Pioneer"), a subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont"). This proxy statement provides certain required information regarding the Acquisition pursuant to Note A to Schedule 14A, which requires disclosure of certain information regarding an acquisition, even if approval of the acquisition is not sought, when the matter to be acted upon relates in some manner to that acquisition. Because the proceeds from the Financing that underlies the Share Issuance Proposal were used to fund the Acquisition, we have included additional disclosure in this proxy statement. However, we are not seeking stockholder approval for the Acquisition or the Financing Transaction, both of which closed on December 31, 2014 without the need to obtain stockholder approval under either Nevada law or the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market.Stockholders.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1

SUMMARY TERM SHEETS

4

THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA ASSETS ACQUISITION SUMMARY TERM SHEET AND RELATED INFORMATION

4

THE FINANCINGS

7

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIALANNUAL MEETING

10

1

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTSBOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES

14

7

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS AND RELATED REQUIRED INFORMATION

15

DESCRIPTION OF THE PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

15

MARKET PRICE OF AND DIVIDENDS ON THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

18

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND ACCOUNTING DISCLOSURE

18

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

18

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

21

SPECIAL PURPOSE COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

22

DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA ASSETS ACQUISITION

38

THE FINANCING TRANSACTIONS

41

THE SPECIAL MEETING

49

PROPOSAL NO. 1 - THE SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL

51

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

54

19

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATIONPROPOSAL NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

58

24

PROXY SOLICITATIONPROPOSAL NO. 2 APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO THE COMPANY'S AMENDED AND RESTATED 2009 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN TO INCREASE THE SHARE RESERVE FROM 1,700,000 TO 2,450,000

58

25

HOUSEHOLDINGPROPOSAL NO. 3 RATIFICATION OF PROXY MATERIALSAPPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

58

36

AUDITORS, TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRARPROPOSAL NO. 4 ADVISORY VOTE ON NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION ("SAY-ON-PAY")

59

38

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

39
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION40
SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE47
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS47
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT49
OTHER MATTERSBUSINESS

50
59HOUSEHOLDING

50
APPENDIX A AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO AMENDED AND RESTATED 2009 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN51

i


INTRODUCTION

This proxy statement is furnished to the holders of common stock of S&W Seed Company, a Nevada corporation, in connection with the solicitation of proxies by management of S&W to be voted at a special meeting of stockholders on Friday, April 10, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time, at our corporate headquarters located at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, California and any adjournments or postponements thereof (the "Special Meeting"). In this document, the words "S&W, the "Company," "we," "us," "our" and "ours" refer only to S&W Seed Company and not to any other person or entity.

Our stockholders will be asked at the Special Meeting to consider and vote upon a resolution (in the form attached as Schedule I to this proxy statement) approving the issuance of shares of our common stock issuable in the future in connection with the possible conversion of up to $27,000,000 of 8% senior secured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") and upon exercise of 2,699,999 warrants (the "Warrants") issued to the holders of the Debentures (the "Debenture Private Placement" or the "Debenture Financing"), in each case, without giving effect to the conversion cap in such securities. Such approval will also provide our stockholders' consent to the issuance of additional shares of our common stock that we potentially could issue from time to time to service the debt obligation under the Debentures in lieu of cash payments of interest and debt amortization and for additional shares that potentially could be issuable pursuant to adjustments to the conversion price provided for in the Debentures. We refer to this proposal as the "Share Issuance Proposal."

On December 31, 2014, we consummated two private placements, pursuant to which we raised gross proceeds of $31,658,400. In addition to the $27,000,000 principal amount raised in the Debenture Private Placement noted above, we also raised an additional $4,658,400 in gross proceeds through the sale of common stock (the "Shares Private Placement"). The primary use of the net proceeds from these concurrent financing transactions was to finance the Acquisition, under the terms of which we purchase from DuPont Pioneer alfalfa production and research facility assets, as well as conventional (non-GMO) alfalfa germplasm. We discuss the Acquisition in greater detail later in this proxy statement.

The Special Meeting is being convened solely to obtain stockholder approval for the issuance of shares of our common stock that may, in the future, be issued pursuant to the terms of the Debentures and Warrants sold in the Debenture Private Placement. Because the net proceeds from the Debenture Private Placement were used to finance the Acquisition, this proxy statement includes certain disclosure that would be included in a proxy statement that sought approval of the Acquisition, except to the extent such disclosure is not material to a prudent judgment on the matter that we are asking you to approve.We are not seeking approval of the Acquisition, which was completed on December 31, 2014 without the need to obtain stockholder approval under state, federal or exchange rules or regulations.

We are soliciting proxies from our stockholders to be voted at the Special Meeting pursuant to this proxy statement in order to enable us to fulfill our obligation to the purchasers under the terms of the Debentures and Warrants. Without their investments, together with the Shares Private Placement, we would not have been able to consummate the Acquisition, a transaction we believe will be transformative in elevating our Company to rank among the most preeminent alfalfa seed companies in the world. We are asking for our stockholders support in this endeavor by providing the stockholder approval we are required to obtain.

Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock owned as of the close of business on February 9, 2015, which is the record date for the purpose of determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting.

We know of no specific matter to be brought before the Special Meeting that is not referred to in the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders dated March 9, 2015. If any such matter properly comes before the Special Meeting, the proxyholders will vote proxies in accordance with their judgment.

1


If we are unable to obtain stockholder approval, we will only be able to issue 1,036,594 of the shares potentially issuable pursuant to the Debentures and Warrants. Thus, we would be unable to comply with the contractually agreed upon terms of the Debenture Financing, namely, Debenture conversion and Warrant exercises above and beyond the initial 1,036,594 shares that we are able to issue without stockholder approval under the NASDAQ rules. This could trigger a default under the Debentures if we were ever unable to make the required payments on the Debentures in cash. The Debentures are secured obligations of our Company. If we are unable to make the required payments when due, the holders of the Debentures will have the rights to declare the unpaid total principal amount, accrued but unpaid interest and all other amounts due under the Debentures immediately due and payable, to foreclose any liens and security interests securing payment thereof and to exercise any of their other rights, powers and remedies under the Debentures, under any other transaction documents executed in connection with the Debenture Financing, or at law or in equity. In addition, such a default would also be deemed a default under our credit facilities with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association ("Wells Fargo"), as well as a default under the promissory note and related loan documents we executed in connection with the Acquisition. A default under the Debentures, the DuPont Pioneer secured promissory note and our credit facilities could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business or could force us to invoke legal measures to protect our business, including, but not limited to, filing for protection under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In addition, if we were to issue shares of our common stock pursuant to the Debentures and Warrants in excess of the 19.99% limitation set forth in NASDAQ Rules 5635(a) and 5635(d) without obtaining prior stockholder approval, our common stock would be subject to delisting from the NASDAQ Capital Market. Delisting would have a material adverse impact on our stockholders' ability to sell their shares and would likely cause a material decline in the trading price of our stock.

Until we obtain the needed approval, we will be required to serially seek stockholder approval on a quarterly basis, which will consume financial resources and divert management's attention from operating the business. Furthermore, although we presently do not intend to use shares to service the debt, without stockholder approval we will be unable to service a portion of the debt through the potential issuance of shares at such times as our management team believes that preserving cash for other purposes would be in our best interest.

For all of these reasons, the board of directors of S&W unanimously determined that the approval of the potential issuance of the shares pursuant to the Debenture Private Placement is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. The S&W Board unanimously recommends that you vote "FOR" the Share Issuance Proposal.

We are providing you with this proxy statement and related materials in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our management. This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are expected to be mailed to the stockholders of record as of February 9, 2015, commencing on or about March 11, 2015.

All properly executed written proxies and all properly completed proxies submitted by mail, facsimile or via the Internet, which are delivered pursuant to, and which appoint Mark Grewal, Matthew Szot and Debra Weiner as proxyholders in accordance with, this solicitation will be voted at the Special Meeting in accordance with the directions given in the proxy, unless the proxy is revoked prior to completion of voting at the Special Meeting. If no direction is provided in otherwise properly dated and signed proxies that are timely delivered, the proxyholders will vote the applicable shares "FOR" the Share Issuance Proposal.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, please take time to vote by completing and mailing your proxy card or by following the voting instructions provided to you if your own your shares through a broker or other intermediary. If you do not receive instructions, you may request them from that broker or other intermediary.

2


SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you have any questions about completing, signing, dating or delivering your proxy card or require assistance, please contact:

Georgeson, Inc.
480 Washington Boulevard, 26th Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07310
Shareholders, Banks and Brokers Call Toll Free: (888) 624-7035

Please complete, sign, date and return your proxy card today.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING.

In addition to delivering printed versions of this proxy statement and the proxy card to all stockholders by mail, this proxy statement and the proxy card are also at our website at www.swseedco.com and through the Securities and Exchange Commission's Electronic Data-Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval online database, which we refer to as EDGAR, at www.sec.gov/edgar.

3


SUMMARY TERM SHEETS

The following is a summary of information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. The summary is provided for convenience only and should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, the more detailed information appearing or referred to elsewhere in this proxy statement.

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Assets Acquisition Summary Term Sheet and Related Information

  • The Parties to the Acquisition:

S&W Seed Company is a Nevada corporation with its common stock traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "SANW." Our address is 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, and our telephone number is (559) 884-2535.

Founded in 1980, we are a global agricultural company, headquartered in the Central Valley of California. Our vision is to be the world's preferred proprietary seed company, supplying a range of forage and specialty crop products that support the growing global demand for animal proteins and healthier consumer diets. We are the global leader in alfalfa seed, with extensive research and development, production and distribution capabilities. Our capabilities span the world's alfalfa seed production regions with operations in the San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys of California, five other U.S. states, Australia, and three provinces in Canada, and we sell our seed products in more than 25 countries around the globe. Additionally, we are utilizing our research and breeding expertise to develop and produce stevia, the all-natural, zero calorie sweetener for the food and beverage industry.

We completed our initial public offering in fiscal 2010, and since then we have expanded certain pre-existing business initiatives and added new ones, including:

  • increasing our farming acreage dedicated to alfalfa seed production by both acquisition of leased and purchased farmland and by increasing the number of acres under contract with growers in the Central and Imperial Valleys of California;
  • teaming with Forage Genetics International, LLC and Monsanto Corporation to develop genetically modified organism alfalfa seeds, which we refer to as GMO, using our germplasm and Monsanto's genetically modified traits;
  • developing stevia varieties in response to growing worldwide demand for the all-natural, zero calorie sweetener;
  • acquiring the customer list of our primary international distributor of alfalfa seed;
  • entering into the dormant germplasm market via the acquisition of a portfolio of dormant germplasm in August 2012;
  • entering into production of non-GMO seed in the Imperial Valley, California by purchasing farmland and acquiring Imperial Valley Seeds, Inc., which we refer to as IVS, in October 2012;
  • entering into production of non-GMO seed in Southern Australia by acquiring the dominant local producer, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd, which we refer to as SGI, in April 2013; and
  • acquiring alfalfa production and research facility assets and conventional (non-GMO) alfalfa germplasm, from Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., or DuPont Pioneer, a subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

4


We have omitted from this proxy statement detailed information about our company that would be required by Item 14 of Schedule 14A if we were filing a registration on Form S-4 in connection with an acquisition inasmuch as such information is not material to an informed voting decision of the Share Issuance Proposal. For more detailed information about us, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2014 and other reports and filings we may make from time to time with the SEC, all of which are available at www.sec.gov.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. is a subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Its shares are not publicly traded. Its address is 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue, Johnston, IA 50131 and its telephone number is (515) 535-3200.

See "Information About the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business and Related Required Information" beginning on page 15.

  • The Transaction:

On December 31, 2014, we purchased from DuPont Pioneer alfalfa research and production assets, conventional (non-GMO) alfalfa germplasm and certain other assets (the "Purchased Assets"), as set forth in detail in the Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement (as amended, the "APSA") between the parties. We further agreed to assume certain liabilities related to, among other things, the Purchased Assets, as specifically agreed to in the APSA.

The agreements related to the Acquisition provide that both we and DuPont Pioneer will work towards obtaining the necessary consents from and agreements with third parties such that certain GMO alfalfa assets can be purchased from DuPont Pioneer by us. Pursuant to the terms of the APSA, if such consents and agreements are obtained before November 30, 2017 and subject to the satisfaction of other conditions specified in the APSA, we have committed to buy, and DuPont Pioneer has committed to sell, the GMO assets at a price of $7,000,000 on or before December 29, 2017.

See "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Assets Acquisition" beginning on page 38.

  • The Consideration:

Up to $42,000,000, consisting of the following:

(i) a cash payment at closing of $27,000,000; and

(ii) a three year secured promissory note (the "Note") payable us to DuPont Pioneer in the initial principal amount of $10,000,000 (issued at closing), and a potential earn-out payment (payable as an increase in the principal amount of the Note) of up to $5,000,000. The promissory note bears interest at 3% per annum (paid annually), matures on December 31, 2017 and is secured by certain of the Purchased Assets.

See "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Assets Acquisition" beginning on page 38.

5


  • Additional Agreements:

In connection with the purchase and sale of the Purchased Assets, the parties agreed to enter into a series of agreements, including, but not limited to, the various agreements required to effect the transfer of assets (including mortgages, assignment agreements and other transfer agreements), a distribution agreement, production services agreement, and a lease agreement pertaining to the use of alfalfa facilities in Connell, Washington.

See "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Assets Acquisition - The S&W/DuPont Pioneer Agreements" beginning on page 39.

  • Conditions to Closing:

In addition to customary closing conditions, the closing of the Acquisition was conditioned upon us securing financing sufficient to pay the $27,000,000 cash consideration due at closing. The net proceeds from the financing transactions discussed below provided the cash consideration for the closing of the Acquisition.

  • The Closing:

The parties closed the Acquisition on December 31, 2014. The consummation of the transaction did not require the approval of our stockholders, the stockholders of DuPont Pioneer or any regulatory approvals.

  • Relationship of the Parties:

Prior to the Acquisition, the parties had no formal relationship. The various agreements entered into between the parties in connection the Acquisition create on ongoing business relationship under the terms of which we will produce alfalfa seed for sale to DuPont Pioneer, which will continue to sell alfalfa seed as one of its product lines. We also have a landlord-tenant relationship under the lease agreement entered into in connection with the closing.

See "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Assets Acquisition - Relationship of the Parties" beginning on page 40.

  • Interests of Certain Persons in the Transactions:

None of the executive officers or directors of our company or DuPont Pioneer have any interest in the Acquisition.

  • Expenses of the Transaction:

Except as set forth in the APSA, all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Acquisition are the obligation of the respective party incurring such fees and expenses.

6


The Financings

The Debenture Private Placement Summary Term Sheet

  • Securities Offered:

$27,000,000 of 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures (the "Debentures") convertible into our common stock and 2,699,999 Warrants.

See "The Financing Transactions" beginning on page 41.

  • Use of Proceeds:

Primarily to fund the cash portion of the purchase price for the Acquisition, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

  • Terms of the Debentures:

Following is a summary of certain significant terms of the Debentures. See "The Financing Transactions - Debentures" beginning on page 42 for a more detailed description of the terms of the Debentures.

  • Maturity

November 30, 2017, unless earlier converted or redeemed.

  • Interest

8% per annum, payable monthly beginning on February 2, 2015.

  • Seniority

Our payment obligations under the Debentures are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets, including (without limiting the generality of the foregoing) a first security interest on the intangibles (IP) purchased from DuPont Pioneer. However, generally, the Debenture obligations are subordinate to the senior rights in the collateral of Wells Fargo Bank, National Association ("Wells Fargo Bank") and DuPont Pioneer. The priorities and rights among our secured creditors are set forth in an Intercreditor and Subordination Agreement entered into on December 30, 2014 in connection with this Financing.

  • Conversion

Subject to a conversion cap prior to the date that stockholder approval is obtained, the holders of Debentures may elect to convert the Debentures into common stock at any time. The initial conversion price is $5.00, subject to customary adjustments for stock splits, reverse splits and similar events of recapitalization. If, on September 30, 2015, the conversion price of $5.00 exceeds the arithmetic average of the 10 lowest VWAPs of the common stock during the 20 consecutive trading days ending on the trading day that is immediately prior to September 30, 2015 the conversion price will adjust to that arithmetic average but in no event will the price be reset below $4.15 (as adjusted for any stock dividends, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction occurring after December 30, 2014). We have a one-time optional forced conversion right, exercisable if specified conditions are satisfied.

  • Redemption

Beginning on July 1, 2015, we are required to make monthly payments of principal, payable in cash or any combination of cash or shares of our common stock at our option, provided that if we elect to make such payment in shares, all of the applicable equity conditions are satisfied or waived. The Debentures contain certain rights of acceleration and deferral at the holder's option in the event a principal payment is to be made in stock and contain certain limited acceleration rights of S&W, if we have elected to redeem in cash and provided certain conditions are satisfied. Prior to July 1, 2015, we have the right to redeem $5,000,000 in principal amount of the Debentures without a prepayment penalty. In addition, at our election, we have the right to increase the applicable monthly redemption payment to up to 200% of the original amount, provided that these accelerated payments are made in cash, that we will not, as a result of such cash payments, fail to comply with the financial covenants of our Wells Fargo credit facilities and, after any such payment, we will have at least $2,000,000 in cash deposits. Any other early redemptions are subject to prepayment penalties and other make whole provisions.

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  • Terms of the Warrants:

Following is a summary of certain significant terms of the Warrants. See "The Financing Transactions - Common Stock Purchase Warrants" beginning on page 44 for a more detailed description of the terms of the Warrants.

  • Term

The Warrants are exercisable beginning June 30, 2015 and will be exercisable through June 30, 2020, unless earlier redeemed.

  • Exercise Price

The initial exercise price is $5.00 per share, subject to customary adjustment for stock splits, reverse stock splits and other events of recapitalization. If, on September 30, 2015, the exercise price then in effective exceeds the arithmetic average of the 10 lowest VWAPs of our common stock during the 20 consecutive trading days ending on the trading day that is immediately prior to September 30, 2015, then the exercise price for the Warrants will be reset to that arithmetic average, but in no event will the reset price fall below $4.15 (as adjusted for any stock dividends, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction occurring after December 30, 2014). In addition, if we issue or are deemed to have issued securities at a price lower than the then applicable exercise price during the three year period ending December 31, 2017, the exercise price of the Warrants will adjust based on a weighted average anti-dilution formula ("down-round protection").

  • Consideration

The Warrants may be exercised for cash, provided that, if there is no effective registration statement available registering the exercise of the Warrants, the Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis.

  • Redemption

At any time after June 30, 2015, we may redeem the outstanding Warrants upon 30 days' prior written notice for $0.25 per unexercised warrant, provided all equity conditions have been met, and provided further, that the closing price of our common stock has equaled or exceeded $12.00 (subject to adjustment) for at least 15 consecutive trading days.

  • Registration Rights:

We agreed to (i) file a Registration Statement no later than 30 days following closing of the financing (which we timely filed on January 30, 2015); (ii) respond to SEC comments within 18 days of receipt; and (iii) request acceleration within three business days of receiving confirmation from the SEC Staff that the review of the registration statement is complete (or there is to be no review) (our registration statement on Form S-3 was declared effective on February 20, 2015). We agreed to use reasonably commercial best efforts to cause the registration statement to be declared effective as soon as possible after the closing. We will be required to pay a 1% default payment in cash prorated during each month such obligations are not satisfied, up to three months as long as the Company is current in its fillings and the holders can use Rule 144 for resale of their shares.

  • Right of Participation

The investors have the right to participate for no less than 30% of any future public offering of the Company in excess of $5,000,000 in gross proceeds for two years after the closing of the financing.

  • Closing

The Debenture and Warrant Financing closed on December 31, 2014. We sold $27,000,000 principal amount of 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures Due November 30, 2017, together with Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,699,999 shares of our Common Stock.

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  • Stockholder Approval

Under the terms of the Debentures and Warrants and pursuant to the corporate governance rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market, we are required to seek stockholder approval for the issuance of the shares of our common stock that may be issued from time to time upon conversion of the Debentures, exercise of the Warrants and for debt service on the Debentures. It is this requirement that has caused us to notice and call this Special Meeting.

There are a number of factors that could impact the number of shares that we potentially could issue pursuant to the Debentures and Warrants, including: (i) whether we redeem $5,000,000 in principal amount of the Debentures before July 1, 2015, which we currently expect to do upon the closing of the pending real property sales that we have publicly announced; (ii) whether the conversion price on the Debentures resets as of September 30, 2015 from the initial conversion price of $5.00 to as low as $4.15 pursuant to the ratchet provision in the Debentures, which adjusted price would be reset based upon our stock price on that day; and (iii) whether we make any monthly payments of interest or redemptions of principal with shares of our common stock (based on then-current stock prices) in lieu of cash payments, which is a determination that is solely within our discretion. We have notified the holders of the Debentures that we will make interest and redemption payments in cash unless and until we provide a subsequent notice changing that election.

Assuming we redeem the $5,000,000 in principal, the conversion price does not adjust on September 30, 2015, and we make no payments of interest or reduction of principal with shares, and further assuming all of the Warrants are exercised, we will ultimately issue 4,399,992 shares upon conversion of the Debentures and 2,699,999 shares upon exercise of the Warrants, for a total of 7,099,991 shares of our common stock. However, because the exact number of shares of our common stock that could potentially be issuable pursuant to the terms of the Debentures and Warrants cannot be determined as of the date of the Special Meeting, we are asking you, our stockholders, to approve, generally, the issuance of all of the shares potentially issuable upon conversion of and debt service on the Debentures and upon exercise of the Warrants.

(See "Proposal No. 1 - The Share Issuance Proposal, beginning on page 51.)

The Shares Private Placement Summary Term Sheet

  • Securities Offered:

1,294,000 shares of our common stock

  • Price:

$3.60 per share

  • Use of Proceeds:

To fund the balance of the cash consideration needed to close the Acquisition, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

  • Registration Rights:

The shares sold in the Common Stock Private Placement are "registrable securities" under the registration rights agreement entered into with the holders of the Debentures and Warrants, and the shares have been included in the Form S-3 registration statement that was filed with the SEC on January 30, 2015.

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  • Closing:

The Common Stock Private Placement closed on December 31, 2014. We sold 1,294,000 shares at $3.60 for gross proceeds of $4,658,400. These shares are not part of the Share Issuance Proposal.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIALANNUAL MEETING

What is this proxy statement? The Board of Directors has provided you with these proxy materials in connection with its solicitation of proxies by the Company to be voted at the SpecialAnnual Meeting. Please note that throughout these proxy materials we may refer to S&W Seed Company as "S&W," "the Company," "we," "us" or "our." These proxy materials are first being mailed to stockholders entitled to vote at the SpecialAnnual Meeting on or about March 11,November 2, 2015.

What is the purpose of the SpecialAnnual Meeting? AtFor stockholders to vote on the Special Meeting, our stockholders will act uponfollowing proposals:

How does the Board of Directors recommend that you vote on these proposals?The Board recommends that you vote:

Who Can Vote?Only holders of record of theour common stock on February 9,October 15, 2015, which we refer to as the Record Date, will be entitled to attend and vote at the SpecialAnnual Meeting or any adjournment thereof. As of the Record Date, there were 12,961,47513,482,930 shares of common stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote. No other class of voting securities is outstanding on the date of mailing of this proxy statement. Each share of common stock has one vote per share.

How May You Vote? We have two kinds of stockholders - stockholders of record and beneficial stockholders. The ways in which you can vote will differ depending on whether you are a record holder or a beneficial holder.

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For Stockholders of Record

 

If, on February 9,October 15, 2015, your shares were registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Transfer Online, Inc., you are a stockholder of record, and we are sending these proxy materials directly to you. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to direct the voting of your shares by returning the accompanying proxy card in the addressed, postage paid envelope provided, voting online on Transfer Online, Inc.'s website as indicated on the proxy card or voting in person at the SpecialAnnual Meeting. If you hold your shares directly in your own name, they will not be counted as shares present for the purposes of determining the presence of a quorum or be voted if you do not provide a proxy or attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting and vote the shares yourself.Whether or not you plan to attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting, please complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy card or vote online prior to the SpecialAnnual Meeting to ensure that your vote is counted.

If you provide specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted as you instruct. If you sign but do not provide instructions, your shares will be voted as described below.

 

You may attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting and vote your shares in person at the SpecialAnnual Meeting prior to the closing of the vote on any particular matter. You may also grant your proxy to vote through the Internet (see the instructions on the proxy card), or by returning a signed, dated and marked proxy card in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. Proxies that are sent to us and not voted in person at the SpecialAnnual Meeting must be received by us at least one day prior to the SpecialAnnual Meeting date, being April 9,December 10, 2015 no later than 4:00 p.m. PST, in order to ensure that the votes will be counted.

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For Beneficial Owners

 

If, on February 9,October 15, 2015, your shares were held in an account at a brokerage firm or at a bank or other nominee holder, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held "in street name," and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker, bank or other nominee holder (referred to herein as "broker"). It is the broker who is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the SpecialAnnual Meeting. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker on how to vote your shares, and you may attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting. If your shares are held in street name, you will receive instructions from your broker that must be followed in order for the broker to vote the shares per your instructions.If you desire to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain a legal proxy from your broker, trustee or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares in person at the Annual Meeting.

 

Under stock market rules currently in effect, brokerage firms and nominees have the authority to vote their customers' unvoted shares on certain "routine" matters if the customers have not furnished voting instructions within a specified period prior to the SpecialAnnual Meeting. However, the Share Issuance Proposal to be voted upon at the Special Meeting is not considered a "routine" matter, and hence brokerage firms and nominees will not be able to vote the shares of customers from whom they have not received voting instructions.If your shares are held in street name, you must instruct your broker how to vote your shares or, on the substantive matters to come before the SpecialAnnual Meeting, your shares will not be voted.

Broker non-votes occur when shares held by a broker are not voted with respect to a proposal because (i) the broker has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares and (ii) the broker lacks the authority to vote the shares at the broker's discretion. Broker non-votes will be counted as shares present and entitled to vote for the purposes of determining the presence of a quorum on each of the proposals to be voted on at the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

Proxies that are sent to us and not voted in person at the SpecialAnnual Meeting must be received by us at least one day prior to the SpecialAnnual Meeting date, being April 9,December 10, 2015, no later than 4:00 p.m. PST, in order to ensure that the votes will be counted.

If you have voted prior to the SpecialAnnual Meeting but choose to attend the meetingAnnual Meeting and change your vote, you must follow the instructions in the next question.

How may your brokerage firm or other intermediary vote your shares if you fail to provide timely directions?Brokerage firms and other intermediaries holding shares of our common stock in street name for customers are generally required to vote such shares in the manner directed by their customers. In the absence of timely directions, your broker will have discretion to vote your shares on our sole "routine" matter: the proposal to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP (Proposal No. 3). Your broker will not have discretion to vote on the following

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"non-routine" matters absent direction from you: the election of directors (Proposal No. 1), the proposal to increase the size of the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal No. 2) and the advisory vote on our executive compensation (Proposal No. 4).

May you change or revoke your vote?Subject to any rules your broker, trustee or nominee may have, you may change your proxy instructions at any time before your proxy is voted at the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

For Stockholders of Record

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote by (i) filing with our Corporate Secretary, prior to your shares being voted at the SpecialAnnual Meeting, a written notice of revocation or another duly executed proxy card, in either case dated later than the prior proxy relating to the same shares, or (ii) by attending the SpecialAnnual Meeting, revoking your proxy and voting in person (although attendance at the SpecialAnnual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke a proxy). Any written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy card must be received by our Corporate Secretary prior to the taking of the vote at the SpecialAnnual Meeting. Such written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy card should be hand delivered to our Corporate Secretary or the Inspector of Elections at the SpecialAnnual Meeting or should be sent so as to be delivered to our principal executive offices located at 7108 North Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93720, directed to the attention of the Corporate Secretary. If mailing a notice of revocation, please provide sufficient time for the revocation to be received no later than April 9,December 10, 2015 to ensure that the revocation will be effective. You may also fax the notice of revocation to (559) 255-5457 or e-mail it to secretary@swseedco.com until 11:594:00 p.m. Pacific TimePST on April 9,December 10, 2015.

For Beneficial Owners

 

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you may change your vote (i) by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, trustee or other nominee, or (ii) if you have obtained a legal proxy from the broker, trustee or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares, by attending the SpecialAnnual Meeting and voting in person. Note that the same timing restrictions explained in the paragraph above relating to stockholders of record apply to beneficial owners desiring to revoke or change your votes.Please make sure that you plan for sufficient time for your street name holder to meet the time deadlines in the prior paragraph or your original votes will stand.

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May you attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting and vote in person?Whether or not you have previously submitted your voting instructions by returning a dated and signed proxy card, voting online at the Transfer Online website or voting by telephone or over the Internet in accordance with your broker's procedures, you are cordially invited to attend the SpecialAnnual Meeting.Attendance at the SpecialAnnual Meeting does not revoke your previously submitted voting instructions. If you have previously voted but want to change your vote at the SpecialAnnual Meeting, you must follow the instructions provided in the prior question.

How will your shares be voted if you submit a proxy and do not make specific choices? If you sign and return your proxy card but do not give any voting instructions, your shares will be voted in favor of the Share Issuanceelection of each of the director nominees listed in Proposal No. 1, in favor of the amendment of our Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2009 Plan"), which is Proposal No. 2, and in accordancefavor of the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm, which is Proposal No. 3, to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers, which is Proposal No. 4, and with respect to any other matters properly brought before the discretion ofAnnual Meeting, as directed by the proxy holders upon such other business as may properly come before the Special Meetingin his or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

What information is contained in this proxy statement? The information in this proxy statement relates to the Share Issuance Proposal to be voted on at the Special Meeting, the voting process and other required information, including a detailed narrative of the Acquisition and the Financing Transactions that were consummated in order to pay the cash consideration for the Acquisition.their discretion.

What proposals will be voted on at the SpecialAnnual Meeting?At the SpecialAnnual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to vote on only one proposal: A proposal to approve the issuance of the Company's common stock potentially issuable pursuant to the terms of Debentures and Warrants, which securities were previously issued in a private placement. We refer to this proposal as the "Share Issuance Proposal." We are not seeking approval of the Acquisition or the Financing Transactions.on:

The election of the nine nominated directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified;

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A proposal to approve of the amendment of the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan in order to increase the total number of shares under the Amended and Restated 2009 Plan from 1,700,000 shares to 2,450,000 shares (an increase of 750,000 shares);

A request to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016;

A proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers; and

Any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting.

What is the voting requirement to approve each of the Share Issuance Proposal,proposals, and how does the Board of Directors recommend that you vote?

Proposal No. 1, the election of directors: Directors are elected by a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election (which is the case for this annual meeting). This means that the director nominee must receive more "for" votes than "withhold" votes in order to be elected by the stockholders. Under Nevada law, broker non-votes and abstentions will not be counted as votes cast and therefore will not affect the election of directors.The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR" each of the nine nominees listed in Proposal No. 1.

Proposal No. 2, approval of the amendment of the 2009 Plan to increase the shares available thereunder by 750,000: The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, represented and entitled to vote on the proposal is required to approve the amendment of the 2009 Plan. Under Nevada law, abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast and accordingly will have no effect upon the proposal.The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR" Proposal No. 2.

Proposal No. 3, ratification of Crowe Horwath LLP as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016:  The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, represented and entitled to vote on the proposal is required to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. This is considered a "routine" matter, and therefore brokerage firms and other nominees will be able to vote your shares in the absence of specific voting instructions from you. Because a broker or other nominee may generally vote on routine matters, no broker non-votes are expected in connection with this proposal, but if any broker-non votes are received, they will have no impact on the outcome because broker non-votes, as well as abstentions, are not considered as votes cast under Nevada law.The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR" Proposal No. 3.

Proposal No. 4, approval of, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's Named Executive Officers ("say-on-pay"): The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, represented and entitled to vote on the proposal is required to approve the compensation of the Company's Named Executive Officers. Under Nevada law, abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast and accordingly will have no effect upon the proposal.The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR" Proposal No. 4.

What happens if additional matters are presented at the Annual Meeting?If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a majoritymotion to adjourn the Annual Meeting to another time or place (including, without limitation, for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies), the shares present, represented and entitledproxyholders will have discretion to vote excluding abstentions, on the proposal is required to approve this proposal (assuming a quorum is presentthose matters in person or by proxy). If you vote to abstain, or if you fail to vote or fail to instruct your bank, broker, custodian oraccordance with their best judgment. We do not currently anticipate that any other record holder how to vote, it will have no effect on the voting outcome of this proposal. You may vote either "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR" the Share Issuance Proposal.

Why are we asking you to approve the Share Issuance Proposal?NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(a) states: "Shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with the acquisition of the stock or assets of another company if: (1) where, due to the present or potential issuance of common stock, including shares issued pursuant to an earn-out provision or similar type of provision, or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, other than a public offering for cash: . . . the number of shares of common stock to be issued is ormatters will be equal to or in excess of 20% ofraised at the number of shares of common stock outstanding before the issuance of the stock or securities." Although we are not seeking stockholder approval of the Acquisition because the consideration therefor was cash and a secured promissory note rather than securities, because the net proceeds from the Debenture Financing and the Shares Private Placement were used to fund the cash portion of the Acquisition, we must comply with the stockholder approval requirement of Listing Rule 5635(a)(1).Annual Meeting.

In addition, NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(d) requires that we obtain stockholder approval prior to the issuance of the Company's common stock in connection with certain non- public offerings involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by us of our common stock equal to 20% or more of our common stock outstanding before the issuance, if the price per share is less than the greater of book value or market on the date of pricing. If the Debentures are fully converted and the Warrants are fully exercised, we will issue more than 20% of the number of shares we had outstanding on December 30, 2014, the date on which the definitive transaction documents were executed. Although the initial conversion price of the Debentures and initial exercise price of the Warrants were both fixed at $5.00, which exceeded the greater of book value and market value of our common stock on December 31, 2014, we could, potentially, issue shares pursuant to the Debentures and/or Warrants at lower prices if there is a decrease in the conversion price and/or warrant exercise price below that level or if, in the unlikely event we were to make interest payments or redemptions in shares at then-current stock prices, which could be less than the greater of book value or market on December 30, 2014. In addition, we contractually agreed to seek stockholder approval in connection with the sale of the Debentures and Warrants.

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What constitutes a quorum?A quorum is the presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock (as calculated on February 9,October 15, 2015). That means that proxies for at least 6,480,7386,741,466 shares of common stock must be present at the SpecialAnnual Meeting in order to have a quorum and enable us to conduct the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

Who will count the votes? A representative from Transfer Online, Inc. will act as inspector of elections and will tabulate the votes. The inspector will separately tabulate "FOR" and "AGAINST" votes, abstentions and broker non-votes for the Share Issuance Proposaleach proposal and any other matter than may properly come before the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

How are abstentions and broker non votes counted? Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business. Under Nevada law, abstentions from voting and broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast and accordingly will have no effect upon the results.

Is your vote confidential? Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within the Company or to third parties, except:

as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements;

to allow for the accurate and efficient tabulation and certification of votes; and

to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation.

How can you learn the results of the vote?We intend to announce preliminary voting results at the SpecialAnnual Meeting and will publish final results on a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

Are any of the Company's officers and directors interested in matters to be acted upon? Our officers and directors are eligible to participate in our 2009 Plan, along with other employees and consultants. Other than their eligibility to potentially receive future grants or awards under the amended 2009 Plan and the nominees' interest in the election of directors, our officers and directors do not have any interest in the matters to be acted upon at the SpecialAnnual Meeting.

Who is soliciting votes and who will bear the cost for this proxy solicitation? We are soliciting the votes and will bear all expenses of soliciting proxies. We may reimburse brokerage firms, custodians, nominees, fiduciaries and other persons representing beneficial owners of common stock for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in forwarding solicitation material to such beneficial owners. Some of our directors, officers and employees may also solicit proxies in person or by other means of communication. Such directors, officers and employees will not be additionally compensated, but may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with such solicitation. In addition,Although we have engaged Georgeson, Inc.currently do not expect to assistdo so, we may engage the services of a professional proxy solicitation firm to aid in obtainingthe solicitation of proxies by mail, facsimile or email from brokerage firms, banks, broker-dealers orcertain brokers, bank nominees and other similar organizations representing beneficial owners of sharesinstitutional owners. Our costs for this Special Meeting. We have agreed to a fee of approximately $24,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses. Georgeson, Inc. maysuch services, if retained, will not be contacted at (888) 624-7035.material.

What is "householding"? We may deliver a single proxy statement to an address shared by two or more of our stockholders. This method of delivery, known as "householding," permits us to realize significant cost savings, reduces the amount of duplicate information stockholders receive and reduces the environmental impact of printing and mailing documents to you. Under this process, certain stockholders of record will receive only one copy of our proxy materials and any additional proxy materials that are delivered until such time as one or more of these stockholders notifies us that they want to receive separate copies. Any stockholders who wish to opt out of, or wish to begin, householding may contact us through one of the methods provided below.

What should you do if you receive more than one copy of proxy materials?If you received more than one copy of proxy materials, your shares are registered in more than one name or brokerage account. Please follow the voting instructions on each voting instruction card that you receive to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

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How may you access our proxy materials and Annual Report on Form 10-K over the Internet?You may access this proxy statement and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 (the "2015 Annual Report") under "2015 Annual Report and Proxy" on the Investors page of our website at www.swseedco.com by clickingwww.swseedco.com. The 2015 Annual Report is not incorporated into this proxy statement and is not considered proxy soliciting material.

How may you obtain copies of the exhibits to the 2015 Annual Report? A copy of the 2015 Annual Report is enclosed with this proxy statement, but we have not included the exhibits to the 2015 Annual Report. The 2015 Annual Report includes a list of the exhibits that were filed with it, and we will furnish without charge a copy of any such exhibit to any person who requests one. For further information, contact Matthew K. Szot, Chief Financial Officer, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, telephone (559) 884-2535, e-mail mszot@swseedco.com. Our 2015 Annual Report and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the exhibits, are also available at no cost at the SEC's website,www.sec.gov and on "April 10, 2015 Special Meeting."our website atwww.swseedco.com/investors.

May the meeting be adjourned or postponed? Any action on the items of business described above may be considered at the Annual Meeting at the time and on the date specified above or at any time and date to which the Annual Meeting may be properly adjourned or postponed. Under Nevada law, we are not required to give any notice of an adjourned meeting or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting, other than by announcement at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless the board fixes a new record date for the adjourned meeting or the meeting date is adjourned to a date more than 60 days later than the date set for the original meeting, in which case a new record date must be fixed and notice given. Accordingly, if we do not have sufficient votes for a quorum or to approve the Share Issuance Proposal, it our intention to make an announcement at the Special Meeting of a new date for an adjourned or postponed meeting that is within the 60-day period permitted under Nevada law. Thereafter, if required, the S&W Board will fix a new record date and a new meeting date.

What is the mailing address for S&W Seed Company's principal executive offices? As of March 1, 2015, our newOur principal executive offices and our mailing address is 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720. Any written requests for additional information, copies of these proxy materials or our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014,2015, notices of stockholder proposals, recommendations for candidates to the boardBoard of directors,Directors, communications to the boardBoard of directorsDirectors or any other communications should be sent to this address.

Will S&W Seed Company's auditors beMay I propose actions for consideration at next year's annual meeting of stockholders or nominate individuals to serve as directors?You may present proposals for action at a future meeting or submit nominations for election of directors only if you comply with the Special Meeting? Our auditors are M&K CPAS, PLLC. Representativesrequirements of M&K are not expectedthe proxy rules established by the SEC and our bylaws, as applicable. In order for a stockholder proposal to be present at the Specialincluded in our proxy statement and form of proxy for our 2016 Annual Meeting and accordingly, will not make any statement nor will there be an opportunity to ask questions of a representative of M&K.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The statements containedStockholders under rules set forth in this prospectus that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), the proposal must be received by us no later than July 5, 2016. All proposals must comply with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, which lists the requirements for the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Stockholder proposals must be delivered to our Secretary by mail at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720. If you intend to submit a proposal that is not intended to be included in our proxy statement, or a nomination for director for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, you must give us notice in accordance with the requirements set forth in our bylaws not more than 120 days or less than 90 days prior to the one year anniversary of the date of this year's Annual Meeting, meaning between August 13, 2016 and September 12, 2016. If the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after the anniversary date of our 2015 Annual Meeting, notice by the stockholder must be received no earlier than 120 days prior to the 2016 Annual Meeting and no later than the later of (i) the 90th day prior to the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting or (ii) the 10th day following the date on which public announcement of the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting is first made by us. Our bylaws require that certain information and acknowledgments with respect to the proposal or the nominee and the stockholder making the proposal or nomination be set forth in the notice. Our bylaws have been publicly filed with the SEC and can also be provided upon request, addressed to our Secretary, as noted above.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES

General

Our Board of Directors is elected by our stockholders to oversee our business and affairs. In addition, the Board of Directors counsels, advises and oversees management in the long-term interests of our company and our stockholders regarding a broad range of subjects including:

selecting and evaluating the performance of our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and other senior executives;

reviewing and approving major financial, strategic and operating decisions and other significant actions;

overseeing the conduct of our business and the assessment of our business risks to evaluate whether our business is being properly managed; and

overseeing the processes for maintaining integrity with regard to our financial statements and other public disclosures, and compliance with law and ethical standards.

Members of the Board of Directors monitor and evaluate our business performance through regular communication with our chief executive officer and other members of management, and by attending board meetings and board committee meetings. The Board is currently composed of ten members: Glen D. Bornt, Michael (Mick) M. Fleming, Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander C. Matina, Michael N. Nordstrom, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, William S. Smith, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark Wong.

Our Articles of Incorporation provide that the number of members of the Board of Directors may be set by the Board within the range of three to ten. The Board fixed its number at nine members, effective as of the date of the Annual Meeting. That number may be changed by further resolution of the Board or by an amendment to the Bylaws approved by the stockholders or the Board.

In preparation for our Annual Meeting, our Nominating and Governance Committee proposed, and our Board of Directors as a whole agreed, that it would be advisable to begin reducing the size of our Board of Directors in order to allow the board to carry out its responsibilities more efficiently and to reduce costs. As a result, the slate of nominees for this Annual Meeting has been reduced to nine. Mr. Nordstrom has agreed to not stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting in order to begin the phase-in of the board reduction process. Mr. Nordstrom, who has previously served on our board, is Chairman of the Board of our Australian subsidiaries, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd and S&W Seed Australia Pty Ltd. He will continue to serve in those capacities and will be granted observer status at our board meetings. The Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Board as a whole, will continue to evaluate the size and composition of the Board. A further reduction in the size of the Board to at least eight is expected to occur in connection with the 2016 annual meeting.

Our directors are elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier resignation. Mr. Nordstrom's term as a director will expire immediately following this year's Annual Meeting.

Our directors are elected in uncontested elections by a majority vote. In contested director elections, elections whereby the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected, the directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast and the nominees receiving the greatest numbers of votes will be elected to serve as directors. The election of directors at this year's Annual Meeting is an uncontested election and thus the majority voting standard applies.

To be elected in an uncontested election, a director must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to the director's election. This means that a director will be elected if the number of votes cast for that

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director's election exceeds the number of votes cast against that nominee's election. Broker non-votes and abstentions will not be counted as votes cast, and, accordingly, will have no effect on the election of directors. If an incumbent director is not elected and no successor has been elected at the meeting, he or she shall promptly tender his or her conditional resignation following certification of the vote. The Nominating and Governance Committee shall consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board whether to accept such offer. The Board will endeavor to act on the recommendation within 90 days following the recommendation. Thereafter, the Board will promptly disclose its decision whether to accept the director's resignation offer (and its rationale for rejecting the offer, if applicable) in a press release and filing an appropriate disclosure with the SEC. If the Board accepts the resignation, then the Board, in its sole discretion, may, pursuant to the Company's bylaws, fill any resulting vacancy or may decrease the size of the Board.

Nevada corporate law does not require cumulative voting in the election of directors, and neither our Articles of Incorporation nor Bylaws provide for cumulative voting.

Our Board has determined that Messrs. Fleming, Matina, Seidler, Smith, Wickersham and Wong, representing six of the nine directors standing for reelection, are "independent" as that term is defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing requirements and rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq"). AllThere are no family relationships between any director and executive officer.

The Board proposes that the nine director-nominees named in the following summary be elected as our directors, each to hold office until the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or their earlier resignation or removal.

Information Regarding the Nominees

A brief summary of each nominee's principal occupation and other information follows. None of the directors, director nominees, or executive officers were selected pursuant to any arrangement or understanding. There are no family relationships among our directors, director nominees or executive officers.

Glen D. Bornt (Age 57)
President, Imperial Valley Milling Co.

Mr. Bornt was elected to our Board in December 2012. Since 1987, he has been the President of Imperial Valley Milling Co., where he serves as chief executive officer and on-site manager. Concurrently, since September 2007, he also has served as Vice President of Imperial Valley Seeds, Inc. Mr. Bornt earned a BS degree in Agriculture Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believes that Mr. Bornt should be re-elected to the Board by the stockholders because his 25 years of experience in the agriculture seed industry specializing in alfalfa seed will bring invaluable expertise to our boardroom as we continue to expand our seed business geographically and with new varieties.

Michael M. Fleming (Age 66)
Member, Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC

Mr. Fleming was elected to our Board in October 2009. In January 2014, after spending fourteen years as an attorney for Lane Powell PC, Mr. Fleming joined Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC in Seattle, Washington, and is specializing in real estate, dispute resolution, securities and environmental matters. He has also been the president and owner of Kidcentre, Inc., a company in the business of providing child care services in Seattle, since July 1988. Since April 1985, he has also been the president and owner of Fleming Investment Co., an investment company. Since 1997, he has served as a director, serving as chairman of the board since October 2012 of Jones Soda Co., a developer, marketer, producer and distributor of premium beverages, located in Seattle. For the last five years, he has served on the Audit Committee of Jones Soda. Mr. Fleming holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Washington and a law degree from the University of

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California, Hastings College of the Law. Mr. Fleming has served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound since 2002 and was Chairman of the Board of Directors for 2008/2009. He was elected in 2013 to serve as Trustee of the Board of University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Fleming should be re-elected to the Board because of his experience as president and owner of other businesses, his service on other boards and his legal background, all of which contribute legal and business expertise.

Mark S. Grewal (Age 59)
President and Chief Executive Officer, S&W Seed Company

Mr. Grewal was appointed our President, Chief Executive Officer and a director in October 2009. Beginning in February 2009 until October 2009, he provided advisory services to S&W Seed Company, our predecessor general partnership (the "Partnership"). He became our full-time employee in October 2010. Since October 2009, he also has held the title of President and manager of our subsidiary, Seed Holding, LLC. Mr. Grewal served as the Chief Executive Officer, President and Farm Manager of Chowchilla, California-based Triangle T Partners, LLC ("TTP") from February 2009 through October 2010 and held the same positions with Triangle T Ranch, Inc. ("TTR"), the parent of TTP during the same period. At TTP and TTR, Mr. Grewal was responsible for all operations involved in farming a 13,000 acre diversified farming operation. From January 2006 until he joined TTR, Mr. Grewal was the principal of Grewal Consulting, in Lemoore, California, where he addressed water, land, drainage and fertilizing, herbicide and insecticide management issues. From February 2005 to December 2006, Mr. Grewal served as the Chief Operations Officer of SK Foods, in Lemoore, California, a leading grower and processor of vegetable products for remanufacturers, retail and foodservice markets ("SK Foods"). His responsibilities included being in charge of procuring raw products to ensure proper plant production, with the goal of maximizing cost benefits. Prior thereto, Mr. Grewal served in various executive management and operational roles for over 26 years with JG Boswell, Co., in Corcoran, California, a very large grower of agricultural crops. From 1999 to February 2005, Mr. Grewal served as the Vice President of Ranching and a member of the Board of Director of JG Boswell, Co. At both SK Foods and JG Boswell, he managed over 300 employees. Mr. Grewal is Chairman of the Plant Science Advisory Council of California State University and a member of the Leadership Committee of California State University, Fresno. Mr. Grewal earned a B.S. in Agronomy from California State University, Fresno, and an M.A. in Leadership from Saint Mary's College, Moraga, California. He is also a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 28). The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Grewal should be re-elected to the Board because his many years of experience working in various positions at major agricultural firms in the Central Valley, which, combined with his status as our Chief Executive Officer, contribute to both his invaluable insights and strategic thinking relevant to our business, as well provide numerous contacts in the farming community, all of which are of great benefit to our board and our company.

Mark J. Harvey (Age 60)
Chairman of the Board, S&W Seed Company

In December 2014, Mr. Harvey was appointed Chairman of Board of Directors of our company, after having served as Vice Chairman since April 2013. Mr. Harvey has more than 35 years of experience in production processing and marketing of seed to many parts of the world, particularly branded alfalfa and clover. Mr. Harvey managed a 10,000- acre family farm producing seed, wheat and pulse crops, along with wool and beef, from 1976 until 1996 when the company he founded, Paramount Seeds, was sold to Elders Ltd. While with Elders, he was manager of their national and international seed business from 1996 until 2001. In 2002, he was a founding partner of Seed Genetics International where he focused primarily on marketing and distribution. Mr. Harvey was educated at Cunderdin Agricultural College in West Australia. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Harvey should be re-elected to the Board because of his extensive experience in the seed industry, which contributes valuable business expertise.

Alexander C. Matina (Age 39)
Vice President, Investments, MFP Investors, LLC

Mr. Matina has served on the Board of Directors since May 2015, having been appointed by the Board to fill a vacancy. Since November 2007, he has held the office of Vice President, Investments for MFP Investors, LLC, the family office of Michael F. Price, which has a value-investing focus across public and private markets. From October 2005 to August 2007, Mr. Matina served in various roles at Balance Asset Management, a multi-strategy

9


hedge fund, and from June 2004 to September 2005, as a senior associate at Altus Capital Partners, a middle market private equity fund. Prior thereto, he was a principal at 747 Capital, a private equity fund-of-funds, and a financial analyst at Salomon Smith Barney in the financial sponsors group of the investment banking division. Since April 2013, he also has served as Chairman of the Board of Trinity Place Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded real estate company, and since August 2007, Mr. Matina has served as an adjunct professor of financial modeling at Fordham University. Mr. Matina brings a strong finance background to our company's Board, including experience with private equity, as well as his experience in other public companies For these reasons, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Matina should be re-elected to the Board.

Charles B. Seidler (Age 38)
Executive Director, Nomura Securities

Mr. Seidler was elected to our Board in June 2010. Mr. Seidler joined Nomura Securities as an executive director and senior member of a proprietary trading group in New York, New York in June 2010. Prior thereto, from January 2007 through June 2010, Mr. Seidler held various senior positions at Deutsche Bank AG in Tokyo, Japan, including Head of JPY/UST International Sales (from March 2009 until his departure in June 2010), JPY Flow Trader (from September 2008 to March 2009) and Rates Proprietary Trader from January 2007 to September 2008. Between March 2003 and January 2007, Mr. Seidler was Co-Portfolio Manager of Caxton Associates, L.L.C., the macro hedge fund, New York, New York, where he focused on macro and relative value trading with a particular focus on the Japanese markets. He currently and during the last five years has served on numerous corporate boards of directors, however, none of them are companies with a class of equity securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Mr. Seidler has a Masters of Arts Degree from Colgate University. Because of Mr. Seidler's extensive experience in the corporate boardroom and his financial expertise, he brings to our Board a level of professionalism and perspective that we believe is invaluable. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Seidler should be re-elected to the Board.

William S. Smith (Age 65)
President and Founder, Wm Smith & Co.

Mr. Smith was elected to our Board in July 2014. Mr. Smith has served as President of Wm Smith & Co., a FINRA registered broker-dealer and institutional research firm founded by him, since 1992. Prior to joining the securities industry, Mr. Smith held positions of increasing responsibility within the energy exploration sector, including his service as the president and a board member of Sheffield Exploration Company, Inc. from 1983 to 1986. Mr. Smith holds a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa. In 1999, Mr. Smith was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to the Colorado Commission on Science and Technology. From 1995 to 2012, Mr. Smith served as a board member of the University of Northern Iowa Foundation. Because of Mr. Smith's extensive business background, he brings to our Board a level of professionalism and perspective that we believe is invaluable. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Smith should be re-elected to the Board.

Grover T. Wickersham (Age 66)
Vice Chairman of the Board, S&W Seed Company

Mr. Wickersham is a founder of the Company and served as Chairman of the Board from incorporation in October 2009 until December 2014, when he stepped down to become Vice Chairman. Mr. Wickersham is a director and portfolio advisor of Glenbrook Capital Management, the general partner of a limited partnership that invests primarily in the securities of public companies. Between October 2007 and December 2012, Mr. Wickersham served in various capacities on behalf of Triangle T Partners, LLC and its predecessor, Triangle T Ranch, Inc., a 12,500 acre farm in California's Central Valley. For more than five years, Mr. Wickersham has served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Purisima Fund, a mutual fund advised by Fisher Investments of Woodside, California, which fund has assets under management of approximately $375 million. Between 1976 and 1981, Mr. Wickersham served as a Staff Attorney, and then as a Branch Chief, of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He holds an A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. In addition to sitting on our Board, Mr. Wickersham serves on the Board of Verseon Corporation, an AIM-listed technology-based pharmaceutical company. In addition he is a director of Arbor Vita Corporation, a private company that has developed technology for application in early

10


detection of certain cancers and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Wickersham should be re-elected to the Board because of his experience and knowledge of corporate finance and legal matters, his experience and knowledge of operational matters gained as a past and present director of other public and private companies, and his knowledge of our company, its markets and operations developed over his tenure as Chairman and a director of the Company.

Mark Wong (Age 66)
Chairman, American Dairy Co.

Mark Wong was elected to our Board in December 2014. He has more than 35 years of experience in agribusiness with particular expertise in technology integration and commercialization. Since January 2012, Mr. Wong has served as Chairman of American Dairy Co., Ponte Vedra, Florida, the owner and operator of dairies in the southeast and south central United States. Since 2008, he has been Chairman of the Board or chief executive officer of Agrivida, a company that is developing and commercializing high- performance products that incorporate novel, regulated proteins precisely engineered for specific applications in a variety of markets, including animal nutrition, bio-based fuels and chemicals, and industrial enzymes. Formerly, he was founder and chief operating officer, from 1999 to 2006, of Emergent Genetics, Inc., an international seed biotech company and, from 2009 to the present, he is a founder and partner at Colorado Financial Holdings, a private venture investment and investment bank that specializes in the agricultural, energy and biotechnology sectors. He also has previous founding and management experience in these areas, including, from 1987 to 1992, Agracetus (CEO), a plant biotechnology company; from 1979 to 1987, Agrigenetics (Founder and COO), a seed and biotechnology company; from 1990 to 1999, Big Stone Partners (Partner), an agribusiness consulting firm, and, from 2009 to 2014, BioFuel Energy Corp. (Chairman), a corn ethanol company. Mr. Wong also serves on the boards of Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., Biotechnology Industry Organization and Anuvia Plant Nutrients. Mr. Wong holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Finance. Mr. Wong's experience includes operations management, technology assessment, business acquisition and divestiture, and international business, and, as a result, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Wong should be re-elected to the Board.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Governance Committee. With respect to the Audit Committee, the Committee delegated to its Chairman the responsibility of meeting with our auditors and chief financial officer in connection with the quarterly reviews of the financial statements and filing of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Mr. Fleming fulfilled that responsibility on three occasions during the fiscal year, and the full committee met with our auditors in connection with the completion of the audit of our financial statements and related matters. The committee members took various actions by written consent during the fiscal year and spent many hours in informal consultation with one another, in addition to holding in person and telephonic meetings. The following table provides membership and meeting information for fiscal 2015 for each of the committees:

Name

 

Audit

 

Compensation

 

Nominating and
Governance
Committee

       

Michael M. Fleming

 

Chair

 

Chair

  

Mark J. Harvey(1)

   

X

 

X

Alexander C. Matina(2)

 

X

 

X

  

Michael N. Nordstrom(3)

   

X

  

Charles B. Seidler

 

   

Chair

William S. Smith

 

X

    

Grover T. Wickersham

     

X

Mark Wong

   

X

 

X

 

Total meetings in fiscal 2015

 

7

 

4

 

4

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_______

(1) Mr. Harvey served on the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee from December 2014 until March 2015.
(2) Mr. Matina joined the Compensation Committee in May 2015 and the Audit Committee in July 2015.
(3) Mr. Nordstrom joined the Compensation Committee in March 2015.

Audit Committee

As of October 20, 2015, the members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Fleming, Matina, Seidler and Smith. Mr. Fleming serves as chairman of the committee.

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors was established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, to oversee our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of its financial statements. We are required to have an Audit Committee in order to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of our Audit Committee satisfies the requirements for Audit Committee independence and financial literacy under the current rules and regulations of the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Board of Directors has also determined that Mr. Fleming is an "Audit Committee financial expert" as defined in SEC rules and he satisfies the financial sophistication requirements of Nasdaq as a result of his many years serving as a chief executive. This designation does not impose on Mr. Fleming any duties, obligations or liabilities that are greater than is generally imposed on him as a member of our Audit Committee and our Board of Directors.

The Audit Committee is responsible for, among other thanthings:

selecting, hiring and terminating our independent auditors;

evaluating the qualifications, independence and performance of our independent auditors;

approving the audit and non-audit services to be performed by the independent auditors;

overseeing and monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as they relate to financial statements or accounting matters;

with management and our independent auditors, reviewing any earnings announcements and other public announcements regarding our results of operations;

reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and annual and quarterly reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q; and

providing to the Board of Directors information and materials to make the Board of Directors aware of significant financial and audit-related matters that require the attention of the Board of Directors.

The Audit Committee acts under a written charter adopted and approved by our Board of historical factDirectors. A copy of the charter of our Audit Committee is available on the Investors page on our website located atwww.swseedco.com.

The Audit Committee Report is included in this proxy statement on page 49.

Compensation Committee

As of October 20, 2015, the members of the Compensation Committee are statementsMessrs. Fleming, Matina, Nordstrom and Wong. Mr. Fleming serves as chairman of the committee. Under Nevada law, persons who are not directors are permitted to serve on board committees, and accordingly, Mr. Nordstrom, who is not standing for reelection may still serve on the Compensation Committee following the Annual Meeting.

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Our Board of Directors has determined that could be deemed forward-looking statements,each member of our Compensation Committee meets the requirements for independence under the current Nasdaq rules, the non-employee director definition of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and the outside director definition of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code. The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:

overseeing our compensation policies, plans and benefit programs and making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to improvements or changes to the compensation plans and adoption of other plans;

reviewing and approving with respect to our chief executive officer and other executive officers: annual base salaries, annual incentive bonuses, including the specific goals and amounts, equity compensation, employment agreements, severance arrangements and change of control agreements/provisions, signing bonuses or payments of relocation costs and any other benefits, compensation or arrangements;

evaluating and approving the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our chief executive officer; and

administering our equity compensation plans.

The Compensation Committee acts under a written charter adopted and approved by our Board of Directors. A copy of the charter of our Compensation Committee is available on the Investors page on our website located atwww.swseedco.com.

Nominating and Governance Committee

As of October 20, 2015, the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Messrs. Seidler, Wickersham and Wong. Mr. Seidler serves as chairman of the committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of our Nominating and Governance Committee meets the requirements for independence under the current rules of the SEC and Nasdaq.

The goal of the Nominating and Governance Committee is to ensure that the members of our Board of Directors have a variety of perspectives and skills derived from high- quality business and professional experience. The Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to achieve a balance of knowledge, experience and capability on our Board of Directors. To this end, the committee seeks nominees with high professional and personal integrity, an understanding of our business lines and industry, diversity of business experience and expertise, broad-based business acumen and the ability to think strategically. Although neither we nor our Nominating and Governance Committee has a formal policy about diversity in the nominee selection process, our Nominating and Governance Committee charter states that the committee's goal is to develop a diverse and experienced board. In the context of the existing composition and needs of the board and its committees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers various factors, including, but not limited to, any projections of revenue, margins, expenses, tax provisions, earnings, cash flowsindependence, age, diversity (which, in this context, means race, ethnicity and gender), integrity, skills, financial and other financial items;expertise, breadth of experience and knowledge about our business or industry. Although the Nominating and Governance Committee uses these and other criteria to evaluate potential nominees, we have not established any statementsparticular minimum criteria for nominees. After its evaluation of potential nominees, the committee submits nominees to the Board of Directors for approval. When appropriate, the Nominating and Governance Committee may in the future retain executive recruitment firms to assist in identifying suitable candidates but has not done so in connection with this Annual Meeting.

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things:

assisting our Board of Directors in identifying prospective director nominees and recommending to our Board of Directors the director nominees for each annual meeting of stockholders;

evaluating the performance of current members of our Board of Directors;

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ensuring that our Board of Directors is properly constituted to meet its fiduciary obligations to us and our stockholders and that we follow appropriate governance standards;

developing principles of corporate governance and recommending them to our Board of Directors;

overseeing compliance by our Board of Directors and its committees with applicable laws and regulations, including those promulgated by the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq; and

overseeing the evaluation of our Board of Directors and recommending compensation of Board members.

The Nominating and Governance Committee acts under a written charter adopted and approved by our Board of Directors. A copy of the plans, strategiescharter of our Nominating and objectivesGovernance Committee is available on the Investors page on our website located atwww.swseedco.com.

In addition to the candidates proposed by our Board of management for future operations; any statements regarding our ability to raise capital in the future; any statements concerning expected development, performanceDirectors or market acceptance relating to our products or services or our ability to expand our grower or customer bases; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of expectation or belief; any statements regarding our ability to retain key employees; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the useNominating and Governance Committee, the Committee considers candidates for director suggested by our stockholders in accordance with the procedures described in the Questions and Answers section in response to the question "May I propose actions for consideration at next year's annual meeting of words suchstockholders or nominate individuals to serve as but not limiteddirectors?" Stockholder nominations that comply with these procedures and that meet the criteria outlined in our bylaws will receive the same consideration that the Nominating and Governance Committee's nominees receive.

Executive Committee

In December 2014, the Board established a special committee for the purpose of aiding Mr. Harvey in conducting and better managing the day to "anticipate," "believe," "can," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "will," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will," "would,"day operations of the business. The current members of the Executive Committee are Messrs. Bornt, Harvey and similar expressionsNordstrom, chosen because of their extensive personal experience in agricultural operations and the seed business. Mr. Harvey chairs the Executive Committee, which. serves at the pleasure of the Board and the chairman. There are no scheduled meetings, no minutes taken and no additional compensation for service. On average, the committee met one to two times per month, as needed to address specific operational issues, consider material contracts proposed by management or variations intended to identify forward-looking statements.monitor activities in seed production or seed sales. The committee reports to the board at quarterly board meetings or on an interim basis as necessary.

Board Independence

Our Board of Directors is predominantly independent. Of our nine continuing directors, only one is an employee. We have based these forward-looking statements onaffirmatively determined that six of our nine directors who are standing for reelection, namely Messrs. Fleming, Matina, Seidler, Smith, Wickersham and Wong, representing a majority of our current expectations about future events. Such forward-looking statementsdirectors, are subject"independent directors" as defined under the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq.

Executive Sessions of Independent Directors

In order to risks, uncertaintiespromote open discussion among independent directors, our Board of Directors has a policy of conducting executive sessions of the independent directors. The board periodically holds regular executive sessions of the independent directors. These directors may designate one of their number to preside at each session, although it need not be the same director at each session. Regardless of the fact that these executive sessions are required by Nasdaq, we believe they are important vehicles to encourage open communication. Whether a presiding director is selected for each session or not, one among the directors present is designated to communicate the results of each such meeting to the full board.

Board Meetings and Attendance

The Board held nine meetings during fiscal year 2015 (with three meetings each held over a two-day period, for a total of 12 meeting days) and took action by unanimous written consent on one other important factors that could cause actual resultsoccasion. Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of our Board and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied bycommittees on which such forward- looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the following:director served during fiscal year 2015.

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Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this proxy statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS AND RELATED REQUIRED INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION OF THE PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

Overview

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. ("DuPont Pioneer") is a subsidiary of E. I. de Nemours & Company. In our December 31, 2014 acquisition, we purchased from DuPont Pioneer alfalfa seed research and production assets, which we refer to hereinChief Executive Officer, with Mr. Harvey serving as the "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business." We did not acquire any of DuPont Pioneer's salesChairman and distribution assets or rightsMr. Grewal serving as Chief Executive Officer. The Board believes that this separation is presently appropriate as it allows the Chief Executive Officer to focus primarily on leading the DuPont Pioneer brand. Following the Acquisition, DuPont Pioneer continues its ongoing business, including sales of DuPont Pioneer-branded alfalfa seed through its sales representative and dealer network. DuPont Pioneer will purchase alfalfa seed from us under a long-term distribution agreement discussed below. See "The Acquisition." Except where the context implies to the contrary, the following narrative describes the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business that we operate following the Acquisition and not the ongoing alfalfaday-to-day operations of DuPont Pioneer since the dateCompany, while the Chairman can focus on leading the Board in its consideration of strategic issues and monitoring corporate governance and other stockholder issues.

Each of the Acquisition.committees of the board consists entirely of independent directors.

DuPont Pioneer's dormant alfalfa seedOur Chairman is well suited for areas where winter hardiness is required and is bred to help meet growers' needs in specific geographies for disease and pest resistance, forage quality and yield. To maintain its leadership each year, DuPont Pioneer historically introduced (on average) two to three new alfalfa varieties toselected by a majority of the market, with approximately 20 varieties offeredBoard of Directors. The Chairman may be replaced at any one time.time by a vote of a majority of the Board of Directors then serving; provided, however, that the Chairman may not be removed as a director of the Company except in accordance with the Nevada Revised Statutes, our bylaws, and other applicable law.

In fiscal 2015, our independent directors designated Michael M. Fleming to continue to serve as Lead Director. The Lead Director has specifically enumerated duties and responsibilities, which include:

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business primarily conducts its breeding program at a researchlead director has specifically enumerated duties and development facility in Arlington, Wisconsin and its seed processing at a facility in Nampa, Idaho. The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business contracts with growers to produce seed in western growing areas in the United States and Canada.responsibilities, which include:

Products and Technologies

The primary focus of the breeding program of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business is to provide alfalfa seed of thoroughly tested, stable and hardy varieties for growers in North America. These same varieties are also sold in other areas of the world. DuPont Pioneer breeders historically have focused on producing "muscle"

advising and consulting with the Chairman regarding the information, agendas and schedules of Board and Board Committee meetings;

advising the Chairman as to the quality, quantity and timeliness of the information submitted by management to the independent directors;

recommending to the Board and the Board Committees the retention of advisers and consultants to report directly to the Board;

calling meetings of the independent directors, as appropriate, and serving as chairman of such meetings;

serving as principal liaison between the independent directors and the Chairman and between the independent directors and senior management;

ensuring that independent directors have adequate opportunities to meet and discuss issues in sessions of the independent directors without management being present;

communicating to management, as appropriate, the results of private discussions among independent directors; and

responding directly to stockholder and other stakeholder questions and comments that are directed to the lead independent director or to the independent directors as a group.

15


characteristics - high yield, winter-hardinessBoard Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors, as a whole and reliability - which are the characteristics that matter most tothrough its customers. In addition, DuPont Pioneercommittees, has bred for customers' alfalfa needs in specific geographies and end markets including disease and pest resistance, high forage quality, improved standability and delayed harvest windows. Since we expect to be the principal supplier of DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa seed requirementsresponsibility for the foreseeable future, we plan to continueoversight of risk management. With the breeding program substantially as it has been operated by DuPont Pioneer, with a focus on addressing customers' needs in specific growing regions and customer requestsoversight of our full Board of Directors, our senior management are responsible for the inclusionday-to-day management of specific plant characteristics.

DuPont Pioneer also incorporated certain genetically modified organism (GMO) intothe material risks we face. In its germplasmoversight role, our Board of Directors has the responsibility to satisfy grower demanditself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed. This involvement of the Board of Directors in setting our business strategy is a key part of its oversight of risk management, its assessment of management's appetite for the highestrisk and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of genetics. The integrationrisk for us. Additionally, our Board of these traits allowed DuPont PioneerDirectors regularly receives updates from senior management and outside advisors regarding certain risks we face, including various operating risks. Our senior management attends meetings of our Board of Directors, and each committee meets with key management personnel and representatives of outside advisors as necessary. Additionally, senior management makes itself available to offeraddress any questions or concerns raised by the board on risk management and any other matters.

Each of our board committees oversees certain aspects of risk management.

Board/Committee

Primary Areas of Risk Oversight

Full Board

Strategic, financial and execution risks and exposures associated with our business strategy, product innovation and sales road map, policy matters, significant litigation and regulatory exposures and other current matters that may present material risk to our financial performance, operations, infrastructure, plans, prospects or reputation, acquisitions and divestitures

Audit Committee

Risks and exposures associated with financial matters, particularly financial reporting, tax, accounting, disclosure, internal control over financial reporting, investment guidelines and credit and liquidity matters, internal investigations and enterprise risks

Compensation Committee

Risks and exposures associated with leadership assessment, executive compensation policies and practices and is responsible for establishing and maintaining compensation policies and programs designed to create incentives consistent with our business strategy that do not encourage excessive risk-taking

Nominating and Governance
Committee

Risks and exposures associated with director and senior management succession planning, director independence, corporate governance and overall Board effectiveness

Additional review or reporting on enterprise risks will be conducted as needed or as requested by the Board of Directors or a diverse product linecommittee thereof.

Communications with the Board of Directors

Stockholders and interested parties who wish to contact our Board of Directors, our Chairman, any other individual director, or the non-management or independent directors as a selectiongroup, are welcome to do so in writing, addressed to such person(s) in care of varietiesour Corporate Secretary. E-mail correspondence of this nature should be sent to meet varying needs across geographies and end markets. We did not acquire DuPont Pioneer's GMO alfalfa germplasm or related assets in the Acquisition. However, we are providing DuPont Pioneer with contract research and production services related to certain of its GMO traited alfalfa germplasm and, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, we may acquire certain GMO alfalfa germplasm varietiessecretary@swseedco.com, and other related assets from DuPont Pioneer in a subsequent acquisition, which, if the parties agreewritten correspondence should be addressed to proceed and all applicable conditions are satisfied, will close on or before December 29, 2017.

Research and Development

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business focuses its breeding program on fall-dormant alfalfa seed.

Germplasm.High reliability and diversity are key differentiators for DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa varieties. DuPont Pioneer's germplasm has been thoroughly tested over time, in a variety of environments and performs well in third party testing. The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business has developed distinct lines of germplasm to meet a variety of customer needs including `muscle' high-yield performance, leafhopper resistance, root rot resistance, nematode resistance for the West and improved standability. The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business targets germplasm development toward growing regions inS&W Seed Company, 7108 North America where winter-hardiness is required, with high regional emphasis on relevant disease and pest resistance traits. This targeted germplasm development is applicable to international markets with similar climates and growing regions.

Breeding Program.The DuPont Pioneer alfalfa breeding program is based on classical plant breeding and focused on breeding for a broad set of high performance characteristics. The emphasis of the breeding program places emphasis on developing, selecting and characterizing potential parent plants for inclusion in synthetic varieties, typically synthesized with 50-100 parent plants and in selecting desirable characteristics based on phenotype and genotype. The program historically has created and put into testing 20-25 new synthetic varieties each year. The DuPont Pioneer employees who joined our company following the Acquisition will continue the work they were pursuing prior to the Acquisition.

Field Data.DuPont Pioneer historically took new alfalfa product candidates through a rigorous review process involving both greenhouse and field trials. The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business performs a significant portion of its field testing internally, while also working closely with leading universities and research institutions to collect field-level data on the performance of selected seed varieties. Historically, DuPont Pioneer typically collected a minimum of three years of field data prior to commercially launching a new variety to growers. The field data was used to prove the efficacy of varieties internally as well as for its salesforce to position in comparison to other available seed varieties in the market. We expect to continue following a similar rigorous field testing process.

Pipeline.DuPont Pioneer historically introduced new seed varieties that it believed added value for the customer by having a measurable improvement in an agronomic trait that is key to alfalfa production or enhancing the efficiency of production, including yield, disease and pest resistance, forage quality and improved standability. On average, it required approximately six to 14 years to develop an improved seed variety for commercial launch. Once a product is launched, DuPont Pioneer's seed varieties typically have a five to nine year life in the market. Historically, the DuPont Pioneer alfalfa program has advanced approximately two to three new varieties to foundation seed production each year.Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, Attention: Secretary.

16


FacilitiesOur Corporate Secretary has undertaken to forward all written stockholder correspondence to the appropriate director(s), except for spam, junk mail, mass mailings, customer complaints or inquiries, job inquiries, surveys, business solicitations or advertisements, or patently offensive or otherwise inappropriate material. The Secretary will determine, in her discretion, whether any response is necessary and Production

Research Facilities. DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa research scientists who joinedmay forward certain correspondence, such as customer-related inquiries, elsewhere within our company arefor review and possible response. Comments or questions regarding our accounting, internal controls or auditing matters will be referred to the Audit Committee. Comments or questions regarding the nomination of directors and other corporate governance matters will be referred to the Nominating and Governance Committee. Comments or questions regarding executive compensation will be referred to the Compensation Committee.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our Board of Directors values effective corporate governance and adherence to high ethical standards. As such, the Board has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is applicable to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our senior executive and financial officers. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our corporate website located at www.swseedco.com/investors.

We will provide our code of ethics in print without charge to any stockholder who makes a facility in Arlington, Wisconsin. The Arlington location is a comprehensive research facility with a total of over 16,000 square feet including almost 8,000 square feet
of greenhouse facilities. Scientists located in Arlington utilize the facility's capabilitieswritten request to: S&W Seed Company, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, Attention: Secretary, or by e-mail to develop products year-round. We acquired the Arlington facility as partsecretary@swseedco.com. Any waivers of the Acquisition.application of, and any amendments to, our code of ethics must be made by our Board of Directors and will be disclosed promptly on our Internet website, www.swseedco.com.

Director Compensation

Overview

Our director compensation programs are designed to provide an appropriate incentive to attract and retain qualified non-employee board members. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing the equity and cash compensation for directors on an annual basis and making recommendations to the Board, in the event it determines changes are needed. In fiscal 2014, the Committee sought and received input from Frederic W. Cook & Co. regarding compensation of non-employee directors, which was used as one of its resources in setting non-employee director compensation. The compensation structure in fiscal 2015 remained in line with the prior year. The Committee could retain such independent advice in the future.

Director Summary Compensation Table

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business also has several alfalfa research associates developing specialty products forfollowing table summarizes the western North American market at a DuPont Pioneer-owned research facility in Connell, Washington. As part of the Acquisition, we leased a portion of the Connell facility from DuPont Pioneer, and the research associates became our employees.

Production Facility. The main alfalfa seed production facility for the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business has over 80,000 square feet and is located in Nampa, Idaho. The Nampa facility conducts operations for field seed growing, conditioning, treatment and packaging, for foundation and commercial seed production for both conventional and traited alfalfa products. The Nampa facility has two commercial conditioning lines, a coating, treatment and packaging line and a full quality lab. We acquired the Nampa facility as part of the Acquisition, and in connection therewith, we have exclusive use of the coating lines, with its patented technology, for alfalfa conditioning.

Seed Production. The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business utilized a contract grower model to produce alfalfa seed, which is the production model we will continue to employ. The DuPont Pioneer Business contracts acres primarily in Idaho, California, eastern Oregon and Washington as well as other western states and Alberta, Canada. Locations historically were chosen basedfiscal 2015 compensation earned by each person who served on the attractiveness of the growing conditions for intended varieties, including the amount of rain, average temperature and soil types. Typical grower contracts for alfalfa have a term of two years with the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business having an option to extend for an additional year. We acquired existing growers contracts in connection with the Acquisition.

Distribution and Sales

DuPont Pioneer Distribution Channel.The primary distribution channel for DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa seed has been through DuPont Pioneer's sales representatives and dealer network. We did not acquireBoard at any of DuPont Pioneer's sales and distribution assets or rights to the DuPont Pioneer brand in the Acquisition. Following the Acquisition, DuPont Pioneertime during fiscal 2015, other than Mr. Grewal, whose compensation is continuing to sell DuPont Pioneer-branded alfalfa seed through its sales representative and dealer network. Subject to certain exceptions, DuPont Pioneer will purchase alfalfa seed from usdescribed under a long-term distribution agreement discussed below.

End Customers.Alfalfa seed is used for the production of dry baled hay, ensiled haylage and pasture. The key end markets for alfalfa are livestock, dairy and commercial hay producers.

Intellectual Property

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business DuPont Pioneer has six U.S. patented plant varieties and four other varieties in the patent application or prosecution process. We acquired these patents and applications as part of the Acquisition.

Regulation

We acquired certain of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business' Plant Variety Protection, or PVP registrations in the U.S. and international markets as part of the Acquisition. DuPont Pioneer historically submitted varieties to the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies, or "AOSCA," for optional certification of products in the United States and required certification for international markets. In order to export seed, DuPont Pioneer followed procedures to grow and package traited seed for sensitive markets, as well as procedures for phytosanitary seed inspections, which procedures we will continue, as necessary for our operation of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business."Executive Compensation" beginning on page 40.

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Fees paid in cash ($)(1)

  

Option Awards
($)(2)

  

Total ($)

         

Glen D. Bornt

 

$  34,750

  

$10,824

  

$  45,574

Michael C. Culhane(3)

 

18,000

  

-

  

18,000

Michael M. Fleming

 

54,000

  

10,824

  

64,824

Mark J. Harvey

 

145,917

(4)

 

10,824

  

156,740

Alexander C. Matina(5)

 

-

  

-

  

-

Michael N. Nordstrom(6)

 

50,000

  

10,824

  

60,824

Charles B. Seidler

 

38,250

  

10,824

  

49,074

William S. Smith

 

38,000

  

12,490

  

50,490

Ann Veneman(3)

 

7,000

  

-

  

7,000

Grover T. Wickersham

 

132,750

(7)

 

10,824

  

143,574

Mark Wong

 

46,000

(8)

 

10,824

  

56,824

         

Legal Proceedings____________

There is no material outstanding litigation related(1) See the table under the caption "Annual Retainer and Per Meeting Fees for Non-Employee Directors" for an explanation and breakdown of the cash fees.
(2) The amounts shown for option awards represent the aggregate grant date fair value of such awards granted to the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business.

MARKET PRICE OF AND DIVIDENDS ON
THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

The Dupont Pioneer Alfalfa Business was a portion of a product line and related assets of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. As such, it had no separately traded securities and no stockholders. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company and is not publicly traded.

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING
AND ACCOUNTING DISCLOSURE

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business has historically been treateddirectors as a product line of DuPont Pioneer. As such, it has never separately engaged auditors to audit or review financial statements. PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, the independent registered public accountants for DuPont, Pioneer's parent, was engaged by DuPont Pioneer solely for the purpose of auditing the Special Purpose Combined Statements of Assets to be Sold and Liabilities to be Assumed at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and Special Purpose Combined Statements of Revenues and Direct Expenses for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 and the Years Ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business (the "Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements") in connection with the Acquisition, as permitted by the Staff of the SEC by letter dated September 23, 2014. There were no changes in or disagreements with PricewaterhouseCoopers on accounting and accounting disclosure with respect to such Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements.

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

Explanatory Note

The following Management's Discussion and Analysis of the alfalfa seed research and development and production business (the "DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business") of DuPont Pioneer is presented in this proxy statement pursuant to Note A to Schedule 14A in connection with other information pertaining to the Acquisition. Until consummation of the Acquisition, the Alfalfa Business was a component of DuPont Pioneer rather than a separate subsidiary or division. As previously noted, the Acquisition was completed on December 31, 2014 with no stockholder approval requirement under either federal or state or NASDAQ rules or regulations and thus is not a matter to come before our stockholders at the Special Meeting.

At our request, by letter dated September 23, 2014, we were given permission by the Staff of the SEC to provide Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements in lieu of full financial statements presentation. The Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements are presented in this proxy statement beginning on page 22. These Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements were audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Since we closed the Acquisition on December 31, 2014, these Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements reflect financial information for a business that we did not operate until January 1, 2015. Accordingly, our ability to provide management's insight into the historical financial condition and historical results of operations of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business is necessarily limited and primarily will be of a prospective nature. We reiterate as though fully set forth the cautionary statements about reliance upon forward looking information that appear on page 14 of this proxy statement in connection with the discussion below.

Since the acquisition date was December 31, 2014, the only activity impacting our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods ended December 31, 2014 were transactions expenses, and our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2014 reflects the impact of the Acquisition.

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Overview

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business began with germplasm improvement work performed by Arnold-Thomas which began in 1958 when the predecessor entity to DuPont Pioneer formed a joint venture with Arnold-Thomas for alfalfa germplasm development. The predecessor entity to DuPont Pioneer acquired Arnold-Thomas in 1975, and DuPont acquired the predecessor entity in 1999.

DuPont Pioneer's dormant alfalfa seed that was purchased in the Acquisition is well suited for areas where winter hardiness is required and has historically been bred to help meet growers' needs in specific geographies for disease and pest resistance, forage quality and yield. To maintain its leadership each year, DuPont Pioneer historically introduced (on average) two to three new alfalfa varieties to the market, with approximately 20 varieties offered at any one time.

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business primarily historically conducted and will continue to conduct its breeding program at a research and development facility in Arlington, Wisconsin and its seed processing at a facility in Nampa, Idaho. We acquired these operations as part of the Acquisition.

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business historically utilized and will continue to utilize a contract grower model to produce alfalfa seed. At the time of the Acquisition, the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business contracted acres primarily in Idaho, California, eastern Oregon and Washington, and to a lesser extent, in other western states and Alberta, Canada. We acquired growers' contracts as part of the Acquisition.

The DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business historically distributed alfalfa seed through the DuPont Pioneer sales representative and dealer network to more than 20 countries on five continents. Following the Acquisition, subject to certain exceptions, DuPont Pioneer is continuing to sell DuPont Pioneer-branded alfalfa seed through its sales representative and dealer network, purchasing its alfalfa seed from us under a long-term distribution agreement that expires in September 2024. Our sales to DuPont Pioneer will be concentrated in a period that generally runs from December through May.

Revenues and Direct Expenses for the Years Ended December 31, 2012 and 2013 and for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014

Revenue increased by $1,825,000, or 4%, for the year ended December 31, 2013 ("2013") compared to the year ended December 31, 2012 ("2012"). Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 (the "2014 Period") totaled $40,861,000. The acquisition of the Alfalfa Business is expected to materially contribute to our revenue immediately. In January 2015, we received a prepayment from DuPont Pioneer of approximately $22,000,000 for seed that will be sold later in our fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, with approximately an additional $4,000,000 to be paid in April 2015. We expect to generate revenue of approximately $26,000,000 from sales to DuPont Pioneer under the distribution and production agreements during our fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. We expect to generate revenue of approximately $40,000,000 from sales to DuPont Pioneer under the distribution and production agreements during our 2016 fiscal year. In addition to sales under the DuPont Pioneer distribution agreement, under the terms of which we became DuPont Pioneer's sole source of its conventional (non-GMO) dormant alfalfa seed (subject to specified exceptions), we also expect demand from other customers in the dormant regions of the United States, Canada, Europe and parts of Asia who require high yield dormant alfalfa seed, although we expect DuPont Pioneer to be our largest customer for dormant seed. These additional potential sources of revenue will be dependent upon our ability to secure additional contract production.

Direct costs of revenues declined marginally in 2013 compared to 2012, from $34,793,000 to $34,415,000. Direct costs of revenue for the 2014 Period totaled $31,724,000. Gross profit margins totaled 24% and 20% for 2013 and 2012, respectively. Gross profit margins totaled 22% for the 2014 Period.

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Research and development expense increased marginally in 2013 compared to 2012, from $1,607,000 in 2012 to $1,648,000 in 2013. The research and development expense in the 2014 Period totaled $1,287,000. We expect research and development expenses to increase by approximately $1,700,000 per year ($425,000 per quarter) in future periods as a result of the Acquisition, which included certain alfalfa research and development assets of DuPont Pioneer.

Total direct expenses were $36,400,000 in 2012, $36,063,000 in 2013 and $33,011,000 for the 2014 Period. This item of expense expressly excludes costs not directly associated with producing the revenue from the Alfalfa Business (such as corporate, shared services and other indirect general & administrative costs) as well as interest income/expense and income taxes. Such additional items of expense, as well as depreciation expense and amortization expense, will be reflected in future periods in our consolidated financial statements.

Excess of revenue over direct expenses increased by approximately 22% between 2012 and 2013, from $7,316,000 in 2012 to $9,478,000 in 2013. The excess of revenue over direct expenses for the 2014 Period totaled $7,850,000.

Material Changes in the Historical Results of Operations, Liquidity, Cash Flows and Financial Resources Related to the Alfalfa Business as Acquired by S&W

Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2015, we expect quarterly Selling, General, and Administrative expenses to increase approximately $175,000 per quarter and depreciation expense and amortization expense to increase approximately $125,000 and $245,950, respectively, as compared to our historical results. Due to the limited nature of the financial statements that we were required to prepare for the Acquisition, we do not have sufficient financial information to provide the traditional analysis of the items set forth in the heading hereinabove. Thus, in lieu of such analysis, we have provided such qualitative information as we deem appropriate in light of the circumstances. Commencing with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending March 31, 2015, traditional MD&A analysis of the Alfalfa Business will be presented in combination with the MD&A analysis regularly provided by us for our ongoing business.

The grower base acquired in recent Acquisition will be paid on a schedule similar to our historical North American grower base. The timing of collection of receivables from DuPont Pioneer is defined in the distribution agreement with DuPont Pioneer, and consists of three installment payments, one in each of our second, third and fourth fiscal quarters, respectively. As a result of the Acquisition, going forward we anticipate our working capital demands to be highest in second and third quarters due to the progressive payment schedule of our North American grower base.

20


FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF
DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA BUSINESS

INDEX

Special Purpose Audited Combined Financial Statements of DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)

22
Independent Auditor's Report23

Special Purpose Combined Statements of Assets to be Sold and Liabilities to be Assumed
     September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

25

Special Purpose Combined Statements of Revenues and Direct Expenses for the Nine Months
     Ended September 30, 2014 and Years Ended December 31, 2013 and 2012

26

Notes to the Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements
     September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

27

Note with respect to the presentation of financial statements of DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business, the full financial statements specified in Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X are not presented because the Alfalfa Business has never been accounted for as a separate entity, subsidiary or division of DuPont or Pioneer. Stand-alone financial statements related to the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business have never been prepared as neither DuPont Pioneer's nor DuPont's financial system is designed to provide complete financial information of the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business. Therefore, such full financial statements and other financial information could not be provided without unreasonable effort and expense.

At our request, by letter dated September 23, 2014, we were given permission by the Staff of the SEC to provide Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements in lieu of full financial statements presentation. These Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements have been derived from the accounting records of DuPont Pioneer using its historical financial information and audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. DuPont Pioneer management has included allocations of certain warehousing overhead, distribution and selling costs that it believes are reasonable and appropriate. The Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements do not necessarily represent the assets to be sold or liabilities to be assumed or revenues and direct expenses as if the DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business had been operating as a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented.

We believe that the omission of the full financial statements and other financial information for the Acquisition will not have a material impact on your understanding of the financial results and condition and related trends of our company following the Acquisition.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's awareness letter with respect to the inclusion of its report on the Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements in this proxy statement is attached as Exhibit A hereto.

Pro Forma Combined Financial Statements (unaudited)

31

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Balance Sheet at September 30, 2014

32

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended
     September 30, 2014

33

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statements of Operations for the Year Ended
     June 30, 2014

34

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Statements
     June 30, 2014

35

21


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)

SPECIAL PURPOSE COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

22


Independent Auditor's Report

To the Management of
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

We have audited the accompanying special purpose combined statements of the Alfalfa business of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, which comprise the combined statements of assets to be sold and liabilities to be assumed as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, and the related special purpose combined statements of revenues and direct expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2013.

Management's Responsibility for the Special Purpose CombinedFinancial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the special purpose combined financial statementscomputed in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted inFinancial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. For each award, the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of special purpose combined financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor's Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the special purpose combined financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the special purpose combined financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the special purpose combined financial statements. The procedures selected depend on our judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the special purpose combined financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, we consider internal control relevant to the Company's preparation and fair presentation of the special purpose combined financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the special purpose combined financial statements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.


PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
T: (267) 330-3000, F: (267) 330-3300, www.pwc.com/us

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Opinion

In our opinion, the special purpose combined financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the assets to be sold and liabilities to be assumed of the Alfalfa business of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and the revenues and direct expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2013 in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Emphasis of Matter

The accompanying special purpose combined financial statements were prepared for the purpose of complying with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for inclusion in the Current Report on Form 8-K of S&W Seed Company, as described in Note 1, and are not intended to be a complete presentation of the financial position or results of operations of the Alfalfa business of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. Our opinion is not modified with respect to this matter.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

January 19, 2015

24


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Special Purpose Combined Statements of Assets to be Sold and Liabilities to be Assumed
September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

  September 30, December 31,
  2014 2013
     
Assets to be sold    
Current assets    
     Inventories $ 18,586  $ 15,956 
          Total current assets 18,586  15,956 
Plant, property and equipment, net 3,123  2,935 
Intangible assets, net 1,142  1,142 
          Total assets to be sold 22,851  20,033 
Liabilities to be assumed    
Accrued grower compensation 15,248  7,072 
          Total liabilities to be assumed 15,248  7,072 
          Net assets acquired $   7,603  $ 12,961 

The accompanying notes are integral to these special purpose combined financial statements.

25


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Special Purpose Combined Statements of Revenues and Direct Expenses
Nine-Months Ended September 30, 2014 and
Years Ended December 31, 2013 and 2012

(in thousands)

  Nine Months Year Year
  Ended Ended Ended
  September 30, December 31, December 31,
  2014 2013 2012
       
Revenue $ 40,861  $ 45,541  $ 43,716 
Direct expenses      
     Direct costs of revenues 31,724  34,415  34,793 
     Research and development 1,287  1,648  1,607 
          Total direct expenses 33,011  36,063  36,400 
          Excess of revenues over      
             direct expenses $   7,850  $   9,478  $   7,316 

The accompanying notes are integral to these special purpose combined financial statements.

26


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Notes to Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements
September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

1.    Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Background and Description of Business

On December 19, 2014, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. ("Pioneer" or the "Company"), a wholly owned subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("Parent"), entered into an asset purchase agreement with S&W Seed Company (the "Buyer" or "S&W") providing for the sale of assets of the alfalfa product line ("Alfalfa" or the "Business") of Pioneer. The sale was completed December 31, 2014 with a purchase price of $44 million. Additionally, the agreement includes a potential earn-out payment of up to $5 million based on sales of the acquired germplasm in the three year period following the closing.

Under the terms of the agreement between Pioneer and S&W ("the Asset Purchase Agreement"), the Buyer acquired assets which include the alfalfa current year work in process inventory and the related grower's compensation liability, germplasm, the Nampa, Idaho production facility and equipment and the Arlington, Wisconsin research facility and equipment. Alfalfa-related equipment from the Connell, Washington research facility is also included in the transaction. With the exception of the grower's compensation liability, no other liabilities, contingent or otherwise, were assumed by S&W.

Basis of Presentation

The Business has not been accounted for as a separate entity, subsidiary or division of Pioneer or its Parent. In addition, stand-alone financial statements related to the Business have never been prepared previously as the Parent's financial system is not designed to provide complete financial information of the Business. Therefore, it was not practical to provide the Buyer with full financial statements for the Business in accordance with Regulation S-X. Thus, special purpose combined statements of assets to be sold and liabilities to be assumed and statements of revenues and direct expenses (the "Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements") were prepared for the nine month period ended September 30, 2014, and for each of the two years ended December 31, 2013.

These Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements have been derived from the accounting records of Pioneer using its historical financial information. Management has included allocations of certain warehousing overhead, distribution and selling costs that it believes are reasonable and appropriate. The Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements do not necessarily represent the assets to be sold or liabilities to be assumed or revenues and direct expenses as if the Business had been operating as a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented. In addition, the Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements may not be indicative of the financial condition or results of operations of the Business going forward.

The Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements include the portion of Pioneer's subsidiaries involved in the Business, all of which are wholly owned by the Parent. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The financial information of Pioneer's foreign operations involved in the Business has been translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates as follows: (i) asset and liability accounts at end-of-period rates, and (ii) revenue and expense accounts at the average exchange rates in effect during the period.

27


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Notes to Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements
September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

Under the Parent's centralized cash management approach, generally all cash, investment, derivative and debt balances are handled centrally by the Parent's treasury function, and accordingly are not presented in these Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements. Historically Pioneer has not maintained separate financial records for the Business and, as such, it is impracticable for the Business to identify operating or financing cash flows associated with the Business.

The net sales included in the accompanying special purpose combined statements of revenues and direct expenses represent net sales directly attributable to the Business. The costs and expenses included in the accompanying special purpose combined statements of revenues and direct expenses include direct and allocated costs and expenses directly related to the Business.

The special purpose combined statements of revenues and direct expenses do not include costs not directly associated with producing the revenues from the Business (such as corporate, shared services and other indirect general & administrative costs) as well as interest income/expense and income taxes.

2.    Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements in accordance with United States ("U.S.") Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), requires management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts of the assets sold, liabilities assumed, revenues, direct expenses and related disclosures during the reporting periods. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions it believes to be reasonable. Components of these Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements particularly subject to estimation include the allocation of shared warehouse overhead charges and certain distribution costs that have not historically been allocated down to the Business. Actual results may differ from management's assumptions.

Inventories

Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or market value on a first-in, first-out basis. Cost includes materials, field growing and harvesting costs, plant conditioning and packaging costs, and manufacturing overhead.

Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E)

Property, plant and equipment is carried at cost and is depreciated using the straight-line method. Equipment and buildings are depreciated over useful lives ranging from 3 to 25 years and 10 to 35 years, respectively. When assets are surrendered, retired, sold or otherwise disposed of, their gross carrying values and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and included in determining gain or loss on such disposals.

Maintenance and repairs are charged to operating expenses; replacements and improvements are capitalized.

28


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Notes to Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements
September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

Intangibles Assets and Impairment

Intangible assets

The Business' germplasm is the pool of genetic source material and body of knowledge gained from the development and delivery stage of plant breeding.  The Company recognized germplasm as an indefinite lived intangible asset upon acquisition of the Company by DuPont. A portion of the Company's total germplasm was allocated to the Business.  This intangible asset is expected to contribute to cash flows beyond the foreseeable future and there are no legal, regulatory, contractual, or other factors which limit its useful life.

Impairment

Indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually; however, these tests are performed more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. Impairment exists when carrying value exceeds fair value. The Company'sgrant date fair value methodology is based on prices of similar assets or other valuation methodologies including discounted cash flow techniques.

There were no impairment losses recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and each of the two years ended December 31, 2013.

Accrued Grower Compensation

The Business contracts with growers (farmers) to produce commercial alfalfa seedcalculated using Pioneer germplasm (parent seed supplied by Pioneer). The growers are compensated for the number of pounds of alfalfa seed harvested that meets specific standards. This compensation is accrued for when the growers deliver the alfalfa seed to the Business.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue when the earnings process is complete.  Revenue for product sales is recognized upon delivery, when title and risk of loss have been transferred, collectability is reasonably assured and pricing is fixed or determinable.  Estimates are made for sales returns and other allowances based on the Business' experience.  Amounts to be billed to customers for shipping and handling fees are included in net sales and costs incurred by the Business for the delivery of goods are classified as direct costs of revenues.

Direct Cost of Revenues

Direct cost of revenues includes direct variable and fixed production costs, inventory write-downs net of proceeds received for inventory discarded, as well as an allocation of costs associated with the Business' warehouse overheard charges and certain distribution and selling costs. The allocations were based upon a variety of measures such as inventory costs and square footage.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.  Research and development expenses include costs (primarily consisting of employee costs, materials, contract services, research agreements, and other external spend) relating to the discovery and development of new products, enhancement of existing products and regulatory approval of new and existing products.

29


DuPont Pioneer Alfalfa Business
(A component of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company)
Notes to Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements
September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

3.    Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consist of the following:

  September 30, December 31,
  2014 2013
     
Land $    673  $    673 
Buildings 2,017  1,896 
Machinery and equipment 6,751  6,409 
     Total cost 9,441  8,978 
Less: Accumulated depreciation (6,318) (6,043)
  $ 3,123  $ 2,935 

Depreciation expense for property, plant and equipment for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $216 and $262 and $247 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

4.    Subsequent Events

The Business has evaluated subsequent events after the balance sheet date through January 19, 2015, which is the date the Special Purpose Combined Financial Statements were available to be issued.

30


UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

S&W Seed Company
Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Statements

On December 31, 2014, S&W Seed Company ("the Company or S&W") purchased certain alfalfa research and production facility and conventional (non- GMO) alfalfa germplasm assets (and assumed certain related liabilities) of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. ("DuPont Pioneer") (the "Pioneer Acquisition").

The following unaudited pro forma combined financial information gives effect to the Pioneer Acquisition and is provided for informational purposes only. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information was based on and should be read in conjunction with the (i) historical consolidated financial statements of S&W included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2014; (ii) the historical consolidated financial statements of S&W for the three months ended September 30, 2014 included in its Form 10-Q; (iii) and the audited special purpose combined financial statements of the DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The unaudited pro forma combined consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2014, and the unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the year ended June 30, 2014 and three months ended September 30, 2014, are presented herein. The unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet gives effect to the Pioneer Acquisition as if it had been completed on September 30, 2014, and combines the unaudited consolidated balance sheet of S&W and DuPont Pioneer's audited special purpose combined statement of assets to be sold and liabilities to be assumed. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the year ended June 30, 2014 and three months ended September 30, 2014 give effect to the Pioneer Acquisition as if it had occurred on July 1, 2013.

S&W's fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 and DuPont Pioneer's historical fiscal year was December 31, 2013. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the year ended June 30, 2014 were prepared using the historical statements of operations of S&W and the special purpose combined statement of revenues and direct expenses of DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa business for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and year ended December 31, 2013. The DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business's audited results for the year ended December 31, 2013 were adjusted to exclude the six months ended June 30, 2013 and to include the six months ended June 30, 2014 to recast twelve months of operations ending June 30, 2014. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2014 were prepared using the historical statements of operations of S&W and DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business's special purpose combined statement of revenues and direct expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. The DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business's audited results for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 were adjusted to exclude the six months ended June 30, 2014 to reflect three months of operations ending September 30, 2014.

The historical financial information has been adjusted to give effect to pro forma events that are directly attributable to the acquisitions, are factually supportable and are expected to have a continuing impact on the combined results. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma combined financial statements, and is not necessarily indicative of the combined results of operations or financial condition had the acquisitions been completed as of the dates indicated. In addition, the unaudited pro forma combined financial information does not purport to project the future results of operations or financial position of the combined company. The pro forma adjustments are based on preliminary estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and information available as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K/A. Actual results may differ from the amounts reflected in the unaudited pro forma combined financial statements, and the differences may be material.

31


S&W SEED COMPANY
(A NEVADA CORPORATION)
Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Balance Sheet
As of September 30, 2014
           
   Historical  Pro Forma Adjustments    
   S&W Seed            Pro Forma
   Company  Pioneer  Acquisition  Financing Notes Combined
ASSETS                
                 
CURRENT ASSETS                
     Cash and cash equivalents $2,314,780  $ $(27,762,112) $29,127,448  (a),(b),(g),(j)$3,680,116 
     Accounts receivable, net  21,492,373          21,492,373 
     Inventories, net  29,050,403   18,586,000   2,933,376    (c) 50,569,779 
     Prepaid expenses and other current assets  384,131          384,131 
     Deferred tax asset  1,293,747          1,293,747 
          TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS  54,535,434   18,586,000   (24,828,736)  29,127,448    77,420,146 
                 
Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation  10,400,311   3,123,000   3,586,265    (d) 17,109,576 
Goodwill  4,678,818     10,447,735    (e) 15,126,553 
Other intangibles, net  13,633,946   1,142,000   20,901,000    (f) 35,676,946 
Crop production costs, net  2,671,114          2,671,114 
Deferred tax asset - long term  1,960,042          1,960,042 
Debt issuance costs        1,726,543  (g) 1,726,543 
Other asset - long term  359,507          359,507 
               TOTAL ASSETS $88,239,172  $22,851,000  $10,106,264  $30,853,991   $152,050,427 
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                
                 
                 
CURRENT LIABILITIES                
     Accounts payable $13,439,282  $15,248,000  $6,271,376  $ (c)$34,958,658 
     Accounts payable - related parties  2,526,426          2,526,426 
     Accrued expenses and other current liabilities  462,697          462,697 
     Foreign exchange contract liabilities  65,768          65,768 
     Working capital lines of credit  17,334,726          17,334,726 
     Current portion of convertible notes        4,655,172  (g) 4,655,172 
     Current portion of long-term debt  212,606          212,606 
          TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES  34,041,505   15,248,000   6,271,376   4,655,172    60,216,053 
                 
Non-compete payment obligation, less current portion  150,000          150,000 
Contingent consideration obligation      2,200,000    (h) 2,200,000 
Long-term debt, less current portion  4,437,098     10,000,000    (i) 14,437,098 
Convertible notes non-current, net of discount of $4,862,000        17,482,828  (g) 17,482,828 
Derivative warrant liabilities        4,862,000  (g) 4,862,000 
Deferred tax liability - non-current  98,892          98,892 
Other non-current liabilities  21,722          21,722 
                 
          TOTAL LIABILITIES  38,749,217   15,248,000   18,471,376   27,000,000    99,468,593 
                 
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                
     Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized;                
          no shares issued and outstanding           
     Common stock, $0.001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized;                
          11,674,447 issued and 11,649,447 outstanding at September 30, 2014  11,675       1,294  (j) 12,969 
     Treasury stock, at cost, 25,000 shares at September 30, 2014  (134,196)         (134,196)
     Additional paid-in capital  55,313,934       4,235,649  (j) 59,549,583 
     Retained earnings (deficit)  (2,690,659)    (762,112)  (382,952) (b) (3,835,723)
     Other comprehensive loss  (3,010,799)         (3,010,799)
          TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY  49,489,955     (762,112)  3,853,991    52,581,834 
               TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $88,239,172  $15,248,000  $17,709,264  $30,853,991   $152,050,427 

32


S&W SEED COMPANY
(A NEVADA CORPORATION)
Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2014
                  
   Historical  Pro Forma Adjustments     
   S&W Seed             Pro Forma
   Company  Pioneer  Acquisition  Financing Notes  Combined
                  
Revenue $8,164,234  $8,084,970  $(604,571) $ (k) $15,644,633 
                  
Cost of revenue  6,850,442   4,625,097   (589,473)   (l)  10,886,066 
                  
Gross profit  1,313,792   3,459,873   (15,098)      4,758,567 
                  
Operating expenses                 
     Selling, general and administrative expenses  1,788,425     175,000    (m)  1,963,425 
     Research and development expenses  223,359   456,424         679,783 
     Depreciation and amortization  319,759     370,950    (d),(f)  690,709 
                  
          Total operating expenses  2,331,543   456,424   545,950       3,333,917 
                  
Income (loss) from operations  (1,017,751)  3,003,449   (561,048)      1,424,650 
                  
Other expense                 
     Foreign currency (gain) loss  47,741           47,741 
     Amortization of debt issuance costs        189,486  (g)  189,486 
     Accretion of debt discount        533,934  (g)  533,934 
     Interest on covertible notes        391,034  (g)  391,034 
     Other interest expense, net  246,650     75,000    (i)  321,650 
                  
Net income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit)  (1,312,142)  3,003,449   (636,048)  (1,114,454)    (59,195)
     Income tax expense (benefit)  (437,827)    792,394   (374,457) (n)  (19,890)
Net income (loss) $(874,315) $3,003,449  $(1,428,442) $(739,997)   $(39,305)
                  
Net income (loss) per common share:                 
     Basic $(0.08)            $(0.00)
     Diluted $(0.08)            $(0.00)
                  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:                 
     Basic  11,625,115         1,294,000  (j)  12,919,115 
     Diluted  11,625,115         1,294,000  (j)  12,919,115 

33


S&W SEED COMPANY
(A NEVADA CORPORATION)
Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended June 30, 2014
                  
   Historical  Pro Forma Adjustments     
   S&W Seed             Pro Forma
   Company  Pioneer  Acquisition  Financing Notes  Combined
                  
Revenue $51,533,643  $42,527,646  $(3,251,097) $ (k) $90,810,192 
                  
Cost of revenue  41,561,736   33,212,655   (3,539,870)   (l)  71,234,521 
                  
Gross profit  9,971,907   9,314,991   288,773       19,575,671 
                  
Operating expenses                 
     Selling, general and administrative expenses  6,815,576     700,000    (m)  7,515,576 
     Research and development expenses  840,578   1,646,415         2,486,993 
     Depreciation and amortization  1,265,739     1,483,800    (d),(f)  2,749,539 
                  
          Total operating expenses  8,921,893   1,646,415   2,183,800       12,752,108 
                  
Income (loss) from operations  1,050,014   7,668,576   (1,895,027)      6,823,563 
                  
Other expense                 
     Gain on disposal of fixed assets  (11,921)          (11,921)
     Foreign currency gain  (51,571)          (51,571)
     Amortization of debt issuance costs        941,130  (g)  941,130 
     Accretion of debt discount        2,651,919  (g)  2,651,919 
     Interest on covertible notes        1,855,655  (g)  1,855,655 
     Other interest expense, net  653,290     300,000    (i)  953,290 
                  
Net income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit)  460,216   7,668,576   (2,195,027)  (5,448,704)    485,061 
     Income tax expense (benefit)  87,116     1,906,629   (1,830,765) (n)  162,980 
Net income (loss) $373,100  $7,668,576  $(4,101,656) $(3,617,939)   $322,081 
                  
Net income per common share:                 
     Basic $0.03             $0.03 
     Diluted $0.03             $0.02 
                  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:                 
     Basic  11,572,406         1,294,000  (j)  12,866,406 
     Diluted  11,733,621         1,294,000  (j)  13,027,621 

34


S&W Seed Company
Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Financial Statements

Note 1 - Transactions and Purchase Consideration

The Pioneer Acquisition was consummated pursuant to the terms of the Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement (the "Agreement"). The purchase price under the initial Agreement consists of $27 million in cash (payable at closing), a promissory note (the "Note") payable by the Company to DuPont Pioneer in the initial principal amount of $10 million (issued at closing), and a potential earn-out payment (payable as an increase in the principal amount of the Note) of up to $5 million based on S&W sales under the distribution and production agreements entered into in connection with the Pioneer Acquisition, as well as other S&W sales of products containing the acquired germplasm in the three-year period following the closing.

Following the Pioneer Acquisition, DuPont Pioneer retained ownership of its GMO (genetically modified) alfalfa germplasm and related intellectual property assets, as well as the right to develop new GMO-traited alfalfa germplasm. The retained GMO germplasm assets incorporate certain GMO traits that are licensed to DuPont Pioneer from third parties (the "Third Party GMO Traits").

The Pioneer Acquisition transaction documents provide that the Company and DuPont Pioneer shall work towards obtaining the necessary consents from and agreements with third parties to permit the transfer of DuPont Pioneer's GMO assets to the Company. If such third party consents and agreements are obtained before November 30, 2017, the Company has committed to buy, and DuPont Pioneer has committed to sell, the GMO assets for a price of $7.0 million no later than December 29, 2017. Including the potential purchase of the GMO assets, the aggregate purchase price of the Pioneer alfalfa business assets will total up to $49.0 million.

The Pioneer Acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination and the Company valued and recorded all assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the date of the Pioneer Acquisition. The purchase price allocation is based on estimated fair value as follows:

Inventory$21,519,376 
Property, plant, and equipment6,709,265 
Distribution agreement5,050,000 
Grower relationships83,000 
Technology/IP - germplasm12,130,000 
Technology/IP - seed varieties 4,780,000 
Goodwill10,447,735 
Current liabilities(21,519,376)
     Total acquisition cost allocated$39,200,000 

The purchase price consists of the following:

Cash$27,000,000 
Secured three-year promissory note10,000,000 
Fair value of contingent consideration2,200,000 
     Total acquisition cost allocated$39,200,000 

Concurrent with the Pioneer Acquisition, the Company consummated debt and equity financing activities to fund the purchase. The financing activities are summarized as follows:

Secured convertible notes and warrants$27,000,000 
Capitalized debt issuance costs(1,726,543)
Gross proceeds from sale of common stock4,658,400 
Equity offering costs(421,457)
     Net proceeds from financing activities$29,510,400 

35


Note 2 - Pro Forma Adjustments

a)   Reflects the surplus of net financing proceeds of $29,510,400, less $27,000,000 of cash paid at closing of the Pioneer Acquisition, less one-time transactions costs (refer to footnote b).

b)   The Company expects to incur approximately $1,145,064 of one-time costs associated with the acquisition and issuance of derivative warrant liabilities. These costs are reflected in the pro forma balance sheet as a reduction of cash and retained earnings at September 30, 2014. These costs are not reflected in the pro forma statements of operations as they are non-recurring in nature and will be reflected in the operating results for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.

c)   Represents the estimated fair value of inventory acquired and related obligations assumed.

d)   Represents the estimated fair value of property, plant and equipment acquired. Depreciation expense is estimated to increase approximately $125,000 per quarter ($500,000 annually) for the assets acquired.

e)   Represents goodwill which is the surplus of the aggregate purchase price of $39,200,000 less the estimated fair values of net assets acquired of $28,752,265.

f)   Represents the estimated fair value of identifiable intangible assets. Amortization expense is estimated to increase approximately $245,950 per quarter ($983,800 annually).

   Estimated   
   Useful Life  Estimated
   (Years)  Fair Value
       
Distribution agreement  20  $5,050,000 
Grower relationships  10   83,000 
Technology/IP - germplasm  30   12,130,000 
Technology/IP - seed varieties  15   4,780,000 
     Total identifiable intangible assets    $22,043,000 

g)   To reflect the $27,000,000 of three year, 8% senior secured convertible debentures issued concurrently with the acquisition, net of debt discount of $4,862,000; and related $1,726,543 of debt issuance costs.

The $4,862,000 of debt discount represents the estimated fair value of the derivative warrant liability. The debt discount will accrete over the term of the convertible notes using the effective interest method to calculate periodic non-cash interest expense. Interest expense is variable using the effective interest methodology and decreases as the convertible notes mature. The non-cash interest expense of $533,934 in the pro forma combined statement of operations represents the estimated non-cash interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2014 as if the convertible notes had been issued on July 1, 2013. The non-cash interest expense of $2,651,919 in the pro forma combined statement of operations represents the estimated non-cash interest expense for the year ended June 30, 2014 as if the convertible notes had been issued on July 1, 2013.

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The debt issuance costs will be amortized over the term of the convertible notes using the effective interest rate method to calculate periodic non-cash interest expense. Interest expense is variable using the effective interest rate methodology and decreases as the convertible notes mature. The non-cash interest expense of $189,486 in the pro forma combined statement of operations represents the estimated non-cash interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2014 if the convertible notes were issued on July 1, 2013. The non-cash interest expense of $941,130 in the pro forma combined statement of operations represents the estimated non-cash interest expense for the year ended June 30, 2014 if the convertible notes had been issued on July 1, 2013.

h)   Represents the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration included in the aggregate purchase price. The purchase price includes potential earn-out payments of up to $5,000,000 based on certain performance metrics over the three year period following the acquisition. The fair value of $2,200,000 was derived from a weighted average projection based on the estimated probability of achieving certain performance targets.

i)   To reflect the initial $10,000,000 principal amount of the Note payable to DuPont Pioneer issued as part of the total purchase consideration. The principal balance remains outstanding until maturity on December 31, 2017, and 3% interest is paid on an annual basis. Interest expense will increase by $75,000 on a quarterly basis ($300,000 annually) until December 31, 2017.

j)   To reflect proceeds from the sale of 1,294,000 shares of common stock sold in private placement for total gross proceeds of $4,658,400, net of $421,457 in related fees.

k)   DuPont Pioneer's historical revenue reflects sales to end customers, and therefore includes sales price mark-ups for end customer (retail) distribution as well as end customer sales discounts. Going forward, S&W will not realize DuPont Pioneer's historical end customer (retail) price mark-up or incur the end customer sales incentive discounts. The net adjustment reflects the estimated reduction in the average selling price for the shift from end customer to wholesale pricing, net of DuPont Pioneer's end customer discounts.

l)   DuPont Pioneer's historical direct cost of revenue includes sales incentives offered to DuPont Pioneer's internal sales force. S&W will not incur these sales incentive expenses on a go forward basis as S&W did not acquire DuPont Pioneer's sales force and will instead sell alfalfa seed to DuPont Pioneer (on a wholesale basis) under distribution and production agreements.

m)   Represents the estimated increase in selling, general and administrative expenses largely attributable to additional human resource requirements that are not included in the DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business historical financial statements.

n)   To reflect the adjustment to income tax expense assuming a combined Company's effective tax rate of 33.6%.

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DUPONT PIONEER ALFALFA ASSETS ACQUISITION

Overview

On December 31, 2014, we completed the acquisition of alfalfa production and research facility assets, conventional (non-GMO) alfalfa germplasm and certain other assets from DuPont Pioneer. The purchase price for the acquisition of the DuPont Pioneer assets was up to $42,000,000. The purchase price consisted of $27,000,000 in cash (payable at closing), a promissory note payable by us to DuPont Pioneer in the initial principal amount of $10,000,000 (issued at closing), and a potential earn-out payment (payable as an increase in the principal amount of the note) of up to $5,000,000. The promissory note bears interest at 3% per annum, paid annually, and it matures on December 31, 2017.

The specific assets we acquired by consummating the Acquisition include:

No regulatory approvals were required in order to consummate the Dupont Pioneer Acquisition.

The December 2017 Asset Purchase Option

Pursuant to the terms of the APSA, if required third party consents are received prior to November 30, 2017 and subject to the satisfaction of certain other conditions specified in a second asset purchase and sale agreement between us and DuPont Pioneer, either S&W or DuPont Pioneer has the right to enter into (and require

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the other party to enter into) on December 29, 2017 (or such earlier date as the parties agree) a second asset purchase and sale agreement (the "Second APSA"), as the same may be updated in accordance with the terms of the APSA. Pursuant to the Second APSA, we would acquire additional GMO alfalfa germplasm varieties and other related assets from DuPont Pioneer for a purchase price of $7,000,000. If the second acquisition is completed, the total purchase price for both acquisitions would be $49,000,000, assuming the full $5,000,000 earn out is paid in connection with the December 2014 asset acquisition.

The S&W/DuPont Pioneer Agreements

Concurrently with the closing of the Acquisition, we and DuPont Pioneer entered into a series of agreements to carry out the intent of the parties and to define our new working relationships. The following is intended to provide a summary of the terms of certain of the agreements entered into in connection with the Acquisition. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the agreements, each of which is attached as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2015 in connection with these transactions.

Operational Agreements

Alfalfa Distribution Agreement

We and DuPont Pioneer have entered into the Alfalfa Distribution Agreement dated December 31, 2014 (the "Distribution Agreement") pursuant to which we will be the sole supplier, subject to certain exceptions, of certain alfalfa seed products for sale to customers by DuPont Pioneer. The Distribution Agreement will remain in effect until September 30, 2024, unless terminated earlier as the result of a material breach or if a party becomes bankrupt or insolvent.

The Distribution Agreement provides for minimum annual purchase commitments from DuPont Pioneer (subject to certain exceptions) at specified price levels, with (subject to certain exceptions) a 4% cap on annual price increases. Based on these commitments and prices, we expect to generate approximately $26 million and $40 million in revenue under the Distribution Agreement (and other agreements with DuPont Pioneer) during the remainder of fiscal year 2015 (ending June 30, 2015) and in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, respectively.

DuPont Pioneer generally will make payments under the Distribution Agreement in three installments (in November, January and April) for delivery of seed by us during the seed sales year period (generally from December through May). However, in respect of the 2015 seed sales year, DuPont Pioneer will make only two payments (in January 2015 and April 2015). We received the first of these payments in the amount of approximately $22 million (representing 80% of the anticipated total purchase price for the 2015 seed sales year) in January 2015.

Contract Alfalfa Production Services Agreement

We and DuPont Pioneer have entered into the Contract Alfalfa Production Services Agreement dated December 31, 2014 (the "Production Services Agreement") pursuant to which we will perform for DuPont Pioneer certain services in connection with the production, conditioning, handling and testing of certain GMO alfalfa varieties. The Production Services Agreement will remain in effect until the earlier of (i) December 31, 2017 or (ii) the closing under the Second Asset Purchase Agreement contemplated by the Acquisition, unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms.

Research Agreement

We and DuPont Pioneer have entered into the Research Agreement dated December 31, 2014 (the "Research Agreement") pursuant to which we will perform and provide assistance to DuPont Pioneer in connection with the evaluation, research and development of certain GMO alfalfa varieties. The Research Agreement will remain in effect until the earlier of (i) December 31, 2017 or (ii) the closing under the Second Asset Purchase Agreement, unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms.

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Non-Exclusive Alfalfa Licensing and Assignment Agreement

We and DuPont Pioneer executed and delivered the Non-Exclusive Alfalfa Licensing and Assignment Agreement dated December 31, 2014 (the "Alfalfa Licensing Agreement"), pursuant to which we have granted to DuPont Pioneer a royalty-free, limited non-exclusive license to plant, grow, breed and conduct research on the germplasm we acquired from DuPont Pioneer for the purpose of introducing specified GMO traits. Any traited germplasm created under the agreement will be owned by DuPont Pioneer.

Lease Agreement

We and DuPont Pioneer have entered into a Lease Agreement dated December 31, 2014 (the "Lease Agreement"), pursuant to which DuPont Pioneer leased to us certain real property located in Franklin County, Washington and related greenhouse, warehouse, equipment storage and other facilities related to the alfalfa business. The Lease Agreement expires on December 31, 2017, unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms and is not subject to renewal. During the term of the Lease, we will pay monthly rent in the amount of $9,333.

Promissory Note and Related Security Arrangements

Promissory Note

In connection with the Closing, we issued a Secured Promissory Note, dated December 31, 2014 (the "Promissory Note") in favor of DuPont Pioneer. Under the terms of the Promissory Note, we agreed to pay $10,000,000 of the purchase price and up to $5,000,000 of the potential earn-out payment, each payable under the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, as amended. The Promissory Note will mature on December 31, 2017. Interest on the Promissory Note accrues at a rate of 3% per annum and is payable annually on December 31. The Promissory Note is secured by the assets described in the Security Agreement, a mortgage and a deed of trust created in connection with the acquisition of the real estate assets we purchased.

The Promissory Note contains customary representations, warranties and covenants. Additionally, the Promissory Note grants to DuPont Pioneer customary rights following an event of default, including, without limitation, the right to accelerate the payment of unpaid principal and interest, foreclose any liens and security interests securing payment thereof and immediate imposition of a default interest rate of five percent over the per annum prime rate reported inThe Wall Street Journal (or the average prime rate if a high and a low prime rate are therein reported) at the time of a default, compounded quarterly.

Security Agreement

In connection with the Closing, the Company and DuPont Pioneer entered into the Security Agreement, dated December 31, 2014 (the "Security Agreement"), pursuant to which we granted to DuPont Pioneer a security interest in certain of the assets we acquired under the Asset Purchase Agreement, including certain real property, equipment and intellectual property. The Security Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants. Additionally, the Security Agreement grants to DuPont Pioneer customary rights following an event of default with respect to the secured obligations. In connection therewith, DuPont Pioneer also became a party to the inter-creditor and subordination agreement among Wells Fargo Bank, the holders of the Debentures and DuPont Pioneer, dated December 30, 2014.

Relationships of the Parties

Prior to the consummation of the Acquisition, we and DuPont Pioneer have not had any business dealings or other commercial relationship. As a result of the various agreements entered into in connection with the Acquisition, subject to certain exceptions, we will be selling alfalfa seed to DuPont Pioneer under long-term distribution agreement that will remain in effect through December 31, 2024. We also will be providing Pioneer with certain services in connection with the production, conditioning, handling and testing of certain GMO alfalfa varieties under a production agreement that will remain in

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effect through the earlier of December 31, 2017 or the consummation of the second asset purchase transaction. In addition, we have entered into a landlord-tenant relationship that will remain in effect through December 31, 2017, under the terms of which we are leasing certain alfalfa production facilities of DuPont Pioneer located in Washington state.

S&W Following the Acquisition

As a result of our acquisition of the Purchased Assets, S&W is now believed to be the largest alfalfa seed company in the world. We have the opportunity to benefit from one of the most compelling opportunities in agriculture - a desire for increased protein in a growing global population, including a growing middle class that is shifting its diet towards higher dairy and animal protein consumption.

Our company now spans the world's alfalfa seed production regions, with operations in the San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys of California, five other states in the United States, Australia and three provinces in Canada. We sell our seed in more than 25 countries around the globe. We are able to supply high quality dormant and non-dormant alfalfa seed, and we are looking to expand into tropical production in the foreseeable future. We have conventional non-GMO production, as well as GMO production access in both dormant and non-dormant seeds, although we are not yet marketing GMO traited varieties. In addition, we have some of the world's leading germplasm to address drought resistance, soil tolerance and a series of other abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms.

We consider a key benefit of the Acquisition that we acquired the services of a high quality executive management team and staff. That includes a talented scientist who works with the breeding program, as well as senior management personnel who have been instrumental to the success of the DuPont Pioneer alfalfa seed brand. Thirty-one employees of DuPont Pioneer's alfalfa group have joined the S&W team, and they will continue the work that has made this portion of DuPont Pioneer such a success in the past.

THE FINANCING TRANSACTIONS

On December 30, 2014, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with multiple accredited investors pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell in a private placement to certain accredited investors: (i) Debentures in an aggregate principal amount of up to $27,000,000, and (ii) Warrants to purchase 2,699,999 shares of our common stock. Also on December 30, 2014, we entered into a securities purchase agreement pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell 1,294,000 shares of our common stock at $3.60 per share to one accredited investor in a private placement transaction, for total gross proceeds of $4,658,400. That accredited investor also participated in the private placement of the Debentures.

On December 31, 2014, we closed the financing transactions contemplated by the securities purchase agreements, raising an aggregate of $31,658,400 in gross proceeds, and closed the Acquisition by payment of $27,000,000 in cash and delivery of a three year 3% $10,000,000 secured promissory note that also provides for a potential earn-out payment of up to an additional $5,000,000 under specified circumstances.

The following is intended to provide a summary of the terms of the agreements and securities described above. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the agreements, each of which is attached as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 31, 2014 in connection with these transactions, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2015.

Debenture and Warrant Securities Purchase Agreement

The Debentures and Warrants were issued pursuant to the terms of a securities purchase agreement, among us and the investors listed therein. The securities purchase agreement provided for the sale of the Debentures and Warrants for gross proceeds of $27,000,000 to us.

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Debentures

Ranking

The Debentures are our senior secured obligations, subject only to certain secured obligations of Wells Fargo Bank and DuPont Pioneer (limited to a security interest in certain of the Purchased Assets), and the rights of those secured holders and the rights of the holders of the Debentures are set forth in an inter-creditor and subordination agreement that was entered into in connection with the closing of the issuance of the Debentures.

Maturity Date

Unless earlier converted or redeemed, the Debentures mature on November 30, 2017.

Interest and Payment of Interest

The Debentures bear interest at a rate of 8% per annum, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Debentures. Interest will be payable monthly in arrears commencing on February 2, 2015 and, so long as certain equity conditions have been satisfied or waived, may be paid in shares of common stock at our option. We may also elect to pay interest in whole or in part in cash. It is our intention to service the Debentures in cash to the extent we are able to do so, and our management believes that would be our best interests. We have notified the holders of the Debentures of our intention to pay the monthly interest and principal payments in cash until such time as we revoke that notice. In the event of a default that results in acceleration of the payment of principal and other amounts due under the Debentures, the default interest rate will increase to 18% per annum.

Conversion of the Debentures

Each of the Debentures is subject to voluntary conversion, in whole or in part, into shares of our common stock at the option of the holder. The initial conversion price equals $5.00, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Debentures. If, on September 30, 2015, or the Adjustment Date, the conversion price then in effect exceeds the "Adjusted Conversion Price," as defined in the Debentures, the conversion price of the Debentures will be reset to the Adjusted Conversion Price. As defined in the Debentures, the "Adjusted Conversion Price" means the greater of (i) the arithmetic average of the 10 lowest VWAPs of the Common Stock during the 20 consecutive Trading Days ending on the Trading Day that is immediately prior to the Adjustment Date (subject to adjustment for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination or other similar event affecting the Common Stock during such 20 Trading Day period) and (ii) $4.15 (as adjusted for any stock dividends, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction occurring after December 30, 2014).

At any time that we satisfy all of the applicable equity conditions and they remain satisfied throughout the notice period, we may force conversion of a minimum of $1,000,000 in principal amount of the Debentures, plus any accrued and unpaid interest and/or liquidated damages, on a date that is not less than 30 or more than 40 trading days following notice given by us. This forced conversion right may only be exercised one time and must be exercisedpro rata among all of the outstanding Debentures.

If we grant, issue or sell any common stock equivalents, options, convertible securities or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other propertypro rata to the record holders of any class of shares of common stock, or the Purchase Rights, the holder of the Debenture will be entitled to acquire, the aggregate Purchase Rights which such holder could have acquired if the holder had held the number of shares of common stock acquirable upon complete conversion of the Debenture.

Redemptions of the Debentures

The Debentures are subject to monthly redemptions commencing July 1, 2015. The redemption payments are payable in cash or any combination of cash or shares of our common stock at our option, provided all of the applicable equity conditions are satisfied or waived in the event we elect to pay in shares.

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If we are servicing the monthly redemption in common stock, the holders of the Debentures have the right to accelerate payment on each monthly redemption date of up to three monthly redemption amounts upon written notice to us. The holders also have the right to defer payment of up to four monthly redemption amounts. Assuming we are making redemption payments in cash, we also have the right to accelerate payment of an aggregate of up to 200% of the monthly redemption amount due upon written notice to the holders, provided that after giving effect to our accelerated payments, we have at least $2,000,000 in cash on deposit.

Prior to July 1, 2015, we will redeem up to $5,000,000, in the aggregate, of the Debentures upon the sale of certain real property or with cash from other sources without any prepayment penalty. Although there is no assurance that we will sell real property and make the early redemption payment, on January 26, 2015 we publicly announced that we are in contract to sell farmland that, upon closing, would require us to redeem the $5,000,000 in principal. The pending sales are expected to close in the first calendar quarter of 2015. Therefore, as of the date hereof, we expect to exercise our right to pay down the principal by $5,000,000 before July 1, 2015. In addition, after that date, so long as the applicable equity conditions have been satisfied or waived (and such satisfaction or waiver of the equity conditions continues) we may redeem all or any portion of the principal amount of the Debentures. However, if we exercise this optional redemption right, we must compensate the holders of the Debentures by paying the optional redemption price, which is equal to 120% of the sum of the principal amount of the Debentures, all accrued and unpaid interest, all other interest that would accrue if the Debentures were held to maturity and any unpaid liquidated damages.

Following an event of default, the holders of the Debentures may require us to redeem all or any portion of the outstanding principal of the Debentures. Such redemption will be payable in cash by wire transfer at a price equal to the mandatory default amount determined in accordance with terms of the Debentures.

Covenants

Under the terms of the Debentures, we have agreed to the following standard and customary covenants including but not limited to: (i) maintenance of current information requirements under federal securities law; (ii) maintenance of exchange listing; and (iii) not undertaking a reverse or forward stock split or reclassification of the Common Stock for one year from the date of issuance of the Debentures.

Events of Default

The Debentures contain standard and customary events of default including but not limited to: (i) failure to make payments when due under the Debentures; (ii) breaches of covenants and (iii) bankruptcy or insolvency.

If an event of default occurs, each holder may require us to redeem all or any portion of the Debentures (including all accrued and unpaid interest thereon), in cash, at a price equal to the greater of (i) the product of (A) the quotient determined by dividing (x) the amount being redeemed by (y) the lowest conversion price in effect during the period beginning on the date immediately preceding the event of default and ending on the redemption date, and (B) the greatest closing sale price of our common stock during such period, or (ii) 130% of the amount being redeemed.

In addition, an event of default under the Debentures also is an event of default under our various credit facilities and the DuPont Pioneer secured promissory note.

Fundamental Transactions

The Debentures prohibit us from entering into specified transactions involving a change of control, unless the successor entity assumes in writing all of our obligations under the Debentures under a written agreement and we obtain the prior consent of the holders of the Debentures. A change of control that is consummated without prior consent is an event of default under the Debentures. If we complete a permitted fundamental transaction, such as a merger in which we are not the surviving entity, the holders are entitled to receive the consideration they would have received had they fully converted their Debentures and exercised their warrants without regarding to any contractual ownership limits.

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Security Interest

Our payment obligations under the Debentures are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets, including (without limiting the generality of the foregoing) a first security interest on the intangibles (IP) purchased from DuPont Pioneer. However, generally, the Debenture obligations are subordinate to the senior rights in the collateral of Wells Fargo Bank and DuPont Pioneer. The priorities and rights among our secured creditors are set forth in an Intercreditor and Subordination Agreement entered into on December 30, 2014 in connection with this Financing.

Limitations on Conversion and Issuance

The Debentures may not be converted and shares of common stock may not be issued under the Debentures if, after giving effect to the conversion, the holder together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. At each holder's option, the Debentures ownership limitation blocker may be raised or lowered to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99%, except that any raise will only be effective upon 61-days' prior notice to us.

Until such time we have obtained stockholder approval required by The NASDAQ Stock Market for the issuance of shares greater than 19.99% of its outstanding and outstanding shares of common stock on the closing date, we may not issue, upon conversion of the Debentures, a number of shares of common stock which, when aggregated with any shares of common stock issued on or after the original issue date and prior to such conversion date (i) in connection with the conversion of any Debentures issued pursuant to the Debenture Purchase Agreement or as interest pursuant to the Debentures and (ii) in connection with the exercise of any Warrants, would exceed that threshold of shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for forward and reverse stock splits, recapitalizations and the like occurring after December 30, 2014). We have called the Special Meeting for the purpose of obtaining that stockholder approval.

Common Stock Purchase Warrants

Concurrently with the issuance of the Debentures, we issued an aggregate of 2,699,999 Warrants to the purchasers of the Debentures on apro rata basis. The Warrants will be exercisable commencing on June 30, 2015 and ending at the close of business on June 30, 2020.

The initial exercise price for the purchase of the Warrant Shares equals $5.00, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Warrant. If prior to the third anniversary of the issuance date, we issue or sell (or are deemed to have issued or sold) any of our common stock for consideration per share less than the exercise price in effect immediately prior to such issuance or sale, other than in exempt issuances as defined in the Warrants, then simultaneously with each such dilutive issuance, the exercise price will be adjusted in accordance with the terms of the Warrant based on a weighted average price adjustment formula. Further, if, on the date that is nine months from the date of issuance (the "Ratchet Adjustment Date"), the exercise price then in effect exceeds the "Adjusted Exercise Price," the exercise price for the Warrant will be reset to the Adjusted Exercise Price. As defined in the Warrant, the "Adjusted Exercise Price" means the greater of (i) the arithmetic average of the 10 lowest VWAPs of the Common Stock during the 20 consecutive Trading Days ending on the Trading Day that is immediately prior to the Adjustment Date (subject to adjustment for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination or other similar event affecting the Common Stock during such 20 Trading Day period) and (ii) $4.15 (as adjusted for any stock dividends, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction occurring after December 30, 2014).

If at any time after the initial exercise date, there is no registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for, the resale of the Warrant Shares by the holder thereof, then the Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a "cashless exercise," as set forth in the Warrant.

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At any time after July 1, 2015, provided that (i) all equity conditions set forth in the Warrant have been satisfied, and (ii) the closing sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 for 15 consecutive trading days (subject to adjustment for stock splits, reverse stock splits and other similar recapitalization events), we may redeem all or any part of the Warrant then outstanding for cash in an amount equal to the optional redemption price, which is $0.25 per Warrant Share.

The Warrant contains standard protections for dividends, purchase rights and merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions using a standard Black Scholes valuation methodology for any fundamental transactions.

Generally, the Warrants may not be exercised and shares of common stock may not be issued under the Warrants if, after giving effect to the exercise, the holder together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. At each holder's option, the Warrants ownership limitation blocker may be raised or lowered to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99%, except that any raise will only be effective upon 61-days' prior notice to us.

Until such time as we have obtained stockholder approval required by the NASDAQ Stock Market for the issuance of shares greater than 19.99% of our outstanding and outstanding shares of common stock on the closing date, we may not issue, upon exercise of the Warrants, a number of shares of common stock which, when aggregated with any shares of common stock issued on or after the original issue date and prior to such exercise date (i) in connection with the conversion of any Debentures issued pursuant to the Debenture Purchase Agreement or as interest pursuant to the Debentures and (ii) in connection with the exercise of any Warrants, would exceed the 19.99% threshold of shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for forward and reverse stock splits, recapitalizations and the like occurring after December 30, 2014). We have called the Special Meeting for the purpose of obtaining that stockholder approval.

Our Common Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, all with a par value of $0.001 per share. As of February 9, 2015, we had 12,961,475 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Subject to the preference in dividend rights of any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive such cash dividends, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after payment of all debts and liabilities and after payment of the liquidation preferences of any shares of preferred stock then outstanding, the holders of the common stock will be entitled to participate pro rata in all assets that are legally available for distribution.

Other than the rights described above, the holders of common stock have no preemptive subscription, redemption, sinking fund or conversion rights and are not subject to further calls or assessments. The rights and preferences of holders of common stock will be subject to the rights of any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future.

Other Information Related to the Debenture and Warrant Private Placement

Dollar Value of Underlying Securities and Potential Profits on Conversion

Given that the per share market price of our common stock as of December 31, 2014 was $4.00, and the per share conversion price was $5.00, there would be no potential profit to be realized upon conversion by the selling stockholders of the principal amount or interest on the Debentures based on the conversion price on December 31, 2014 and the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2014 (the date the Debentures were issued). Similarly, with respectgrant date. These amounts do not correspond to the Warrants,actual value that may be realized by the directors upon vesting or exercise of such awards. For information on December 31,the assumptions used to calculate the value of the awards, refer to Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.
(3) Mr. Culhane and Ms. Veneman did not stand for election to the Board at the 2014 Annual Meeting.
(4) This amount represents a stipend of $125,000 paid to Mr. Harvey for his role as Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Board and Chairman, in addition to the per share exercise price was $5.00, so there would be no potential profit to be realized upon exercise by the selling stockholdersmeeting fees described below. Mr. Harvey served as Vice Chairman of the Warrants, assuming they were currently exercisable (which they are not).Board until December 2014, when he was elected Chairman.
(5) Mr. Matina joined the Board in May 2015.
(6) Mr. Nordstrom was re-elected to the Board in March 2015 having served from 2009 until he stepped down in December 2013. However, he continued to attend board meetings as an observer and was compensated therefor. In addition, both before and after his reelection, he was compensated in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of our Australian subsidiary, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd. ("SGI") throughout fiscal 2015. The compensation he received as Chair of SGI in fiscal 2015 is included in the column "All Other Compensation." Mr. Nordstrom has voluntarily agreed to step aside as a director of S&W as of the Annual Meeting to assist the Board in reducing its size and increasing its efficiency. He will remain Chairman of the Board of SGI and will have observer status at our Board meetings.
(7) This amount represents a stipend of $75,000 paid to Mr. Wickersham for his role as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board through December 2014 and thereafter, as Non-Executive Vice Chairman, in addition to the per meeting fees described below.
(8) Mr. Wong was elected to the Board in December 2014 but made himself available to assist the Board throughout the second quarter of fiscal 2015, prior to his official election. This amount includes $5,000 paid as a pro rata portion of the 2014 annual retainer in addition to the 2015 annual retainer. Mr. Wong is paid an additional $5,000 per quarter to consult with the Chairman, the full board or any committee thereof.

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Shares Issuable to Selling StockholdersAnnual Retainer and Per Meeting Fees for Non-Employee Directors

Directors who are also our employees do not receive any additional compensation for their service on the board. Non-employee directors are paid an annual cash retainer of $20,000. Michael (Mick) M. Fleming, the Chairman of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee, as well as serving as lead independent director, is paid an additional $20,000 per year cash retainer for his service in Satisfactionthose capacities. In fiscal 2015, the Chairman of Principalthe Board and Interestthe Vice Chairman of the Board were paid an additional annual stipend of $125,000 and $75,000, respectively, payable monthly.

The following table sets forth the total number of shares of common stock that would be issuedIn addition to the selling stockholders if we redeem all principal and interest under the full $27,000,000 principal amount of Debentures into shares of its common stock in lieu of paying cash on an aggregate basis (and without taking into account the $5,000,000 of principal amount which we anticipate to pay down). The following table assumes that: (a) principal and interest payments are made on the regularly scheduled redemption dates, (b) that no such regularly scheduled redemption payments are accelerated or deferred, (c) that no payments of interest will be made prior to the first redemption date and (d) that the selling stockholders do not convert the Debentures at their election. This table is provided for illustrative purposes only, as it is unlikely that these assumptions will be fully accurate at all relevant times. In addition, in each instance the conversion was calculated on the aggregate principal amount rather than based upon each individual investor's purchase.

Number of Shares Issuable in Satisfaction of the Principal Amount of the Debentures
Based on Various Assumed Conversion Prices for Monthly Redemptionsannual retainer, non-employee directors receive:

Assumed Conversion Price

Number of Shares Potentially Issuable

$1,500 for each in-person board meeting attended;

$750 for each telephonic board meeting attended;

Initial Conversion price ($5.00 per share)

5,400,000

$500 for each in-person committee meeting attended; and

$4.75 per share

5,684,211 

$4.50 per share

6,000,000

$4.25 per share

 6,352,941

$4.15 per shares

6,506,024

Payments to Selling Stockholders and Affiliates

In connection with the Debentures, we are or may be required to make the following payments to the selling stockholders and their affiliates:

Payee

 

Maximum Interest
Payments (1)

 

 

Maximum Early
Redemption
Premiums (2)

 

 

Maximum
Registration
Penalties (3)

 

 

Total Maximum
Payments During
First 12 Months (4)

 

Selling Stockholders

 

$

2,513,571

 

 

$

41,418,000

 

 

$

2,970,000

 

 

$

46,901,571

 

(1) Represents the maximum amount of interest payable by us to the selling stockholders under the Debentures assuming (a) that all monthly redemption payments thereunder are timely made and that no monthly redemption payments are accelerated or deferred, (b) that the Debentures are not otherwise converted prior to the maturity date, (c) that interest is paid in cash and (d) that no event of default thereunder occurs.

(2) Represents the cash amount that would be payable by us if we were required to redeem the full $27,000,000 principal amount of the Debentures as a result of an event of default or change of control assuming (a) that the applicable premium to be applied upon the event of default or change of control is 130%, (b) that the event of default or change of control occurs on December 31, 2014, and (c) that the required payments continue until December 30, 2015. The default interest rate is 18% per annum upon the occurrence and continuance of an event of default and for purposes of this calculation is included with the principal amount calculated on a simple basis.

(3) Represents the maximum monetary penalties and interest that would be payable if we failed to timely file, obtain a declaration of effectiveness or maintain the effectiveness with respect to the registration statement required under the above-described Registration Rights Agreement. Assumes that (a) the monetary penalties begin to accrue in January 30, 2015, (b) the monetary penalties continue to accrue until December 31, 2015 and that the selling stockholders are unable to sell under Rule 144 without restriction, and (c) the monetary penalties will not be paid until December 31, 2015 (which results in the payment of interest on unpaid amounts at a rate of 1% per month from January 31, 2015 to December 31, 2015 on the entire principal balance of the Debentures).

46


(4) Represents the maximum amounts payable in cash under the other columns in this table during the first 12 months after the sale of the Debentures assuming that there is no redemption thereof during the first year due to an event of default or change of control.

Net Proceeds from Private Placement of Debentures

The following table sets forth the gross proceeds received from the private placement of the Debentures and calculates the net proceeds thereof after deduction of the anticipated payments pursuant to the Debentures and related documents. The net proceeds do not include the payment of any contingent payments, such as liquidated damages or repayment premiums in the case of default or a change of control. The net proceeds assumes that all interest and principal will be paid in cash and that all installment payments are timely made, notwithstanding that we may pay interest and principal in shares of its common stock under specified circumstances, as described above. The interest amount reflected below assumes that all redemption payments are made when due without any event of default, and the table assumes that none of the Debentures are converted or prepaid prior to maturity. Based on the foregoing assumptions, the net proceeds represent approximately 82.91% of the gross proceeds.

Gross Proceeds

$27,000,000

Approximate Aggregate Interest Payments

$2,513,571

Approximate Transaction Costs (including Placement Agent Fees)

$2,400,000

Net Proceeds

$22,086,429250 for each telephonic committee meeting attended.

Comparison of Issuer ProceedsWe reimburse non-employee directors for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending Board and committee meetings and for other company-related out-of-pocket expenses they may incur from time to Potential Investor Profittime.

As discussed above, we used the proceeds from the sale of the Debentures primarily for the acquisition of certain alfalfa-related assets of DuPont Pioneer. The following table summarizes the potential proceeds we received pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Debentures and the Warrants. For purposes of this table, we have assumed that the selling stockholders will exercise all of the Warrants on a cash basis. We have also assumed that the Debentures will be held by the selling stockholders through the maturity date thereof.

Total Gross Proceeds Payable to the Company in the Debenture Private Placement(1)

$40,449,995

Payments that have been made or may be required to be made by us until maturity(2)

$2,513,571

Net proceeds to us assuming maximum payments made by us(3)

$37,986,424

Total possible profit to the selling stockholders (4)

-

Percentage of payments and profit over net proceeds(5)

6.62%

Percentage of payments and profit over net proceeds per year of the term(6)

2.27%

(1) Includes gross proceeds payable to us on the sale of the Debentures in the amount of $27,000,000 and assumes full exercise of the Warrants to yield an aggregate exercise price of $13,499,995. However, there is no assurance that any Warrants will actually be exercised or if they are exercised, whether they will be exercised for cash.

(2) Total possible payments (excluding repayment of principal) payable by us to the selling stockholders or their affiliates assuming the Debentures remain outstanding until the maturity date (although we intend to prepay $5,000,000 principal amount on or before July 1, 2015) and that interest iscompensation paid in cash. Assumes that no liquidated damages are incurred and that no redemption premium on the Debentures will be applicable.

(3) Total net proceeds to us calculated by subtracting the result in footnote (2) from the result in footnote (1).

47


(4) Because the conversion price of the Debentures and the exercise price of the Warrants was higher than the market price on the date of issuance thereof (as reflected on such table), this number indicates a profit of "0." However this does not mean that the selling stockholders will not realize a profit on their investment which could occur if the market price for the common stock exceeds the exercise price of the Warrants and the conversion price of the Debentures.

(5) Percentage of the total possible payments to the selling stockholders as calculated in footnote (2) plus profit calculated in footnote (4) compared to the net proceeds disclosed in footnote (3).

(6) Based on a 35-month term.

Other Information Related to the Debenture Private Placement

Registration Rights

Under the terms of a registration rights agreement that we entered into in connection with the private placement of the Debentures, Warrants and shares of common stock described above, we are required to register for resale the shares of common stock that are issuable upon conversion of the Debentures and additional shares that could be used as payment of monthly interest (both based on a conversion price that is a 25% discount to the actual initial conversion price) and exercise of the Warrants (plus an additional 30% in excess of the number of shares issuable upon conversion and exercise of the Debentures and Warrants, respectively) as well as the common stock sold in the private placement. The registration rights agreement contains deadlines we must meet to ensure that we are using our reasonable best efforts to cause the registration statement to be declared effective as soon as possible, including a requirement that we file the registration statement by January 31, 2015. We met that deadline by filing a resale registration statement with the SEC on January 30, 2015. The registration rights agreement provides for the payment of partial liquidated damages of 1% of the principal amount of the Debentures on the date of the Company's failure and on every thirty day anniversary of such failure (pro-rated for partial months), until such failure is cured. Such failures includes our failure to meet certain specified deadlines, including initial filing, maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement subject to certain limited grace periods, respond to comments of the Staff within a specified period of time and requesting acceleration within a specified time after being advised by the Staff of the ability to do so; however, the registration rights agreement does not include liquidated damages for our failure to timely have the registration statement be declared effective. Our registration statement on Form S-3 was declared effective by the SEC on February 20, 2015.

The Voting Agreement and Lockup Agreement

As a condition of closing the Debenture Private Placement, our officers and directors, as well as the purchaser of the shares in the Shares Private Placement, were required to enter into a voting agreement directly related to the substance of this Special Meeting (the "Voting Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the Voting Agreement, the parties thereto are required to vote their shares in support of the proposal to approve the Share Issuance Proposal. In the event any corporate action or agreement or any proposal were to be put before stockholders that would result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Company under the Debenture Purchase Agreement or that could result in any of the conditions to our obligations under the Debenture Purchase Agreement not being fulfilled, the parties to the Voting Agreement have agreed to vote against any such action, agreement or proposal. A total of 2,309,652 shares of our common stock are subject to the Voting Agreement, representing 17.8% of the shares entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. The Voting Agreement will expire upon approval of the Share Issuance Proposal.

Our officers and directors also were required to execute lockup agreements that prevent them from selling or otherwise disposing of their shares, other than in excepted transactions (such as Rule 10b-5(1) trading plans that were already in effect and other customary exceptions). The lockup agreements will expire 90 days following the earlier of the effective date of the resale registration statement or the availability of Rule 144. A total of 1,015,652 shares of our common stock are subject to the lockup agreements.

48


THE SPECIAL MEETING

This proxy statement is being provided to our stockholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the management of S&W to be voted at the Special Meeting (including any adjournment or postponement thereof, which, based on the record date of February 9,fiscal 2015 must be some time on April 10, 2015 in accordance with Nevada corporate law).

Date, Time, Place and Purpose

The special meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time, on April 10, 2015, at our corporate headquarters located at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, California. Stockholders are being asked to consider and vote upon the Share Issuance Proposal.

We know of no specific matter to be brought before the Special Meeting that is not referred to in the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders dated March 9, 2015. If any such matter properly comes before the Special Meeting, the proxyholders will vote proxies in accordance with their judgment.

Record Date and Shares Entitled to Vote

Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock registered in his or her name as of the close of business on February 9, 2015, the record date for the purpose of determining holders of our common stock entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting.

As of February 9, 2015, 12,961,475 shares of our common stock were outstanding and entitled to be voted at the Special Meeting.

Voting Procedures

The voting process is different depending on whether you are a record (registered) or non-record (beneficial) stockholder:

Non-record (beneficial) stockholders

If you are a non-record (beneficial) stockholder, your intermediary will send you a voting instruction form or proxy form with this proxy statement. This form will instruct your intermediary how to vote your shares at the Special Meeting on your behalf. You should carefully follow the instructions provided by your intermediary and contact your intermediary promptly if you need help.

If you do not intend to attend the Special Meeting and vote in person, mark your voting instructions on the voting instruction form or proxy form, sign it, and return it as instructed by your intermediary. Your intermediary may have also provided you with the option of voting by telephone or fax or through the Internet.

If you wish to vote in person at the Special Meeting, follow the instructions provided by your intermediary. Your intermediary may have also provided you with the option of appointing yourself or someone else to attend and vote on your behalf at the Special Meeting. When you arrive at the Special Meeting, please register with the inspector of elections.

49


Your intermediary must receive your voting instructions in sufficient time for your intermediary to act on them prior to the deadline for the deposit of proxies of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on April 9, 2015.

Record (registered) stockholders

If you are a record (registered) stockholder, a proxy card is enclosed with this proxy statement to enable you to vote, or to appoint a proxyholder to vote on your behalf, at the Special Meeting.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, you may vote your shares by proxy by any one of the following methods:

By mail: Mark, sign and date your proxy card and send it to Transfer Online, Inc, 512 SE Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97214. Transfer Online must receive your proxy card not later than April 9, 2015 in order for your vote to be counted.

Via the Internet: Go to www.transferonline.com/proxy and follow the instructions on the website prior to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) on April 9, 2015.

Transfer Online provides Internet proxy voting to allow you to vote your shares of common stock online, with procedures designed to ensure the authenticity and correctness of your proxy vote instructions. However, please be aware that you must bear any costs associated with your Internet access, such as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone companies.

Quorum

A quorum is the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock as of February 9, 2015. That means that we need at least 6,480,738 shares present in person or by proxy in order to hold the Special Meeting.

Vote Required

Approval of the Share Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by holders of our common stock present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the Special Meeting, assuming a quorum is present.

The proxy card gives discretionary authority to proxyholders to vote as the proxyholders see fit with respect to amendments or variations to the proposal identified in the Notice of Special Meeting or other matters that may come before the Special Meeting whether or not the amendment, variation or other matter that comes before the Special Meeting is or is not routine and whether or not the amendment, variation or other matter that comes before the Special Meeting is contested.

As of the date of this proxy statement, the S&W Board is not aware of any such amendments, variations or other matters to come before the Special Meeting. However, if any such changes that are not currently known to the Board should properly come before the Special Meeting, the shares of common stock represented by your proxyholders will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the proxyholders.

Proxy Solicitation

Management of S&W is soliciting your proxy for use at the Special Meeting. All associated costs of solicitation will be borne by us. It is expected that the solicitation will be primarily by mail, but proxies may also be solicited personally, by advertisement or by telephone, by our directors officers or employees without special compensation or by our proxy solicitor, Georgeson, Inc. We will pay Georgeson a fee of approximately $24,000 for its

50


services as proxy solicitor, plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. We will, at our own expense, pay those entities holding our common stock in the names of their beneficial owners for their reasonable expenses in delivering proxy solicitation materials to their beneficial owners, including objecting beneficial owners. We anticipate that copies of this proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card will be distributed to stockholders on or about March 11, 2015.

Change of Vote and Revocation of Proxies

If you are a non-record (beneficial) stockholder, you can revoke your prior voting instructions by providing new instructions on a voting instruction form or proxy form with a later date, or at a later time in the case of voting through the Internet. Otherwise, contact your intermediary if you want to revoke your proxy or change your voting instructions, or if you change your mind and want to vote in person. Any new voting instructions given to intermediaries in connection with the revocation of proxies must be received in sufficient time to allow intermediaries to act on such instructions prior to the deadline for the deposit of proxies of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on April 9, 2015.

If you are a record (registered) stockholder, you may revoke any proxy that you have given until the time of the Special Meeting by voting again over the Internet as instructed above, by signing and dating a new proxy card and submitting it as instructed above, by giving written notice of such revocation to our Corporate Secretary at our address, by revoking it in person at the Special Meeting, or by voting by ballot at the Special Meeting. If you choose to submit a proxy multiple times whether over the Internet or by mail, or a combination thereof, only your latest vote, not revoked and received prior to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on April 9, 2015 will be counted. A record (registered) stockholder participating in person, in a vote by ballot at the Special Meeting, will automatically revoke any proxy previously given by that stockholder regarding business considered by that vote. However, attendance at the Special Meeting by a registered stockholder who has voted by proxy does not alone revoke such proxy.

S&W's Auditors

Representatives of M&K CPAS, PLLC not expected to be present at the Special Meeting and accordingly will not make any statement or be available to respond to any questions.

PROPOSAL NO. 1
THE SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL

You are being asked to consider and vote upon the Share Issuance Proposal, which provides for the potential issuance of our common stock pursuant to the terms of Debentures and Warrants sold in the Debenture Private Placement we closed on December 31, 2014. This would include shares issuable upon conversion of the Debentures or potential payments of interest or redemption of principal by issuing stock in lieu of cash payments and upon exercise of the Warrants.

Our common stock is listedservice on the NASDAQ Capital Market and as such, we our subject to NASDAQ's stockholder approval rules. NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(a) states: "Shareholder approval is required prior to the issuance of securities in connection with the acquisition of the stock or assets of another company if:(1)where, due to the present or potential issuance of common stock, including shares issued pursuant to an earn-out provision or similar type of provision, or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, other than a public offering for cash: . the number of shares of common stock to be issued is or will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding before the issuance of the stock or securities."

"NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(d) requires listed companies to obtain stockholder approval prior to the issuance of its common stock in connection with non-public offerings in which (i) the sale, issuance or potential issuance of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock) is fixed at a price less than the greater of book or market value that (together with sales by officers, directors or "substantial stockholders

51


of the Company) equals 20% or more of common stock or 20% or more of the voting power outstanding before the issuance; or (ii) the sale, issuance or potential issuance of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable common stock) equal to 20% or more of the common stock or 20% or more of the voting power outstanding before the issuance for less than the greater of book or market value of the stock.

The Number of Shares Potentially Issuable.The exact number of shares that are issuable pursuant to these securities is currently indeterminable because (i) we expect to redeem with cash $5,000,000 in principal amount of the Debentures before July 1, 2015, upon the closing of the sales of certain parcels of our real property, which pending sales have been publicly announced but that have not closed as of the date of the mailing of this proxy statement (see page 43), (ii) the conversion price of the Debentures could be reduced if the Debenture's ratchet provision is triggered on September 30, 2015 (see page 43), thereby resulting in a greater number of shares issuable upon conversion; and (iii) although we do not expect to do so, we potentially could use shares of our common stock in payment of monthly interest and/or redemptions, in each instance at per share prices based on the trading prices of our common stock over a period of time immediately preceding the applicable payment date or dates. These factors make it impossible to determine in advance the number of shares that will ultimately be issued pursuant to the terms of the Debentures and the Warrants, but we expect to issue more than 1,036,594 shares, which, together with the 1,294,000 shares we issued in the concurrent Shares Private Placement, equals 19.99% of the total number of shares outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the concurrent Debenture Private Placement and Shares Private Placement (the "Concurrent Private Placements").

The Price at which Securities may be Issued. The conversion price of the Debentures and the exercise price of the Warrants has been fixed at an initial price of $5.00, subject to customary adjustments for stock splits, reverse stock splits and other similar recapitalization events. This price is well in excess of the consolidated closing price of our common stock both on the date definitive transaction documents were executed and on the date of closing, as well as book value at September 30, 2014 (the most recent period for which a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q had been filed prior to the Concurrent Private Placements). However, given the hypothetical possibility that we could issue shares in payment of interest or redemption of principal, and the price at which those share issuances will be calculated will be on based on a 10% discount to the then-current trading prices (using the lowest 10 VWAPs during the 20 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the payment date), there is the potential that we could issue shares pursuant to the Debentures that are issued at prices below the greater of book value or market value on the date immediately preceding the Concurrent Private Placements. The consolidated closing bid price of our Common Stock on the December 30, 2014, the date on which the Debenture Purchase Agreement was executed, was $4.14. Book value, based on the information in our Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2014, was $4.25.

Accordingly, although the initial conversion and exercise prices of the securities sold in the Debenture Private Placement were fixed at a price that would not require issuance of 20% or more of the issued and outstanding shares on the date of closing of the Acquisition (December 31, 2014) or on the date we entered into the securities purchase agreements for the Debenture Private Placement (December 30, 2014), such could potentially be the case if shares are issued at these lower stated prices. The mere potential for 20% or more of the shares to be issued at a price that is less than the greater of book value or market on December 30, 2014 and December 31, 2014 is sufficient to trigger the stockholder approval requirements of Listing Rules 5635(a) and 5635(d).

The Proposal

In seeking our stockholders approval for the Share Issuance Proposal, we are requesting approval to issue all of the shares issuable upon conversion of the Debentures, exercise of the Warrants and the issuance of any additional shares we may issue pursuant to the terms of the Debentures in payment of interest or redemption of principal. As previously noted, it is our intention to service the Debenture indebtedness with cash, and we have notified the holders of the Debentures of that intention. However, we may elect to use shares from time to time if our management determines that it is in our best interest to do so. Assuming that the entire $27,000,000 in principal amount of Debentures converts at the initial conversion price of $5.00, all interest is paid in cash and all of the Warrants are exercised, we would issue an aggregate of 8,099,997 shares of our common stock.

52


Therefore, your vote "FOR" the Share Issuance Proposal is a vote to approve the issuance of all of the shares of our common stock that may conceivably be issued pursuant to the terms of the securities we sold in the Debenture Private Placement, including for conversion, payment of interest or reduction of principal on the Debentures and upon exercise of the Warrants, without giving effect to the conversion cap set forth in the Warrants and the Debenture.

Impact of the Share Issuance Proposal on Our Capital Structure and the Potential Dilution to Existing Stockholders

As noted elsewhere in this proxy statement, it is not possible to determine the exact number of shares that could be issuable pursuant to the terms of the Debentures. The Debentures are initially convertible into our common stock at $5.00 per share (subject to adjustment for stock splits and reverse stock splits), but if the nine-month ratchet is triggered, that conversion price could be reduced to as low as $4.15 (subject to adjustment). In addition, we have the option, subject to the satisfaction of specified equity conditions, to service the indebtedness by issuing shares in lieu of cash payments, both with respect to the payment of interest and the monthly redemption payment. While it is our intention to pay the Debenture obligations in cash, we may in the future determine that it is in the Company's best interest to use shares. The exact number of shares that would be issuable at any particular time would be calculated based on the then-current stock price and accordingly, is information that is not currently determinable.

The following table illustrates the number of shares of our common stock potentially issuable upon conversion of the originally-issued $27,000,000 in principal amount of Debentures, plus the exercise of all 2,699,999 Warrants, at (i) the $5.00 initial conversion price, (ii) hypothetical prices of $4.75, $4.50 and $4.15 (the lowest ratchet adjusted price). We expect to pay all interest in cash and therefore have not included additional shares that potentially would be payable with shares. In addition, in each instance the conversion was calculated on the aggregate principal amount rather than based upon each individual investor's purchase.

$27,000,000

$5.00

$4.75

$4.50

$4.15

Conversion of Debentures

5,400,000

5,684,211

6,000,000

6,506,024

Exercise of Warrants

2,699,999

2,699,999

2,699,999

 

2,699,999

Total Potential Issuable Shares

8,099,999

8,384,210

8,699,999

9,206,023

The following table illustrates the number of shares of our common stock potentially issuable upon conversion of $22,000,000 in principal amount of Debentures (assuming the $5,000,000 redemption of principal prior to July 1, 2015), plus the exercise of all 2,699,999 Warrants, at (i) the $5.00 initial conversion price, (ii) hypothetical prices of $4.75, $4.50 and $4.15 (the lowest ratchet adjusted price).Board. As noted above, we intendMr. Grewal, our Chief Executive Officer and President, also sits on our Board but receives no additional compensation in that capacity. Mr. Culhane and Ms. Veneman served on the Board until the 2014 Annual Meeting in December 2014. Mr. Wong joined our Board in December 2014, Mr. Nordstrom joined the Board in March 2015, and Mr. Matina joined the Board in May 2015.

Director Name

 

Annual
Retainer

 

Board
Meetings

 

Committee
Meetings

 

All Other
Comepnsation

  

 
Total

            

Glen D. Bornt

 

$25,000

 

$9,750

 

-

 

-

  

$34,750

 

Michael C. Culhane

 

15,000

 

3,000

 

-

 

-

  

18,000

 

Michael M. Fleming

 

40,000

 

10,000

 

4,000

 

-

  

54,000

 

Mark J. Harvey

 

135,417

 

10,250

 

250

 

-

  

145,917

 

Alexander C. Matina

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

  

-

 

Michael N. Nordstrom

 

5,000

 

3,500

 

-

 

$41,500(1)

  

50,000

 

Charles B. Seidler

 

25,000

 

10,000

 

3,250

 

-

  

38,250

 

William S. Smith

 

25,000

 

10,500

 

2,500

 

-

  

38,000

 

Ann Veneman

 

5,000

 

2,000

 

-

 

-

  

7,000

 

Grover T. Wickersham

 

122,500

 

9,750

 

750

 

-

  

132,750

 

Mark Wong

 

25,000

 

5,000

 

1,000

 

15,000(2)

  

46,000

 
            

________

(1) Mr. Nordstrom was paid to make all interest paymentsattend board meetings of our board in cashhis capacity as chairman of the boards of our two Australian subsidiaries in addition to fees paid for serving in those capacities and therefore have not includedattending meetings of the subsidiary boards.
(2) Mr. Wong was paid an additional $5,000 retainer when he joined the Board in December 2014 as hispro rata share of the calendar year 2014 retainer to compensate him for his service to the board in the following table any shares that potentially would be payable as interest. In addition,second fiscal quarter of 2015 before his official election in each instance the conversion was calculated on the aggregate principal amount rather than based upon each individual investor's purchase.December 2014.

$22,000,000

$5.00

$4.75

 

$4.50

$4.15

Conversion of Debentures

4,400,000

5,631,579

4,888,889

5,301,205

Exercise of Warrants

2,699,999

2,699,999

2,699,999

2,699,999

Total Potential Issuable Shares

7,099,999

7,331,578

7,588,888

8,001,204

Interests of Certain Persons in the Transactions

None of the executive officers or directors of our company or DuPont Pioneer have any interest in the Acquisition, the Financing or the Share Issuance Proposal.

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Vote Required

Approval of the Share Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our common stock present at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote (assuming a quorum is present in person or by proxy), excluding abstentions. If you vote to abstain, or if you fail to vote or fail to instruct your bank, broker, custodian or other record holder how to vote, it will have no effect on the voting outcome of this proposal.

Consequences If We Fail to Obtain Stockholder Approval

A failure to obtain stockholder approval will materially impair the rights of the investors who made the Acquisition possible. Consequently, if we do not receive the requisite majority approval for the Share Issuance Proposal at the Special Meeting, we will be required to continue to hold stockholder meetings on a quarterly basis until we are successful in approving the Share Issuance Proposal. This requirement will consume financial resources and divert management's attention from operating the business.

However, the most important reason we need your support is to provide us with the ability to avoid triggering a defaulting under the Debentures if we were ever unable to make the required payments on the Debentures in cash. The Debentures are secured obligations of our company. If we are unable to make the required payments when due, the holders of the Debentures will have the right to declare the unpaid total principal amount, accrued but unpaid interest and all other amounts due under the Debentures immediately due and payable at a price equal to the greater of (i) the product of (A) the quotient determined by dividing (x) the amount being redeemed by (y) the lowest conversion price in effect during the period beginning on the date immediately preceding the event of default and ending on the redemption date, and (B) the greatest closing sale price of our common stock during such period, or (ii) 130% of the amount being redeemed, to foreclose any liens and security interests securing payment thereof and to exercise any of their other rights, powers and remedies under the Debentures, under any other transaction documents executed in connection with the financing, or at law or in equity. In addition, such a default would also be deemed a default under our credit facilities with Wells Fargo Bank, as well as a default under the promissory note and related loan documents we executed in connection with the Acquisition. A default under the Debentures, the DuPont Pioneer secured promissory note and our credit facilities could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business or could force us to invoke legal measures to protect our business, including, but not limited to, for filing for protection under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In addition, if we were to issue shares of our common stock in excess of the 19.99% limitation set forth in NASDAQ Rule 5635(d) without obtaining prior stockholder approval, our common stock would be subject to delisting from the NASDAQ Capital Market. Delisting would have a material adverse impact on our stockholders' ability to sell their shares and would likely cause a material decline in the trading price of our stock.

THE S&W BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTEFOR THE SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN
BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table presents information concerning the beneficial ownership of the shares of our common stock as of FebruaryOctober 20, 2015, by:

each person we know to be the beneficial owner of 5% of more of our outstanding shares of common stock;

our executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table and our current directors and director nominees; and

all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

Except as otherwise indicated below, the address of each beneficial owner listed in the table is c/o  S&W Seed Company, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720.

54


We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Except as indicated by the footnotes below, we believe, based on the information furnished to us, that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock that they beneficially own, subject to applicable community property laws.

The applicableApplicable percentage ownership is based on 13,161,47513,482,930 shares of common stock outstanding on FebruaryOctober 20, 2015. In computing the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we deemed as outstanding shares of common stock subject to options held by that person that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of FebruaryOctober 20, 2015 (by April 21,(December 19, 2015). We did not deem these exercisable shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. AllThe applicable footnotes are an integral part of the table and should be carefully read in order to understand the actual ownership of our officers and directors,securities, particularly by the 5% stockholders listed in the table.

20


      Number of Shares Subject     
      to Options, Warrants or     
      Convertible Securities     
   Number of  Convertible or Exercisable     
   Shares  by Total Shares Beneficially Owned
Name of Beneficial Owner  Beneficially Held  December 19, 2015 Number(1) Percentage
             
5% Stockholders            
RMB Capital Management LLC(2)  1,129,157  418,529(3) 1,547,686 11.0%
MFP Partners, LP(4)  1,294,000  492,390(5) 1,786,390 12.8 
Hudson Bay Capital Management, L.P. (6)    1,470,787(7) 1,470,787 9.8 
Empery Asset Management, L.P. (8)    1,103,944(9) 1,103,944 7.6 
Wolverine Asset Management, LLC(10)  14,589  871,683(11) 886,272 6.2 
             
Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers            
Glen D. Bornt  180,000  24,750  204,750 1.5 
Michael (Mick) M. Fleming  6,560  34,750  41,310 * 
Mark S. Grewal  95,018  131,744  226,762 1.7 
Mark J. Harvey  189,500(12) 12,250  201,750 1.5 
Alexander C. Matina    1,750  1,750 * 
Michael N. Nordstrom  43,227(13) 34,750  77,977 * 
Charles (Chip) B. Seidler  55,393  34,750  90,143 * 
William S. Smith  50,000  7,447  57,447 * 
Grover T. Wickersham  705,960(14) 74,750  780,710 5.8 
Mark Wong    5,250  5,250 * 
Matthew K. Szot  39,529  99,993  139,522 1.0 
Dennis Jury  217,467(15) 25,662  243,129 1.8 
             
All executive officers and directors as a group (12 persons)  1,125,687(16) 487,846(16) 1,613,533 11.5 

21


__________

(1) Calculated as well as MFP Partners, L.P. entered into a voting agreement in connection with the closingsum of the Debenture Financingnumber of shares beneficially held (Column 2) plus the number of shares issuable upon exercise of options that requires the parties thereto to vote in favor of the Share Issuance Proposal. See page 48 for details of the voting agreement. Due to the limited nature of the voting agreement, the following table does not reflect that each of the parties thereto,have vested or will vest by December 19, 2015 (Column 3).
(2) RMB Capital Management, LLC ("Capital Management") is an investment adviser registered under the technical provisionsInvestment Advisers Act of Rule 13d-31940. The shares shown as owned by Capital Management are directly owned by funds affiliated with Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC ("Iron Road"). Capital Management and RMB Capital Holdings, LLC are the managers of the Exchange Act, could be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares owned byIron Road. The address for all of the other partiesaffiliated entities is 115 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60603.
(3) Includes (i) 248,530 shares issuable upon conversion of debentures and 169,999 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. However, the debentures are subject to a 9.99% blocker, and the voting agreement.

Nonewarrants are subject to a 4.99% blocker. As such, RMB/Iron Road is unable to convert or exercise, as applicable, its debenture or warrants, if after any such conversion or exercise, it would beneficially own more than 9.99% or 4.99%, as applicable, of the holdersoutstanding shares of the securities purchased in the Debenture Private Placement, in that capacity, arecommon stock. The shares included in the table below because,report the number of shares that would be issuable upon conversion and exercise, as applicable, in accordance withfull without giving effect the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market, until receipt of stockholder approval9.99% and 4.99% blockers as of the Share Issuance Proposal, only an aggregate of 1,036,594 shares may be issued upon conversiondate of the Debentures. In addition,table. Therefore, the Warrants are not exercisable until July 1, 2015. Following receiptactual number of stockholder approval,shares of common stock beneficially owned by RMB/Iron Road, after giving effect to the largest investorsblockers, is less than the number reported in the Debenture Private Placement could be deemed to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more or our outstanding common stock.

Number of
Shares
Subject to
Options or
Warrants
Exercisable
by April 21,
2015

Name of Beneficial Owner

Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Held

Total Shares Beneficially Owned

Number(1)

Percent

Principal Stockholders:

MFP Partners, L.P.(2)

1,294,000

-

1,294,000

9.8

MFP Investors, LLC(2)

1,294,000

-

1,294,000

9.8

Michael F. Price(2)

1,294,000

-

1,294,000

9.8

RMB Capital Management, LLC(3)

1,169,318

-

1,169,318

8.9

Iron Road Capital Partners L.L.C.(3)

1,153,318

-

1,153,318

8.9

DHR Investments, Inc.(4)

716,238

-

716,238

5.4

Directors and Executive Officers:

Glen D. Bornt

180,000

21,250

(5)

201,250

1.5

Michael (Mick) M. Fleming

1,000

61,250

(6)

62,250

*

Mark S. Grewal

90,807

(7)

109,583

(8)

200,390

1.5

Mark J. Harvey

188,000

(9)

8,750

(10)

196,750

1.5

Charles B. Seidler

48,680

61,250

(11)

109,930

*

55


William S. Smith

40,000

1,647

(12)

41,647

*

Grover T. Wickersham

631,267

(13)

121,250

(14)

752,517

5.4

Mark Wong

-

-

-

-

Danielson B. Gardner

-

48,748

(15)

48,748

*

Matthew K. Szot

35,679

(16)

77,915

(17)

113,594

*

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (12 persons)

1,420,433

561,226

(18)

1,981,659

13.1

____________

* Less than 1%.

(1) Footnotes referenced under Number of Shares Subject to Options and Warrants also apply to Total Shares Beneficially Owned.

(2) The address of MFP Partners, L.P., MFP Investors, LLC and Michael F. Price is 667 Madison Ave., 25th Floor, New York, NY 10065. The information disclosed herein is made in reliance upon the Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC on January 7, 2015 by MFP Partners, L.P., MFP Investors, LLC and Michael F. Price.table.
(4) MFP Investors LLC is the general partner of MFP Partners, L.P. ("MFP"). Michael F. Price is the managing partner of MFP Partners, L.P. and the managing member and controlling person of MFP Investors, LLC. The address for MFP Partners, L.P. is 667 Madison Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10065. Alexander C. Matina, a member of our Board of Directors, is Vice President, Investments of MFP.
(5) Includes (i) 292,390 shares issuable upon conversion of debentures and (ii) 200,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. These securities are convertible and exercisable into common stock only to the purchaserextent that, upon such conversion or exercise, MFP will not own shares in excess of 9.99% of the securities.

(3)total number of shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the conversion or exercise. The addresstotal in this table takes into account this limitation as of RMB Capital Management, LLC and Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC is 115 South LaSalle Street, 34th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.the date of the table but does not reflect the maximum total that may be converted or exercised at any time thereafter. The information disclosed hereinset forth is made in reliance uponbased on the information provided by MFP's Schedule 13G jointly13D filed with the SEC by these entities on November 10, 2014. Iron Road Capital Partners, LLCJune 1, 2015 and S&W's internal records relating to the outstanding principal amount of debentures as of the date of the table. Alexander C. Matina, a member of our Board of Directors, is a subsidiaryVice President of RMBInvestments for MFP.
(6) Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd.("HB Master Fund") is the registered owner of convertible debentures and warrants. Hudson Bay Capital Management LLC. RMB Capital Management, LLCLP serves as the investment manager to HB Master Fund. Hudson Bay's address is a manager of Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC, which is the purchaser of the securities.

(4) The address of DRH Investments, Inc. is 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025.777 Third Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The information disclosed hereinset forth is made in reliance uponbased on the information provided by Hudson Bay's Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 10, 2015 and S&W's internal records relating to the outstanding principal amount of debentures as of the date of the table.
(7) Includes (i) 870,787 shares issuable upon conversion of debentures and (ii) 600,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. The debentures are subject to a 9.99% blocker and the warrants are subject to a 4.99% blocker. As such, Hudson Bay is unable to convert or exercise, as applicable, its debenture or warrants, if after any such conversion or exercise, it would beneficially own more than 9.99% or 4.99%, as applicable, of the outstanding shares of common stock. The shares included in the table report the number of shares that would be issuable upon conversion and exercise, as applicable, in full without giving effect the 9.99% and 4.99% blockers as of the date of the table. Therefore, the actual number of shares beneficially owned by DRH Investments, Inc.Hudson Bay, after giving effect to the blockers, is less than the number reported in the table.
(8) Empery Asset Management, L.P.("EAM") is the investment manager of Empery Tax Efficient, LP, Empery Tax Efficient II, LP and Empery Asset Master, Ltd. (the "Funds") and is deemed to have voting and dispositive power over the shares in the table. Ryan M. Lane and Martin D. Hoe are the managing members of Empery AM GP, LLC, the general partner of EAM. The address for the affiliated entities and individuals is 1 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10020.
(9) Includes (i) 292,390 shares issuable upon conversion of debentures and (ii) 400,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. The information set forth is based on January 20, 2015. DRH Investments, Inc.,S&W's internal records relating to the outstanding principal amount of debentures as of the date of the table.

22


(10) Wolverine Asset Management, LLC ("WAM") is an investment manager of Wolverine Flagship Fund Trading Limited (the "Fund") and is deemed to have voting and dispositive power over the shares in its capacity as investment adviser,the table. The sole member and manager of WAM is Wolverine Holdings, L.P. ("Wolverine Holdings"). Robert R. Bellick and Christopher L. Gust may be deemed to beneficially own 716,238control Wolverine Trading Partners, Inc., the general partner of Wolverine Holdings. The address for the affiliated entities and persons is 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604.
(11) Includes (i) 511,683 shares that are heldissuable upon conversion of record by clients of DRH Investments, Inc. No client of DRH Investments, Inc. is known to own more than 5% of the Company's common stock.

(5) Includes 21,250debentures and (ii) 350,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisablewarrants. Also includes 10,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options held by other affiliated entities. The information set forth is based on the information provided by the affiliated entities' Amendment No. 1 to Schedule 13G filed on February 17, 2015 and options that will become exercisable within 60 daysS&W's internal records relating to the outstanding principal amount of debentures as of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(6) Includes 61,250 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(7) Includes 33,000 restricted shares that are subject to annual vesting over three years, which commenced in May 2013.

(8)table.
(12) Includes (i) 1,0001,500 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrantsheld directly by Mr. Harvey; and (ii) 109,583188,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(9) Shares are held in trustsa retirement fund as to which Mr. Harvey is a beneficiary.
(13) Includes (i) 3,750 shares held directly by Mr. Nordstrom; (ii) 14,477 shares held in a trust as to which Mr. Nordstrom is a trustee and beneficiary; and (iii) 25,000 shares owed by Mr. Nordstrom's wife.

(14) Includes (i) 184,818 shares held directly by Mr. Wickersham; (ii) 422,000 shares owed by a limited partnership, the beneficiariescorporate general partner of which areis owned by Mr. Harvey and his spouse.

(10) Includes 8,750Wickersham; (iii) 51,022 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days ofowned by the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(11) Includes (i) 19,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants; andcorporate general partner referred to is (ii) 61,250 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(12) Includes 1,647 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

56


(13) Includes 172,125 shares of common stock that Mr. Wickersham owns directly, including 20,000 restricted shares that are subject to annual vesting over three years, which commenced in May 2013. Also includes (i); (iv) 24,397 shares of common stock owned by Mr. Wickersham's minor daughter's irrevocable trust, for which heMr. Wickersham serves as trustee; (ii) 23,723and (v) 23, 723 shares of common stock ownedowed by a corporation inof which Mr. Wickersham is a director, executive officer and controlling stockholder; (iii) 51,022 shares of common stock owned by a corporation wholly owned bythe majority shareholder. Mr. Wickersham. Mr. Wickersham may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares but he disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities owned by the trust and the shares owned by the corporationsheld indirectly, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest in such entities.

(14)interest.
(15) Includes (i) 121,2501,250 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015); andowned directly by Mr. Jury; (ii) 1,50088,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants owned by his minor daughter's irrevocable trust.

(15) Includes 48,748a trust as to which Mr. Jury is a co-trustee and beneficiary; and (iii) 128,217 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

owned by a retirement fund as to which Mr. Jury is a beneficiary.
(16) Includes 20,000 restricted shares that are subject to annual vesting over three years, which commenced in May 2013.

(17) Includes 77,915 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015)See footnotes (12) through (15).

(18) Includes (i) 561,226 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable stock options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015); and (ii) 21,500 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants.

 

 

 

5723


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATIONPROPOSAL NO. 1:
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

S&W files annual, quarterlyGeneral

The business and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SECaffairs of our company are managed under the Securities Exchange Actdirection of 1934,the Board of Directors, as amended. Youprovided by Nevada law and our Bylaws. The Board of Directors establishes corporate policies and strategies and supervises the implementation and execution of those policies and strategies by our officers and employees. The directors are kept informed of our company operations at meetings of the Board, through reports and analyses prepared by, and discussions with, company management.

Our Articles of Incorporation provide that the number of members of the Board of Directors may readbe set by the board resolution. The board has currently set the size of the Board of Directors at nine members. That number may be changed by further resolution of the board or by an amendment to the Bylaws approved by the stockholders or the board.

The board proposes that the nine director-nominees named in the following summary be elected as our directors, each to hold office until the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and copyuntil his successor is elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal.

Our directors are elected in uncontested elections by a majority vote. In contested director elections, elections whereby the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected, the directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast and the nominees receiving the greatest numbers of votes will be elected to serve as directors. The election of directors at this informationyear's Annual Meeting is an uncontested election and thus the majority voting standard applies.

To be elected in an uncontested election, a director must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to the director's election. This means that a director will be elected if the number of votes cast for that director's election exceeds the number of votes cast against that nominee's election. Broker non-votes and abstentions will not be counted as votes cast, and, accordingly, will have no effect on the election of directors. If an incumbent director is not elected and no successor has been elected at the SEC's Public Reference Room, located at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain informationmeeting, he or she shall promptly tender his or her conditional resignation following certification of the vote. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board whether to accept such offer. The Board will endeavor to act on the operation ofrecommendation within 90 days following the Public Reference Room by callingrecommendation. Thereafter, the SEC at (800) SEC-0330. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail fromBoard will promptly disclose its decision whether to accept the SEC atdirector's resignation offer (and its rationale for rejecting the above address, at prescribed rates. The SEC also maintainsoffer, if applicable) in a website that contains reports, proxy statementspress release and other information that S&W files electronicallyfiling an appropriate disclosure with the SEC. If the Board accepts the resignation, then the Board, in its sole discretion, may, pursuant to the Company's Bylaws, fill any resulting vacancy or may decrease the size of the Board.

Nevada corporate law does not require cumulative voting in the election of directors, and neither our Articles of Incorporation nor Bylaws provide for cumulative voting.

Nominees

The addressNominating and Governance Committee of the Board recommended, and the full Board of Directors approved, Glen D. Bornt, Michael (Mick) M. Fleming, Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander C. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, William S. Smith, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark Wong as nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting. If elected, each of the directors will serve until the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, and until a successor is qualified and elected or until his earlier resignation or removal. Each of the nominees is currently a director of our company. For information concerning the nominees, please see "Information about the Directors and Nominees" above in this proxy statement.

Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the proxies received by them FOR each of Glen D. Bornt, Michael (Mick) M. Fleming, Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander M. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, William S. Smith, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark Wong. If the nominees are unable or decline to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for another nominee designated by the Board. We are not aware of any reason that websitea nominee would be unable or unwilling to serve as a director.

24


Vote Required

Each director is www.sec.gov. Youelected by a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting, meaning that to be elected, the director must receive more "for" votes than "withheld" votes. Broker non-votes have no bearing on the outcome of the election.

The Board of Directors recommends that you for "FOR" the election of each of the nominees named above.

PROPOSAL NO. 2
APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO THE COMPANY'S
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2009 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
TO INCREASE THE SHARE RESERVE FROM 1,700,000 TO 2,450,000

In December 2012, our stockholders approved the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. In December 2013, the stockholders approved an amendment to the plan increasing the total number of shares available for grants and awards to 1,700,000. At the Annual Meeting, we are asking our stockholders to approve a further increase of 750,000 additional shares, for an aggregate plan size of 2,450,000 shares. Based on current practices and expectations, we anticipate that this increase will be sufficient for our purposes two to three years, although we recognize, as should our stockholders, that circumstances could change and impact this estimate.

Background for Request for Additional Shares

Each year, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors and our management team review our overall compensation strategy and determine the allocations of cash and equity compensation. We continue to believe that equity compensation is an important component to recruit, retain and motivate key employees and effectively aligns employee compensation with stockholder interests. The 2009 Plan is the sole plan for providing equity incentive compensation to eligible employees, directors and consultants. The Board believes that our 2009 Plan is in the best interest of stockholders and our company, as equity awards granted under the plan help to attract, motivate and retain talented employees and non-employee directors, align employee and stockholder interests, link employee compensation with company performance and maintain a culture based on employee stock ownership.

Prior to Amendment No. 3 to the 2009 Plan, which was approved by the Compensation Committee and the full board in July 2015, the 2009 Plan provided for up to 1,700,000 shares to be issued pursuant to these various awards and grants. As of October 20, 2015, there are only 28,001 shares eligible for grants under the Amended 2009 Plan. As a result of the DuPont Pioneer acquisition, we acquired the services of an additional 31 employees who became eligible to participate in the 2009 Plan, which had an impact on the rate at which our current share reserve was utilized. If this proposal is approved, 750,000 additional shares will be added to the authorized grant amount to increase the 2009 Plan total to 2,450,000 shares, of which 778,001 shares will be available for future grants. No other amendments have been adopted by the Board or are being requested to be approved by the stockholders.

If the stockholders do not approve this Proposal, the 2009 Plan will continue in full force and effect, but we will not have sufficient shares of our common stock to issue equity- based incentive awards consistent with our compensation philosophy. In such circumstances, we would find it necessary to devote a significantly greater portion of our cash on hand and cash generated from operations to compensate our employees, directors, consultants and potential new hires.

Our Compensation Committee reviewed our 2009 Plan and discussed in detail (i) management's recommendations of the proposed changes and awards, and (ii) feedback from members of the Board. In determining the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Amended 2009 Plan, the Compensation Committee considered a number of factors, including:

25


The purpose of the share increase amendment is to provide us with a sufficient reserve of common stock to offer appropriate incentives to our executive officers, employees, directors and consultants. We actively compete for highly qualified people to work on our team, and our equity program is a key component of our strategy to attract and retain key individuals. In addition, as we continue to pursue our acquisition strategy, we expect that we will be adding additional employees. We believe that the share requirements of our equity program need to grow with our company.

Historical Grant Information

Historically, the Board has relied on granting equity awards in lieu of paying cash incentive bonuses to our executives. Since the inception of the 2009 Plan, grants and awards for a total of 1,914,030 shares have been issued to officers, directors, employees and consultants. Of the options that have been granted under the existing 2009 Plan since inception and without regard to subsequent forfeitures, net issuances and tax withholding of shares, 458,197 have been granted to directors, 682,000 have been granted to executive officers, 320,500 have been granted to other key employees and 12,000 have been granted to consultants since the inception of the 2009 Plan. Although not fixed under the 2009 Plan, initially, options were granted for five year terms. The options granted since December 2014 have ten-year terms. Regardless of the term, all options granted have been subject to quarterly vesting over periods ranging from four to 12 quarters. Beginning in fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee began recommending the use of RSUs, and through October 20, 2015, a total of 88,333 RSUs have been awarded under the 2009 Plan to executive officers and other key employees. The RSUs are typically subject to quarterly vesting over a period of years, currently ranging from three to four and one-half years. The 73,000 restricted stock awards granted to date under the 2009 Plan were granted in fiscal 2012 to members of our executive management team and vested annually over three years. Restricted stock awards have not been utilized since those initial awards in fiscal 2012.

Summary of the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2009 Plan")

The following is a summary of the principal features of the 2009 Plan and its operation. The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amended and Restated Plan, which was refiled as Exhibit 10.34 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 in order to consolidate the Amended and Restated Plan and its subsequent amendments. The 2015 Form 10-K, including Exhibit 10.34, is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Any stockholder may request a copy of the Amended and Restated 2009 Plan by contacting our us through our Corporate Secretary, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720.

General

The 2009 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, and other forms of equity compensation (collectively referred to in this proxy statement as equity awards). The 2009 Plan also provides the ability to grant performance equity awards and performance cash awards (together referred to in this proxy statement as performance awards), which enable our Compensation Committee to use performance criteria in establishing specific targets to be attained as a condition to the vesting of awards.

Incentive stock options granted under the 2009 Plan are intended to qualify as "incentive stock options" within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code (referred to in this proxy statement as the Code). Nonstatutory stock options granted under the 2009 Plan are not intended to qualify as incentive stock options under the Code. See "Federal Income Tax Information" for a discussion of the tax treatment of equity awards.

26


The 2009 Plan provides eligible employees, executive officers, directors and consultants with the opportunity to benefit from increases in the value of our common stock as an incentive to such individuals to exert maximum efforts toward our success, thereby aligning their interests with the interests of our stockholders.

Administration

The 2009 Plan as amended provides that our Board of Directors has the authority to construe and interpret the 2009 Plan, to determine the persons to whom and the dates on which equity awards will be granted, the number of shares of common stock to be subject to each equity award, the time or times during the term of each equity award within which all or a portion of the award may be exercised, the exercise, purchase, or strike price of each equity award, the type of consideration permitted to exercise or purchase each equity award and other terms of the equity awards.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to delegate some or all of the administration of the 2009 Plan to a committee or committees composed of members of our Board. A committee may consist solely of two or more "non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act or solely of two or more "outside directors" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The 2009 Plan also permits delegation of administration of the plan to one or more executive officers with respect to grants to our employees, including the employees of our subsidiaries. Our Board of Directors has delegated to the Compensation Committee administration of the 2009 Plan. The Compensation Committee, as currently constituted, consists of four non-employee directors within the meaning of Section 16b-3 who also are outside directors within the meaning of Section 162(m). As used herein, the term "Plan administrator" refers to the Board or duly constituted committee, whichever is serving as the administrator of the 2009 Plan. Until changed by further action of the Board, that currently means the Compensation Committee of the Board.

Eligibility

General.The Plan provides that our employees, executive officers, directors and consultants are eligible to be granted awards. As of October 20, 2015, we have nine non-executive officer directors, three executive officers and 61 non-executive officer employees (including employees of SGI) who are eligible to participate.

Incentive Stock Options.Incentive stock options may be granted under the 2009 Plan only to employees (including executive officers) of S&W and our affiliates. The aggregate maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options will be 2,450,000 shares of common stock, if this proposal is approved by the stockholders. No incentive stock option may be granted under the 2009 Plan to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns (or is deemed to own) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of S&W or our affiliates, unless the exercise price of such stock option is at least 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the stock option on the date of grant and the term of the stock option does not exceed five years from the date of grant. In addition, the aggregate fair market value, determined on the date of grant, of the shares of common stock with respect to which incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by a participant during any calendar year (under the 2009 Plan and any other equity plans of S&W and our affiliates) may not exceed $100,000. Any excess of such amount will be treated as nonstatutory stock options.

Nonstatutory Stock Options, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units and Other Awards. Nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units and all other types of equity awards and performance awards authorized under the 2009 Plan may be granted to employees (including executive officers), directors and consultants of S&W and our affiliates.

Individual Limit. No person may be granted stock options or stock appreciation rights under the 2009 Plan covering more than 250,000 shares of common stock during any calendar year.

Stock Subject to the 2009 Plan

As of October 20, 2015, only 28,001 shares of common stock were available for future grants under the 2009 Plan. If this Proposal is approved by our stockholders, a total of 778,001 shares will be available for future grants under the 2009 Plan.

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The number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2009 Plan is currently reduced by one share for each share of common stock issued pursuant to a stock option, stock appreciation right, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards or other awards.

If a stock option or stock appreciation right award expires or otherwise terminates without being fully exercised, if shares subject to a restricted stock award or restricted stock unit award are forfeited to or repurchased by us, or if an equity award is settled in cash, the shares not issued under those awards, or the shares forfeited to or repurchased by us, become available for subsequent issuance under the 2009 Plan. Such returning shares will increase the number of shares available for issuance under the 2009 Plan, if amended, by one share per share returned.

If shares subject to an award granted under the 2009 Plan are not delivered to a participant because:

an equity award is exercised through a reduction in the number of shares subject to the equity award (a "net exercise"),

the appreciation distribution upon exercise of a stock appreciation right is paid in shares of common stock, or

shares are withheld in satisfaction of applicable withholding taxes,

then those shares become available for subsequent issuance under the 2009 Plan. If the exercise price of a stock option is satisfied by a participant tendering previously held shares, the tendered shares do not become available for subsequent issuance under the 2009 Plan.

Terms of Stock Options

We may grant stock options under the 2009 Plan pursuant to stock option agreements adopted by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee. The following is a description of the permissible terms of stock options under the 2009 Plan. Individual stock option agreements may be more restrictive as to any or all of the permissible terms described below.

Exercise Price. The exercise price of incentive stock options and nonstatutory stock options may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the stock option on the date of grant and, in some cases (see "Eligibility" above), may not be less than 110% of such fair market value.

Consideration. The stock option exercise price may, at the discretion of the plan administrator, be paid in cash or by check, pursuant to a broker-assisted cashless exercise, by delivery of other shares of S&W common stock, pursuant to a net exercise arrangement, or in any other form of legal consideration acceptable to the Plan administrator.

Vesting. Stock options granted under the 2009 Plan vest, or become exercisable, as determined by the plan administrator. Vesting typically occurs during the optionholder's continued service with S&W or an affiliate, whether such service is in the capacity of an employee, director or consultant (collectively referred to as service) and regardless of any change in the capacity of the optionee, or upon achievement of quantitative or qualitative goals determined by the plan administrator. Shares covered by different stock options may be subject to different vesting terms.

Term. Under the current 2009 Plan, the maximum term of a stock option is ten years, except that in certain cases (see "Eligibility" above) the maximum term is five years. Options granted to date have had terms of either five years or ten years.

Holding Period After Exercise. The 2009 Plan does not require any optionee who exercises stock options to hold the shares issued upon exercise for any period of time. Accordingly, holders of options are able to exercise options and sell the underlying stock concurrently, although in the case of the exercise of an incentive stock option, the tax benefits accruing to the holder thereof could be jeopardized if the applicable holding period for incentive stock options is not complied with.

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Termination of Service. Stock options generally terminate three months after termination of a participant's service unless:

the stock option agreement by its terms specifically provides otherwise,

termination is due to the participant's disability, in which case the stock option may be exercised (to the extent the stock option was exercisable at the time of the termination of service) at any time within 12 months of termination,

the participant dies before the participant's service has terminated, or the participant dies within a specified period after termination of service, in which case the stock option may be exercised (to the extent the stock option was exercisable at the time of the participant's death) within 12 months of the participant's death by the person or persons to whom the rights to such stock option have passed, or

the participant is terminated for cause (as defined under the 2009 Plan), in which case the stock option terminates immediately and will cease to be exercisable (whether vested or unvested).

The stock option term may be extended in the event that exercise of the stock option following termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. In no event, however, may a stock option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

Restrictions on Transfer. A participant generally may not transfer a stock option other than by will, by the laws of descent and distribution, or pursuant to a domestic relations order. During the lifetime of the participant, only the participant may exercise a stock option (except in instances pursuant to a domestic relations order). A participant may also designate a beneficiary who may exercise a stock option following the participant's death.

Terms of Restricted Stock

We may grant restricted stock awards under the 2009 Plan pursuant to restricted stock award agreements adopted by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee. Restricted stock awards are shares of our common stock that may be subject to restrictions, such as vesting requirements.

Consideration. The Plan administrator may grant restricted stock awards in consideration for past or future services rendered to S&W or an affiliate, or any other form of legal consideration acceptable to our Board.

Vesting. Shares of stock acquired under a restricted stock award may, but need not, be subject to a repurchase option in favor of S&W or forfeiture to S&W in accordance with a vesting schedule as determined by the plan administrator. The 2009 Plan does not require that the vested shares be held for any amount of time after vesting.

Termination of Service. Upon termination of a participant's service, S&W may repurchase or otherwise reacquire any forfeited shares of stock that have not vested as of such termination under the terms of the applicable restricted stock award.

Terms of Restricted Stock Units

We may grant restricted stock unit awards under the 2009 Plan pursuant to restricted stock unit award agreements adopted by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee. Restricted stock units represent the value of a fixed number of shares of S&W common stock on the date of grant.

Consideration. The plan administrator may grant restricted stock units in consideration for past or future services rendered to S&W or an affiliate, or any other form of legal consideration acceptable to the Plan administrator.

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Vesting. Restricted stock units vest at the rate or on the terms specified in the restricted stock unit award agreement as determined by the plan administrator. The 2009 Plan does not require that the holder of shares issued upon conversion of restricted stock units hold those converted shares for any period of time.

Settlement. Restricted stock units may be settled by the delivery of shares of S&W common stock, cash, or any combination as determined by the plan administrator. At the time of grant, the plan administrator may impose additional restrictions or conditions that delay the delivery of stock or cash subject to the restricted stock unit award after vesting.

Termination of Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement or employment agreement, restricted stock units that have not vested will be forfeited upon the participant's termination of service.

Terms of Stock Appreciation Rights

We may grant stock appreciation rights under the 2009 Plan pursuant to stock appreciation rights agreements adopted by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee. A stock appreciation right is a right to receive the excess value over the strike price of a fixed number of shares. Individual stock appreciation right agreements may be more restrictive as to any or all of the permissible terms described below. Each stock appreciation right is denominated in shares of common stock equivalents but may be settled in cash.

Term. The maximum term of stock appreciation rights is ten years.

Strike Price. The strike price of stock appreciation rights may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock equivalents subject to the stock appreciation rights on the date of grant.

Exercise. Upon exercise of a stock appreciation right, S&W will pay the participant an amount equal to the excess of the aggregate fair market value on the date of exercise of a number of common stock equivalents with respect to which the participant is exercising the stock appreciation right, over the strike price determined by the plan administrator on the date of grant. The appreciation distribution upon exercise of a stock appreciation right may be paid in cash, shares of our common stock, or any other form of consideration determined by the Plan administrator.

Vesting. Stock appreciation rights vest and become exercisable at the rate specified in the stock appreciation right agreement as determined by the Plan administrator.

Termination of Service. Stock appreciation rights generally terminate three months after termination of a participant's service unless:

the stock appreciation rights agreement by its terms specifically provides otherwise,

termination is due to the participant's disability, in which case the stock appreciation right may be exercised (to the extent vested at the time of the termination of service) at any time within 12 months of termination,

the participant dies before the participant's service has terminated, or within a specified period after termination of service, in which case the stock appreciation right may be exercised (to the extent vested at the time of the participant's death) within 12 months of the participant's death by the person or persons to whom the rights to such stock appreciation right have passed, or

the participant is terminated for cause (as defined under the 2009 Plan), in which case the stock appreciation right terminates immediately and will cease to be exercisable (whether vested or unvested).

The term of a stock appreciation right may be extended in the event that exercise following termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. In no event may a stock appreciation right be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

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Terms of Other Stock Awards

The plan administrator may grant other equity awards based in whole or in part by reference to the value of our common stock. Subject to the provisions of the 2009 Plan, the plan administrator has the authority to determine the persons to whom and the dates on which such other equity awards will be granted, the number of shares of common stock (or cash equivalents) to be subject to each award and other terms and conditions of such awards. Such awards may be granted either alone or in addition to other equity awards granted under the 2009 Plan. These awards may not have a term in excess of ten years from the date of grant.

Terms of Performance Awards

General. The Board of Directors may grant performance equity awards and performance cash awards that qualify as performance- based compensation that is not subject to the income tax deductibility limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code, if the award is approved by the Compensation Committee and the grant or vesting of the award is tied solely to the attainment of performance goals during a designated performance period.

Performance Goals. To preserve the possibility that the compensation attributable to awards may qualify as performance-based compensation that will not be subject to the $1,000,000 limitation on the income tax deductibility of the compensation paid per covered executive officer imposed under Section 162(m) of the Code, the Compensation Committee has the authority to structure one or more such awards so that stock or cash will be issued or paid pursuant to the award only upon the achievement of certain pre-established performance goals that are based on criteria that have already been approved by our stockholders. Performance goals for awards granted under the 2009 Plan may be based on any one of, or combination of, the following criteria: (a) net sales; (ii) revenue; (iii) revenue growth or product revenue growth; (iv) operating income (before or after taxes); (v) pre- or after-tax income (before or after allocation of corporate overhead and bonus); earnings per share; net income (before or after taxes); (vi) return on equity; (vii) total shareholder return; (viii) return on assets or net assets; (ix) appreciation in and/or maintenance of the price of the Shares or any other publicly-traded securities of the Company; (x) market share; gross profits; (xi) earnings (including earnings before taxes, earnings before interest and taxes or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization); (xii) economic value-added models or equivalent metrics; (xiii) comparisons with various stock market indices; (xiv) reductions in costs; (xv) cash flow or cash flow per share (before or after dividends); (xvi) return on capital (including return on total capital or return on invested capital); (xvii) cash flow return on investment; (xviii) improvement in or attainment of expense levels or working capital levels; (xiv) operating margins, gross margins or cash margin; (xx) year-end cash; (xxi) debt reduction; (xxii) stockholder equity; (xxiii) financing and other capital raising transactions (including sales of the Company's equity or debt securities); (xxiv) factoring transactions; sales or licenses of the Company's assets, including its intellectual property, whether in a particular jurisdiction or territory or globally; or through partnering transactions; (xxv) implementation, completion or attainment of measurable objectives with respect to research, development, manufacturing, commercialization, products or projects, production volume levels, acquisitions and divestitures and recruiting and maintaining personnel; and (xxvi) any other measures of performance selected by our Board of Directors.

Performance goals may be set on a company-wide basis, with respect to one or more business units, divisions, affiliates, or business segments, and in either absolute terms or relative to generated business plans, the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. Adjustments may be made in the method of calculating the attainment of performance goals as follows: (i) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges (including but not limited to the effect of tax or legal settlements); (ii) to exclude exchange rate effects, as applicable, for non-U.S. dollar denominated net sales and operating earnings; (iii) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting standards required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (iv) to exclude the effects of any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; (v) to exclude stock-based compensation expense determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (vi) to exclude any other unusual, non-recurring gain or loss or extraordinary item; (vii) to respond to, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event or development; (viii) to respond to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, or business conditions; (ix) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (x) to assume that any business divested by S&W achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a performance period following such divestiture; (xi) to exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding shares of our common stock by reason of any stock dividend or split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares or

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other similar corporate change, or any distributions to common shareholders other than regular cash dividends; (xii) to reflect a corporate transaction, such as a merger, consolidation, separation (including a spinoff or other distribution of stock or property by a corporation), or reorganization (whether or not such reorganization comes within the definition of such term in Section 368 of the Code); (xiii) to reflect any partial or complete corporate liquidation; (xiv) to exclude the effect of in-process research and development expenses; and (xv) to exclude the income tax effect of non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments from the provision for income taxes.

Annual Limitation. The maximum benefit to be received by a participant in any calendar year attributable to performance equity awards may not exceed 500,000 shares of common stock. The maximum benefit to be received by a participant in any calendar year attributable to performance cash awards granted pursuant to the 2009 Plan may not exceed $2,000,000.

Changes to Capital Structure

In the event any change is made to the outstanding shares of our common stock without receipt of consideration (whether through a stock split, reverse stock split or other changes in the capital structure), appropriate adjustments will be made to the class of securities issuable under the 2009 Plan, the maximum number of securities issuable under the 2009 Plan, the incentive stock option limitation, the maximum award that one person may be granted in a calendar year under the 2009 Plan, and the number, class and price per share under outstanding equity awards under the 2009 Plan.

Corporate Transactions; Changes in Control

Unless otherwise provided in a written agreement between S&W or an affiliate and a participant, or unless otherwise expressly provided by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee at the time of grant of an equity award, in the event of significant corporate transactions, outstanding equity awards under the 2009 Plan may be assumed, continued or substituted by any surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company). If the surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company) elects not to assume, continue or substitute such equity awards, then:

with respect to any such equity awards that are held by individuals then performing services for S&W or our affiliates, the vesting and exercisability provisions of such equity awards will be accelerated in full and such awards will be terminated if not exercised prior to the effective date of the corporate transaction and any reacquisition or repurchase rights will lapse (contingent upon the effectiveness of the corporate transaction);

all other outstanding equity awards will be terminated if not exercised prior to the effective date of the corporate transaction, except that certain equity awards, such as restricted stock awards, may have their reacquisition or repurchase rights assigned to the surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company) in the corporate transaction, though if such reacquisition or repurchase rights are not assigned, then such equity awards will become fully vested; and

no vested restricted stock unit award will terminate without being settled by delivery of shares of common stock, their cash equivalent or in any other form of consideration, as determined by the Board of Directors, prior to the effectiveness of the corporate transaction.

A significant corporate transaction will be deemed to occur in the event of:

a sale of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of S&W and its subsidiaries;

a sale of at least 90% of the outstanding securities of S&W;

a merger, consolidation or similar transaction in which S&W is not the surviving corporation, or

a merger, consolidation or similar transaction in which S&W is the surviving corporation, but shares of S&W outstanding common stock are converted into other property by virtue of the corporate transaction.

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The 2009 Plan provides, at the discretion of our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee, that the holder of an outstanding equity award that would otherwise terminate if not exercised prior to the corporate transaction may surrender such equity award in exchange for a payment equal to the excess of the value of the property that the holder would have received upon exercise of the equity award immediately prior to the corporate transaction, over the exercise price otherwise payable in connection with the equity award. In the event of a corporate transaction in which we are not the surviving or acquiring corporation and the surviving corporation does not assume, continue or substitute awards for those that are outstanding under the 2009 Plan, those outstanding awards held by persons who are still in service with us at the time of the transaction will be fully accelerated, contingent on the closing of the corporate transaction.

The acceleration of an equity award in the event of an acquisition or similar corporate event may be viewed as an anti-takeover provision, which may have the effect of discouraging a proposal to acquire or otherwise obtain control of S&W.

Duration, Termination and Amendment

Our Board of Directors may suspend or terminate the 2009 Plan without stockholder approval or ratification at any time. Unless sooner terminated, the 2009 Plan will terminate on October 30, 2019. Our board may amend or modify the 2009 Plan at any time, subject to any required stockholder approval. To the extent required by applicable law or regulation, stockholder approval will be required for any amendment that:

materially increases the number of shares available for issuance under the 2009 Plan;

materially expands the class of individuals eligible to receive awards under the 2009 Plan;

materially increases the benefits accruing to the participants under the 2009 Plan or materially reduces the price at which shares of common stock may be issued or purchased under the 2009 Plan;

materially extends the term of the 2009 Plan; or

expands the types of awards available for issuance under the 2009 Plan.

Our Board of Directors also may submit to stockholders any other amendment to the 2009 Plan, including amendments intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code regarding the exclusion of performance-based compensation from the limitation on the deductibility of compensation paid to certain employees.

Federal Income Tax Information

The following is a summary of the principal United States federal income taxation consequences to participants and S&W with respect to participation in the 2009 Plan. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive, and does not discuss the income tax laws of any city, state or foreign jurisdiction in which a participant may reside.

Incentive Stock Options. 

Incentive stock options granted under the 2009 Plan are intended to qualify for the favorable federal income tax treatment accorded "incentive stock options" under the Code. There generally are no federal ordinary income tax consequences to the participant or S&W by reason of the grant or exercise of an incentive stock option. However, the exercise of an incentive stock option may increase the participant's alternative minimum tax liability, if any.

The difference between the exercise price and fair market value of the incentive stock option shares on the date of exercise is an adjustment to income for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. Alternative minimum taxable income is determined by adjusting regular taxable income for certain items, increasing that income by certain tax preference items and reducing this amount by the applicable exemption amount.

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If a participant holds stock acquired through exercise of an incentive stock option for more than two years from the date on which the stock option was granted and more than one year after the date the stock option was exercised for those shares, any gain or loss on a disposition of those shares (referred to in this proxy statement as a qualifying disposition) will be a long-term capital gain or loss. Upon such a qualifying disposition, S&W will not be entitled to any income tax deduction.

Generally, if the participant disposes of the stock before the expiration of either of those holding periods (referred to in this proxy statement as a disqualifying disposition), then at the time of disposition the participant will realize taxable ordinary income equal to the lesser of (a) the excess of the stock's fair market value on the date of exercise over the exercise price, or (b) the participant's actual gain, if any, on the purchase and sale. The participant's additional gain or any loss upon the disqualifying disposition will be a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year after exercise.

To the extent the participant recognizes ordinary income by reason of a disqualifying disposition, generally S&W will be entitled (subject to the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to a corresponding income tax deduction in the tax year in which the disqualifying disposition occurs.

Nonstatutory Stock Options. 

No taxable income is recognized by a participant upon the grant of a nonstatutory stock option. Upon exercise of a nonstatutory stock option, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the purchased shares on the exercise date over the exercise price paid for those shares. Generally, S&W will be entitled (subject to the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to an income tax deduction in the tax year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant. S&W will be required to satisfy certain tax withholding requirements applicable to such income.

Upon disposition of the stock, the participant will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the selling price and the sum of the amount paid for such stock plus any amount recognized as ordinary income upon acquisition of the stock. Such gain or loss will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year after exercise.

Restricted Stock Awards.

Upon receipt of a restricted stock award, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the shares on the date of issuance over the purchase price, if any, paid for those shares. S&W will be entitled (subject to the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to a corresponding income tax deduction in the year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.

However, if the shares issued upon the grant of a restricted stock award are unvested and subject to repurchase by S&W in the event of the participant's termination of service prior to vesting in those shares, the participant will not recognize any taxable income at the time of issuance, but will have to report as ordinary income, as and when S&W's repurchase right lapses, an amount equal to the excess of (a) the fair market value of the shares on the date the repurchase right lapses, over (b) the purchase price, if any, paid for the shares. The participant may, however, elect under Section 83(b) of the Code to include as ordinary income in the year of issuance an amount equal to the excess of (a) the fair market value of the shares on the date of issuance, over (b) the purchase price, if any, paid for such shares. If the Section 83(b) election is made, the participant will not recognize any additional income as and when the repurchase right lapses. The participant and S&W will be required to satisfy certain tax withholding requirements applicable to such income. S&W will be entitled to an income tax deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant at the time the shares are issued. In general, the deduction will be allowed for the taxable year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.

Upon disposition of the stock acquired upon the receipt of a restricted stock award, the participant will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the selling price and the sum of the amount paid for such stock plus any amount recognized as ordinary income upon issuance (or vesting) of the stock. Such gain or loss will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the stock was held for more than one year.

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Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

No taxable income is recognized upon receipt of a restricted stock unit award. The participant will generally recognize ordinary income in the year in which the shares subject to that unit are actually vested and issued to the participant in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares on the date of issuance. The participant and S&W will be required to satisfy certain tax withholding requirements applicable to such income. S&W will be entitled (subject to the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to an income tax deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant at the time the shares are issued. In general, the deduction will be allowed for the taxable year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.

Stock Appreciation Rights. 

No taxable income is realized upon the receipt of a stock appreciation right. Upon exercise of the stock appreciation right, the fair market value of the shares (or cash in lieu of shares) received is recognized as ordinary income to the participant in the year of such exercise. Generally, with respect to employees, S&W is required to withhold from the payment made on exercise of the stock appreciation right or from regular wages or supplemental wage payments an amount based on the ordinary income recognized. Generally, S&W will be entitled (subject to the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation) to an income tax deduction in the year in which such ordinary income is recognized by the participant.

Potential Limitation on Deductions.

Section 162(m) of the Code denies a deduction to any publicly held corporation for compensation paid to certain "covered employees" in a taxable year to the extent that compensation to each covered employee exceeds $1,000,000.

It is possible that compensation attributable to awards, when combined with all other types of compensation received by a covered employee from S&W, may cause this limitation to be exceeded in any particular year. However, certain kinds of compensation, including qualified "performance-based compensation," are disregarded for purposes of the deduction limitation.

Below is a summary of the material conditions under which certain equity awards qualify as performance-based compensation that is exempt from the $1,000,000 deduction limitation in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Code:

Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. Compensation paid to covered employees that is attributable to stock options and stock appreciation rights will qualify as performance-based compensation if (a) such awards are granted by a Compensation Committee or committee of our Board of Directors comprised solely of "outside directors," (b) the 2009 Plan contains a per-employee limitation on the number of shares for which such awards may be granted during a specified period, (c) the per-employee limitation is approved by our stockholders, and (d) the exercise or strike price of the award is no less than the fair market value of the stock on the date of grant.

Restricted Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Unit Awards, Performance Equity Awards and Performance Cash Awards. Compensation paid to covered employees that is attributable to restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, performance equity awards, and performance cash awards will qualify as performance-based compensation, provided that: (a) the award is granted by a Compensation Committee comprised solely of "outside directors," (b) the award is granted (or vests) only upon the achievement of an objective performance goal established in writing by the Compensation Committee while the outcome is substantially uncertain, (c) the Compensation Committee certifies in writing prior to the grant or vesting of the award that the performance goal has been satisfied, and (d) stockholders have approved the material terms of the award (including the class of employees eligible for such award, the business criteria on which the performance goal is based, and the maximum amount, or formula used to calculate the amount, payable upon attainment of the performance goal).

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New Plan Benefits

The number of awards that an executive officer, employee, director or consultant may receive under the 2009 Plan is in the discretion of our Compensation Committee from time to time and therefore cannot be determined in advance. All of the grants and awards that have been made to date have been awarded within the limits of the existing plan size. There are no currently articulated plans to grant or award any specific number of options or awards of restricted stock units or restricted stock awards, although upon approval of Amendment No. 3 to the 2009 Plan, it is anticipated that the Compensation and the Board will grant additional awards to our executive officers and employees, directors and consultants. The additional 750,000 shares is expected to be available for new grants and awards for two to three years.

Purpose for Recommending Approval of Amendment No. 3 to the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan

We believe that the amendment of our Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan is essential to our continued success. Our employees are our most valuable asset. Stock options and other awards such as those provided under the Amended 2009 Plan will substantially assist us in continuing to attract and retain employees and non- employee directors in the extremely competitive labor markets in which we compete. Such awards also are crucial to our ability to motivate employees to achieve our goals. We will benefit from increased stock ownership by selected executives, other employees and non-employee directors.

Vote Required

A majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required for approval of this proposal.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote "FOR" approval to amend the S&W Seed Company Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (Amendment No. 3 to increase the Plan Reserve by 750,000 shares, from 1,700,000 to 2,450,000 shares.

PROPOSAL NO. 3
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

In March 2015, the Audit Committee appointed Crowe Horwath LLP ("Crowe Horwath") as our independent registered public accounting firm and as auditors of our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015. Prior to March 2015, M&K CPAS PLLC ("M&K") had served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2009. At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders are being asked to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. In the event of a negative vote on such ratification, the Audit Committee will reconsider its selection. Even if this appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interest of our company and shareholders. Representatives of Crowe Horwath are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting and to respond to questions.

In March 2015, the Audit Committee completed the process it undertook to review the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee conducted a competitive process to select a firm to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the remainder of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015. The Audit Committee invited several firms to participate in this process.

As a result of this process and following careful deliberation, on March 30, 2015, the Audit Committee engaged Crowe Horwath as our independent registered public accounting firm for the remainder of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, and dismissed M&K from that role.

M&K's audit reports on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2013 did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.

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During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and in the subsequent interim period through March 30, 2015, there were (i) no disagreements between our Quarterlycompany and M&K on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of M&K, would have caused M&K to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in their reports on the financial statements for such years, and (ii) no "reportable events" as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.

We provided M&K with a copy of the disclosures we made in a Current Report on Form 10-Q8-K (the "Report") prior to the time the Report was filed with the SEC. We requested that M&K furnish a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether or not it agrees with the statements made therein. A copy of M&K's letter dated March 30, 2015 was attached as Exhibit 16.1 to the Report.

In deciding to engage Crowe Horwath, the Audit Committee reviewed auditor independence and existing commercial relationships with Crowe Horwath and concluded that Crowe Horwath has no commercial relationship with our company that would impair its independence. During the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and in the subsequent interim period through March 30, 2015, neither we nor anyone acting on our behalf consulted with Crowe Horwath on any of the matters or events set forth in Item 304(a)(2) of Regulation S-K.

Fees Paid For Professional Services to our Independent Registered Public Accountants

The following table sets forth the fees accrued or paid to our independent registered public accounting firms for the periodyears ended June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2014.

Audit and Non-Audit Fees

   Crowe Horwath LLP  M&K CPAS PLLC
   FY 2015  FY 2015(3)  FY 2014
          
Audit fees(1) $189,380  $39,500  $111,365 
Audit-related fees(2)      
Tax fees      
All other fees      
     Total $189,380  $39,500  $111,365 

(1) Audit fees relate to professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements, quarterly review of financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and audit services provided in connection with other statutory and regulatory filings.
(2) Audit-related fees comprise fees for professional services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements. We incurred no audit-related fees in fiscal 2014 or 2015.
(3) Represents fees accrued or paid to M&K as our independent registered public accounting firm through March 30, 2015.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services Performed by the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We maintain an auditor independence policy that bans our auditors from performing non-financial consulting services, such as information technology consulting and internal audit services. This policy mandates that the Audit Committee approve the audit and non-audit services and related budget in advance, and that the Audit Committee be provided with quarterly reporting on actual spending. This policy also mandates that we may not enter into auditor engagements for non-audit services without the express approval of the Audit Committee. In accordance with this policy, the Audit Committee pre-approved all services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm.

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Vote Required

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy on the matter is necessary to ratify the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accountants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" the ratification of the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as the Company's independent registered public accountants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016.

PROPOSAL NO. 4
ADVISORY VOTE ON NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
("SAY-ON-PAY")

As required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act, we are seeking an advisory, non-binding stockholder vote with respect to compensation awarded to our Named Executive Officers.

Our executive compensation program and compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers are described beginning on page 40 of this proxy statement. Our compensation programs are overseen by the Compensation Committee and reflect our philosophy to pay all of our employees, including our Named Executive Officers, in ways that support the following principles that we believe reflect our core values (our members come first; relationships matter; be open, honest and constructive; demand excellence; take intelligent risks; and act like an owner):

support, attract and retain the best talent;

support a high-performance culture by rewarding excellence and achievement;

recognize and retain top-performing talent via differentiated rewards and opportunities;

reinforce alignment with our Company's values (in particular, a focus on excellence and an attitude of ownership);

create alignment with our Company's long-term performance; and

provide an opportunity for each employee to share in the success we create together.

To help achieve these objectives, we structure our Named Executive Officers' compensation to reward the achievement of short-term and long-term strategic and operational goals.

Based on the above, we request that stockholders approve the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as described pursuant to the disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the stockholders of S&W Seed Company (the "Company") approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table and the related compensation tables and narrative in the Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The above resolution, commonly referred to as a "say-on-pay" resolution, is non-binding on the Board of Directors. Although non-binding, the Board and the Compensation Committee will carefully review and consider the voting results when evaluating our executive compensation program. At our 2013 Annual Meeting, our stockholders

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expressed support to hold an advisory vote on our executive compensation program every year. Therefore, we expect the next advisory vote on executive compensation to occur at our 2016 annual meeting.

Vote Required

Approval of Named Executive Officer compensation requires the approval of a majority of the shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote "FOR" the approval of the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the name and certain information as of October 20, 2015 about our executive officers who are not members of our Board of Directors. Biographical information about Mark S. Grewal, our President and Chief Executive Officer, can be found on page 9 of this proxy statement.

Name

Age

Position

Matthew K. Szot

41

Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Dennis C. Jury

55

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Szot has served as our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since March 2010. In August 2014, he was designated our Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, after having held the title of Senior Vice President prior thereto. Mr. Szot also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of our wholly owned subsidiaries, S&W Seed Australia Pty Ltd and Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd. From February 2007 until October 2011, Mr. Szot served as the Chief Financial Officer for Cardiff Partners, LLC, a strategic consulting company that provides executive financial services to various publicly traded and privately held companies. From July 2011 until October 2011, Mr. Szot also served as the Chief Financial Officer for CommerceTel Corporation N/K/A Mobivity Holdings Corp. From 2003 to December 2006, Mr. Szot served as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Rip Curl, Inc., a market leader in wetsuit and action sports apparel products. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Szot was a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG and served as an Audit Manager for various publicly traded companies. Mr. Szot has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics/Accountancy from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

Effective April 1, 2013, the closing date of our acquisition of Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd ("SGI"), we appointed Dennis Jury as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Jury also serves as Chief Executive and General Manager of SGI--now operating as a subsidiary of ours. Prior to the acquisition, Mr. Jury, served as SGI's Managing Director from July 2009 through the closing. He is a veteran of the agricultural industry, having worked for ICI Crop Care, Schering Ag, and South Australian Seedgrowers Cooperative in various roles including territory sales, territory manager, and product and market development manager, before joining SGI in August 2003 as Business Manager. Mr. Jury studied Agricultural Science at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in Urbrae, South Australia with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree, and received his MBA from the University of Adelaide Graduate School of Management.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide a separately-captioned "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" (a "CD&A") section. However, in order to provide a greater understanding to our stockholders regarding our compensation policies and decisions with respect to our Named Executive Officers, we are including the following narrative disclosure to highlight salient portions of a typical CD&A. This narrative disclosure should be read in conjunction with the Summary Compensation Table and related tables that are presented elsewhere in this proxy statement.

Compensation Philosophy and Processes

Compensation for our executives and key employees is designed to attract and retain people who share our vision and values and who can consistently perform in such a manner that enables the Company to achieve its strategic goals. The Compensation Committee believes that the total compensation package for each of the Named Executive Officers is competitive with the market, thereby allowing us to retain executive talent capable of leveraging the skills of our employees and our unique assets in order to increase stockholder value. Our Named Executive Officers refers to those executive officers identified in the Summary Compensation Table below. Our Named Executive Officers for fiscal year 2015 included the following individuals: Mark S. Grewal, President and Chief Executive Officer; Matthew K. Szot, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer; and Dennis C. Jury, Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer.

Our company's executive compensation programs are designed to (1) motivate and reward our Named Executive Officers, (2) retain our Named Executive Officers and encourage their quality service, (3) incentivize our Named Executive Officers to appropriately manage risks while improving our financial results, and (4) align executive officers' interests with those of our stockholders. Under these programs, our executive officers are rewarded for the achievement of company objectives and the realization of increased stockholder value.

The program seeks to remain competitive with the market while also aligning the executive compensation program with stockholder interests through the following types of compensation: (i) base salary; (ii) annual cash-based incentive bonuses; and (iii) equity-based incentive awards.

Key Executive Compensation Objectives

The compensation policies developed by the Compensation Committee are based on the philosophy that compensation should reflect both company-wide performance, financially and operationally, and the individual performance of the executive, including management of personnel under his supervision. The Compensation Committee's objectives when setting compensation for our Named Executive Officers include:

40


General Objectives of the Compensation Program

The compensation program for our Named Executive Officers is designed to align management's incentives with the interests of our stockholders and to be competitive with comparable employers. Our compensation philosophy recognizes the value of rewarding our Named Executive Officers for their past performance and motivating them to continue to excel in the future. The Compensation Committee has developed and maintains a compensation program that rewards superior performance of both the Company and of each individual executive, and seeks to encourage actions that drive our business strategy. We have recently instituted a process by which the Compensation Committee or a member thereof, will meet with each of our executives quarterly to review performance, goals and expectations so that our annual compensation decisions, when made, will be more transparent. Our compensation strategy is to provide a competitive opportunity for senior executives taking into account their total compensation packages, which include a combination of base salary, cash-based incentive bonuses, and equity-based incentive bonuses. At the Named Executive Officer level, our incentive compensation arrangements are designed to reward the achievement of year-to-year operating performance goals.

Oversight of Executive Compensation

The Role of the Compensation Committee in Setting Compensation. Our Compensation Committee determines and recommends to our Board of Directors the compensation of our executive officers. The Compensation Committee also administers the 2009 Plan. The Compensation Committee reviews base salary levels for executive officers of our company and recommends raises and bonuses based upon the company's achievements, individual performance and competitive and market conditions. The Compensation Committee may delegate certain of its responsibilities, as it deems appropriate, to compensation subcommittees or to our officers, but it has not elected to do so to date.

The Role of Executives in Setting Compensation. While the Compensation Committee does not delegate any of its functions to others in setting the compensation of senior management, it includes members of senior management the Compensation Committee's executive compensation process. We have asked each of our senior executives to annually provide us with their personal compensation proposals for the coming year. These proposals include the executive's suggested mix of base salary, performance-based bonuses and equity awards and an articulation of both company-wide and individual performance goals. The individual goals include not only the goals of such executive but also goals of the employees for whom the executive is responsible. The Compensation Committee reviews these proposals with the executives and provides the Committee's perspective on those aspects of the plan that the Committee may feel should be modified. Quarterly meetings with the executives will permit an ongoing dialog to further our goal of enhancing communication and managing expectations regarding compensation matters.

The Role of Consultants in Setting Compensation. In fiscal 2015, the Compensation Committee did not retain compensation consultants to assist it in its review of executive compensation although it is empowered by its charter to do so and did receive input from Frederic W. Cook & Co. in fiscal 2014. As the Compensation Committee deems necessary or helpful, it may retain the services of compensation consultants in connection with the establishment and development of our compensation philosophy and programs in the future.

Elements of Compensation

The material elements of the compensation program for our Named Executive Officers include: (i) base salary; (ii) cash-based incentive bonuses; and (iii) equity-based incentive awards.

Base Salaries. We provide our Named Executive Officers with a base salary to compensate them for services rendered during the fiscal year and sustained performance. The purpose of the base salary is to reflect job responsibilities, value to us and competitiveness of the market. Salaries for our Named Executive Officers are determined by the Compensation Committee based on the following factors: nature and responsibility of the position and, to the extent available, salary norms for comparable positions; the expertise of the individual executive; and the competitiveness of the market for the executive's services. When benchmarked against the peer group provided by Frederic W. Cook & Co., cash compensation paid to our executive officers is substantially lower than the peer group.

41


Performance Cash-Based Incentive Bonuses. Our practice is to award cash-based incentive bonuses based upon the achievement of performance objectives or significant accomplishments as established by the Compensation Committee from time-to-time in its discretion. These performance objectives and significant accomplishments are, in part, developed in partnership with the executive and are discussed on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Performance Equity-Based Incentive Awards. It is our objective to have a substantial portion of each Named Executive Officer's compensation contingent upon overall corporate and department performance as well as upon his own level of performance and contribution towards such corporate performance. Our Compensation Committee believes that equity-based awards for the achievement of defined objectives or significant accomplishments create value for our company and aligns the executive's compensation with the interests of our stockholders. Accordingly, we expect to continue to use equity-based incentive awards as a key component of compensation awarded to our executives in fiscal 2016 and beyond.

Key Compensation Decisions and Developments for Fiscal Year 2015

Executive Officer Compensation

The following Summary Compensation Table sets forth certain information regarding the compensation earned during fiscal 2015 by (i) our Chief Executive Officer, and (ii) our two most highly compensated executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer who were serving as executive officers at the end of the end of fiscal 2015. These individuals are referred to herein as our "Named Executive Officers."

Summary Compensation Table

   Year  Salary ($)  Option
Awards ($)(1)
  All Other
Compensation ($)
  Total ($)
                 
Mark S. Grewal  2015 $338,841  $82,772  $22,638 (2) $444,251 
President and Chief Executive Officer  2014  300,000   17,493   16,400 (2)  333,893 
                 
Matthew K. Szot  2015  267,163   76,015   16,176 (3)  359,355 
Executive Vice President of Finance and  2014  200,000   15,409   8,758 (3)  224,167 
Administration and Chief Financial Officer                
                 
Dennis C. Jury(4)  2015  167,853   59,123   25,662 (5)  252,638 
Executive Vice President of Operations  2014  160,136   26,691   27,173 (5)  214,000 
and Chief Operating Officer                

__________

(1) The amounts shown for stock awards and option awards represent the aggregate grant date fair value of such awards granted to the Named Executive Officers as computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. For each award, the grant date fair value is calculated using the closing price of our common stock on the grant date and, in the case of the restricted stock awards, assuming 100% probability of achievement of conditions for full vesting as of the grant date. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the Named Executive Officers upon vesting or exercise of such awards. For information on the assumptions used to calculate the value of the awards, refer to Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.

(2) Includes (a) $16,638 and $10,400 in 401(k) matching employer contributions for fiscal 2015 and 2014, respectively; and (b) $6,000 in each fiscal year, representing the personal use benefit related to a country club membership, used primarily for business purposes.

(3) Represents the 401(k) matching employer contributions for fiscal 2015 and 2014.

(4) Mr. Jury is paid in Australian Dollars, while the dollar amounts in the table are in U.S. Dollars, using the average exchange rate over the applicable fiscal year. Because of the decline in the Australian Dollar between fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015, the U.S. Dollar amounts do not provide a true understanding of Mr. Jury's year-over-year compensation. In Australian Dollars: (a) salary was AUD $200,679 and AUD $170,014 in fiscal 2015 and 2014, respectively; (b) a motor vehicle allowance was AUD $12,012 in each of fiscal 2015 and 2014; and (c) the superannuation guarantee contribution was AUD $18,669 and AUD $16,837 in fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively. Total compensation for Mr. Jury was AUD $231,360 in fiscal 2015 and AUD $198,863 in fiscal 2014. Mr. Jury's base annual salary was increased to AUD $225,00 as of January 1, 2015.

(5) Includes for fiscal 2015: (a) $10,047 (AUD $12,012) as a motor vehicle allowance; and (b) $15,615 (AUD $18,669) for the superannuation guarantee contribution. Includes for fiscal 2014: $11,314 (AUD $12,012) as a motor vehicle allowance and $15,859 (AUD $16,837) for the superannuation guarantee contribution.

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End 2015

The following table sets forth information regarding each unexercised option award held by our Named Executive Officers as of June 30, 2015.

Option Awards

Stock Awards

Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options (#)

Option
Exercise
Price
($)

Option
Expiration
Date

Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
that have
not Vested
(#)

Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock that
have not
Vested
($)

Exercisable

Unexercisable

Mark S. Grewal

75,000

-

$4.20

10/24/2016

25,000

-

7.20

12/08/2017

5,000

5,000(1)

6.14

12/10/2018

7,000

-

6.23

1/31/2019

-

4,081

44,919(2)

3.95

12/11/2024

47,224(3)

$230,453

Matthew K. Szot

50,000

-

4.20

10/24/2016

20,833

4,167(4)

7.20

12/08/2017

5,000

5,000(1)

6.14

12/10/2018

2,083

2,917(5)

6.23

01/31/2019

3,750

41,250(2)

3.95

12/11/2024

47,224(3)

230,453

Dennis C. Jury

10,500

10,500(1)

6.14

12/10/2018

2,083

2,917(5)

6.23

01/31/2019

2,915

32,085(2)

3.95

12/11/2024

(1) Options vest in twelve quarterly installments on the first day of the fiscal quarter. Vesting commenced on January 1, 2014 and will continue through October 1, 2016. As of the date of this proxy statement, these options are out of the money.

(2) Options vest in twelve quarterly installments on the first day of the fiscal quarter. Vesting commenced on April 1, 2015 and will continue through January 1, 2018.

(3) Restricted stock unit awards, which were made on March 16, 2013, vest quarterly with the passage of time beginning on July 1, 2013 and continuing through October 1, 2017. The market value of the restricted stock units is based on a closing price of $4.88, which was the closing price on June 30, 2015, the last trading day of fiscal 2015. This value does not reflect the decline in the market price of our common stock since June 30, 2015.

(4) Options vest in twelve quarterly installments on the first day of the fiscal quarter. Vesting commenced on January 1, 2013, with the last quarterly vesting occurring on October 1, 2015.

(5) Options vest in twelve quarterly installments on the first day of the fiscal quarter. Vesting commenced on April 1, 2014 and will continue through January 1, 2017. As of the date of this proxy statement, these options are out of the money.

2009 Equity Incentive Plan

Our 2009 Plan authorizes the grant and issuance of options and other equity compensation, including stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance awards and other stock-based compensation to employees, officers, directors and consultants. A total of 1,700,000 shares of common stock are

44


currently reserved for issuance under the 2009 Plan; however, we are seeking approval from our stockholders to increase the total number of shares to 2,450,000. See Proposal No. 2 in this proxy statement, which includes a description of the terms of the 2009 Plan.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table summarizes the information about the options and other equity compensation under our 2009 Plan as of the close of business on June 30, 2015. We have no equity compensation plans that have not been approved by our stockholders.

Plan Category

Number of
Securities to be
Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights
(a)

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights ($)
(b)

Number of Securities
Remaining Available
for Future Issuance
under Equity
Compensation Plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column
(a))
(c)

Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Stockholders

1,038,369

(1)

$5.33(2)

661,631

________

(1) Represents awards granted under the 2009 Plan. Consists of 901,697 options and 136,672 RSUs.
(2) Represents the weighted average exercise price of outstanding options.

Employment Agreements with Named Executive Officers

Mr. Grewal

On February 26, 2013, we entered into a new employment agreement with our President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark S. Grewal (the "Grewal Employment Agreement"), pursuant to which Mr. Grewal agreed to continue to serve in these positions for a three-year term, effective January 1, 2013. The Grewal Employment Agreement provides for an employment term commencing on January 1, 2013 and ending on December 31, 2016. Mr. Grewal also serves as a member of our Board of Directors, and he continues to serve as a director under the Grewal Employment Agreement subject to the Company's corporate governance and director election policies and procedures.

The Grewal Employment Agreement set forth Mr. Grewal's initial base salary, which has been increased annually by the Compensation Committee, in accordance with its granted discretion. Mr. Grewal's annual salary was increased to $350,000 as of January 1, 2015 following the DuPont Pioneer acquisition. The Grewal Employment Agreement also provides for the right to receive periodic bonuses in the future at the discretion of our Compensation Committee. All components of Mr. Grewal's compensation under the Employment Agreement, including base salary and bonuses, will be subject to regular review by the Compensation Committee.

The Grewal Employment Agreement also provides that, while employed, Mr. Grewal will be entitled to participate in the Company's equity incentive plans (as administered by the Compensation Committee), as well as other Company benefit and perquisite plans and policies in accordance with their terms as in effect from time to time, on the same basis as such benefits are generally made available to other executive officers of the Company. Mr. Grewal will be provided with an automobile at the Company's expense and will also receive a one-time payment of $5,000 as reimbursement for automobile insurance, maintenance and repairs incurred during the term of Mr. Grewal's prior employment agreement.

If Mr. Grewal's employment is terminated by the Company without cause, he will be entitled to compensation and other benefits (such as accrued but unused vacation) that have accrued but not yet been paid, and subject to his execution and delivery of a release of claims against the Company, he will be entitled to receive from the Company:

45


a cash severance payment equal to six months of Mr. Grewal's base salary immediately prior to his termination and the full vesting of all stock options or other equity grants awarded to him pursuant to the Company's equity incentive plans. If Mr. Grewal's employment is discontinued as the result of a change of control, he will be entitled to compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid, a cash severance payment equal to twelve months of Mr. Grewal's base salary immediately prior to the change of control, and the full vesting of all stock options or other equity grants awarded to him pursuant to the Company's equity incentive plans. If Mr. Grewal's employment is terminated for cause, he will only be entitled to the compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid, and all future vesting of equity awards then held by him will cease immediately. In the event that Mr. Grewal's employment is terminated due to Mr. Grewal's death or disability, he will be entitled to receive compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid and any equity awards held by him will vest if and to the extent provided in the applicable plan and award agreements.

Mr. Szot

On August 6, 2014, we entered into an amendment to the employment agreement (the "Amendment") with our Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. The Amendment memorialized the following modifications to Mr. Szot's Employment Agreement with the Company dated April 1, 2013 (the "Szot Employment Agreement"): (i) Mr. Szot's title was changed from "Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer" to "Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer;" (ii) the term of the Employment Agreement was extended by six months, with the termination date now being September 30, 2016 instead of March 31, 2016; and (iii) Mr. Szot's base salary was increased from $200,000 to $250,000 per year. Mr. Szot's annual salary was increased to $285,000 as of January 1, 2015 by the Compensation Committee following the DuPont Pioneer acquisition.

The Szot Employment Agreement provides Mr. Szot with the right to receive periodic bonuses in the future at the discretion of our Compensation Committee. All components of Mr. Szot's compensation under the Szot Employment Agreement, including yearly base salary and bonuses, will be subject to regular review by the Compensation Committee.

The Szot Employment Agreement also provides that, while employed, Mr. Szot will be entitled to participate in the Company's equity incentive plans (as administered by the Compensation Committee), as well as other Company benefit and perquisite plans and policies in accordance with their terms as in effect from time to time, on the same basis as such benefits are generally made available to other executive officers of the Company.

If Mr. Szot's employment is terminated by the Company without cause, he will be entitled to compensation and other benefits (such as accrued but unused vacation) that have accrued but not yet been paid, and subject to his execution and delivery of a release of claims against the Company, he will be entitled to receive from the Company: a cash severance payment equal to twelve months of Mr. Szot's base salary immediately prior to his termination and the full vesting of all stock options or other equity grants awarded to him pursuant to the Company's equity incentive plans. If Mr. Szot's employment is discontinued as the result of a change of control, he will be entitled to compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid, a cash severance payment equal to twelve months of Mr. Szot's base salary immediately prior to the change of control, and the full vesting of all stock options or other equity grants awarded to him pursuant to the Company's equity incentive plans. If Mr. Szot's employment is terminated for cause, he will only be entitled to the compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid, and all future vesting of equity awards then held by him will cease immediately. In the event that Mr. Szot's employment is terminated due to Mr. Szot's death or disability, he will be entitled to receive compensation and other benefits that have accrued but not yet been paid and any equity awards held by him will vest if and to the extent provided in the applicable plan and award agreements.

Mr. Jury

On March 28, 2013, Mr. Jury entered into an employment agreement with our subsidiary, SGI, under the terms of which he serves as General Manager of SGI. He has also been serving as the Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer of S&W. The agreement provided for a base salary of AUD $170,000, plus a car allowance and a 9% company contribution to his superannuation (retirement) fund. The compensation is subject to annual review, and Mr. Jury has been granted increased compensation annually. His current base salary, as of January 1, 2015, is AUD $225,000. The agreement may be terminated by either SGI or Mr. Jury upon one month's

46


notice to the other party. SGI may also terminate Mr. Jury's employment at any time for cause, as specifically enumerated in the agreement. Although not specifically provided for in the employment agreement, Mr. Jury participates in our equity incentive plan and will be a participant in the newly formulated incentive bonus plan being put into place in fiscal 2016. His employment agreement contains no express change of control provisions.

SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class of our equity securities, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock and other equity securities. Executive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders are required by SEC regulation to provide to us copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us and written representations that no other reports were required during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, other than Mark Wong, whose Form 3 and one Form 4 were not timely filed during fiscal 2015, our executive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to these proxy materialsexecutive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

Policies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions

Our Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving, in advance, all related party transactions. Related parties include any of our directors or executive officers, certain of our stockholders and their immediate family members. This obligation is set forth in writing in the Audit Committee charter. A copy of the Audit Committee charter is available on our website at http://www.swseedco.com in the addressInvestors section under "Corporate Governance." Each year, the Audit Committee, assisted by our legal counsel, works with our directors, executive officers and certain stockholders to identify any transactions with us in which the executive officer or director or their family members have an interest. We review related party transactions due to the potential for a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, with our interests.

Additionally, our Code of Conduct and Ethics establishes the corporate standards of behavior for all our employees, officers, and directors and sets our expectations of contractors and agents. The Code of Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at http://www.swseedco.com in the Investors section under "Corporate Governance." Our Code of Conduct and Ethics requires any person who becomes aware of any departure from the standards in our Code of Conduct and Ethics to report his or her knowledge promptly to a supervisor or to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Related Person Transactions

Imperial Valley Milling

Glen D. Bornt, a member of our Board of Directors, is the founder and President of Imperial Valley Milling Co. ("IVM"). He is its majority shareholder and a member of its Board of Directors. Fred Fabre, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, is a minority shareholder of IVM. IVM had a 15-year supply agreement with Imperial Valley Seeds, Inc., and this agreement was assigned by IVS to S&W when we purchased the assets of IVS in October 2012. IVM contracts with alfalfa seed growers in California's Imperial Valley and sells its growers' seed to us pursuant to a supply agreement. Under the terms of the supply agreement, IVM's entire certified and uncertified alfalfa seed production will be offered and sold to us, and we will have the exclusive option to purchase all or any portion of IVM's seed production. We paid $10,227,254 and $12,506,088 to IVM during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Total amounts due to IVM totaled $651,611 and $863,884 at June 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Amounts due to IVM totaled $834,158 and $651,611 at June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2014, respectively.

47


Bungalally Farms

Simon Pengelly, SGI's Chief Financial Officer, has a non-controlling ownership interest in the partnership Bungalally Farms ("BF"). BF is one of SGI's contract alfalfa seed growers. SGI currently has entered into seed production contracts with BF on the same commercial terms and conditions as with the other growers with whom SGI contracts for alfalfa seed production. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, we purchased a total of $428,796 of alfalfa seed that BF grew and sold to SGI under contract seed production agreements. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and the year ended June 30, 2014, we purchased a total of $884,097 of alfalfa seed. SGI currently has seed production agreements with BF for 123 hectares of various seed varieties as part of its contract production for which SGI paid BF the same price it agreed to pay its other growers. Mr. Pengelly did not personally receive any portion of these funds. Amounts due to BF totaled $293,772 and $373,341 at June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

48


AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The following is www.swseedco.com. Anythe report of the Audit Committee with respect to the Company's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2015. The information contained in this report shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or otherwise considered "filed" with the SEC, and such documentsinformation shall not be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or reportsthe Exchange Act except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates such information by reference in such filing.

The Audit Committee consists of four members: Messrs. Fleming, Matina, Seidler and Wong. All of the members are independent directors under the Nasdaq and SEC Audit Committee structure and membership requirements. The Audit Committee has certain duties and powers as described in its written charter adopted by the Board. A copy of the charter can be found on our website at www.swseedco.com/investors.

The Audit Committee is responsible primarily for assisting the Board in fulfilling its oversight and monitoring responsibility of reviewing the financial information that will be furnishedprovided to stockholders and others, appointing the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, reviewing the services performed by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, evaluating the Company's accounting policies and the system of internal controls established by management and the Board, reviewing significant financial transactions and overseeing enterprise risk management. The Audit Committee does not itself prepare financial statements or perform audits, and its members are not auditors or certifiers of our financial statements.

In fulfilling its oversight responsibility of appointing and reviewing the services performed by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, the Audit Committee carefully reviews the policies and procedures for the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm, including the scope of the audit, audit fees, auditor independence matters and the extent to which the independent registered public accounting firm may be retained to perform non-audit services.

The Company maintains an auditor independence policy that, among other things, prohibits the Company's independent registered public accounting firm from performing non- financial consulting services, such as information technology consulting and internal audit services. This policy mandates that the Audit Committee approve in advance the audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. This policy also mandates that the Company may not enter into engagements with the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for non-audit services without chargethe express pre-approval of the Audit and Finance Committee.

In connection with the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, the Audit Committee has:

(1) reviewed and discussed the audited consolidated financial statements with management and Crowe Horwath LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm;

(2) discussed with Crowe Horwath, the matters required to be discussed by the statement on Auditing Standard No. 16, as amended (AICPA,Professional Standards, Vol. 1. AU Section 380), as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") in Rule 3200T; and

(3) received the written disclosures and the letter from Crowe Horwath required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the Auditors' communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the Auditors the Auditors' independence.

49


Based upon written or oral request as follows:

these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Company's Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in S&W Seed CompanyCompany's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our Board has approved this inclusion.

AUDIT COMMITTEE
Attn: SecretaryMichael M. Fleming, Chairman
7108 N. Fresno Street, Suite 380Alexander C. Matina
Fresno, California 93720Charles B. Seidler
Telephone: (559) 884-2535
Fax: (559) 255-5457
Email: secretary@swseedco.comMark Wong

PROXY SOLICITATIONOTHER BUSINESS

The costsOur Board, at the time of providing the ability to vote over the Internet and the costs in preparing and mailingpreparation of this proxy statement, and formknows of proxy cardno other matters that will be paid by us. In additionpresented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named on the accompanying proxy to soliciting proxies by telephone, Internet and mail, employees of S&W may, at our expense, solicit proxiesvote on such matters in person, by telephone, courier service, advertisement, telecopier or other electronic means.

We have retained Georgeson, Inc. as our proxy solicitor to assist in the solicitation of proxies. We will pay Georgeson a fee of approximately $20,000 for its services as proxy solicitor, plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them. S&W will, at its own expense, pay those entities holding S&W common stock in the names ofaccordance with their beneficial owners for their reasonable expenses in delivering proxy solicitation materials to their beneficial owners, including objecting beneficial owners.best judgment.

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

CompaniesThe SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g.e.g., brokers) are permitted under the SEC's rules to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy materials with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single managementset of proxy statementmaterials addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as "householding,"householding, potentially meansprovides extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.

AThis year, a number of brokers with account holders who are our stockholders will be "householding" our proxy materials. Proxy Materials will be delivered in one single envelope to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from your broker that they will be "householding" communications to your address, "householding" will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in "householding" and would prefer to receive a separate set of Proxy Materials, please notify your broker, direct your written request to Secretary, S&W Seed Company, 7108 N.North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720 or contact Transfer Online, Inc. at (503) 227-2950. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the Proxy Materials at their address and would like to request "householding" of their communications should contact their broker. In addition, we will promptly deliver, upon written or oral request to the address or telephone number above, a separate copy of the Proxy Materials to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

5850


AUDITORS, TRANSFER AGENTAPPENDIX A
AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO AMENDED AND REGISTRARRESTATED
2009 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

The independent registered public accounting firm that audits S&W's financial statements is M&K CPAS, PLLC, whose offices are located at 4100 North Sam Houston Parkway, Houston, TX 77086. No representative from M&K CPAS will be present at the Special Meeting, so there will be no statement made by our auditors and no opportunity to ask questions of our auditors.

The transfer agent and registrar for S&W's common stock is Transfer Online, Inc., which is located at 512 SE Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97214. A representative of Transfer Online will attend the meeting as Inspector of Elections and will tabulate the votes cast.

OTHER MATTERS

If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the Special Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a motion to adjourn or postpone the Special Meeting to another time or place in order to solicit additional proxies in favor of the recommendation of the S&W Board, the designated proxyholders intend to vote the shares represented by the proxies appointing them on such matters in their judgment and the authority to do so is included in the proxy.

Under Nevada law, a corporation is not required to give any notice of an adjourned meeting or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting, other than by announcement at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless the board fixes a new record date for the adjourned meeting or the meeting date is adjourned to a date more than 60 days later than the date set for the original meeting, in which case a new record date must be fixed and notice given.

59


EXHIBIT A

February 25, 2015

Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20549

Commissioners:

We are aware that our report dated January 19, 2015 on our audit of the special purpose combined financial statements of the Alfalfa business of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, which comprise the special purpose combined statements of assets to be sold and liabilities to be assumed as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, and the related special purpose combined statements of revenues and direct expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2013 is included in the Preliminary Proxy Statement of S&W Seed Company dated(the "Company"), a Nevada corporation, hereby adopts the following Amendment No. 3 to the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan was originally adopted by the Company's Board of Directors in October 2009 and by its stockholders in February 25, 2015.

Very truly yours,

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP


PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
T: (267) 330-3000, F: (267) 330-3300, www.pwc.com/us

60


SCHEDULE I

SHARE ISSUANCE RESOLUTION

RESOLVED THAT:

2010. The Board approved this Amendment No. 3 on July 15, 2015 for submission to the Company's stockholders of S&W Seed Company hereby authorize and approvefor approval at the issuance of shares2015 Annual Meeting of the Company's Common Stock issuable upon conversionStockholders of upthe Company.

A. Section 3.1(a) of the Plan is amended and replaced in its entirety with the following:

3.1. Number of Shares.

(a) Subject to $27,000,000adjustment as provided in 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures atSection 11.1, the applicable conversion price in effect on the date of conversion and upon exercise of up to 2,699,999 Common Stock Purchase Warrants at the applicable exercise price on the date of exercise, plus an indeterminate additional number of shares of Common Stock issued or transferred and covered by outstanding awards granted under this Plan shall not in the Company'saggregate exceed 2,450,000 shares of Common Stock, which may be Common Stock of original issuance or Common Stock held in treasury, or a combination thereof. Subject to the provisions of Section 11.1 regarding adjustments in the event of stock splits, reverse stock splits and other recapitalization events, the aggregate maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued from time to time in lieu of cash payments of interest, principal redemption or other obligations that may payable in shares at the Company's discretion pursuant to the termsexercise of Incentive Stock Options shall be 2,450,000. The Company shall at all times during the term of the Debentures,Plan, and while any Stock Awards are outstanding, retain as authorized and unissued Common Stock or as treasury Common Stock, at least the number of shares of Common Stock required under the provisions of this Plan, or otherwise assure itself of its ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

B. This Amendment is subject to, and shall become effective only upon, approval by the Company's stockholders.

C. Except as specifically amended by this Amendment No. 3, the Plan shall remain in each case without givingfull force and effect to the conversion cap set forth in the Warrants and the Debentures.

accordance with its terms.

6151


S&W SEED COMPANY

PROXY SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE SPECIALANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL 10,DECEMBER 11, 2015

The stockholder(s) whose signature(s) appear(s) on the reverse side of this proxy form hereby appoint(s) Mark S. Grewal and Matthew K. Szot, and Debra K. Weiner, and anyeither of them as proxies, with full power of substitution, and hereby authorize(s) them to represent and vote all shares of Common Stock of S&W Seed Company that the stockholder(s) would be entitled to vote on all matters that may come before the SpecialAnnual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 11:The Warwick San Francisco, 490 Geary Street, San Francisco, California at 10:00 a.m. Pacific timeTime on April 10,December 11, 2015, or at any adjournments or postponements thereof. The proxies shall vote subject to the directions indicated on the reverse side of this card, and the proxies are authorized to vote in their discretion upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.The proxies will vote as the Board of Directors recommends where a choice is not specified.

Please complete, sign, date and mail this proxy form in the accompanying envelope, even if you intend to be present at the meeting. You may also grant your Proxy via the Internet by following the instructions below.

VOTE BY INTERNET

It is fast, convenient, and your vote is immediately confirmed and posted.

Proxy ID: ____________________

Proxy ID:___________             Authorization Code:_____________

Security Code: ____________________

Instructions for voting electronically:

1. Read the accompanying Proxy Statement and Proxy Card
2. Go to www.transferonline.com/proxy
3 Enter yourProxy CodeID andSecurityAuthorization Code
4. Press SubmitContinue
5. Make your selections
6. Press SubmitVote Now

 

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

(Continued and to be signed and dated on the reverse side)

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT


The Board of Directors recommends a voteFORthe nominees listed below
andFORProposal No. 1.Nos. 2, 3 and 4.

Please mark your proxy as in this example:  x

PROPOSAL NO. 1: APPROVAL OF SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL To approve

1.    Election of Directors.

Glen D. Bornt
Michael M. Fleming
Mark S. Grewal
Mark J. Harvey
Alexander C. Matina

Charles B. Seidler
William S. Smith
Grover T. Wickersham
Mark Wong

o FOR the issuancenominees listed above.

o FOR the nominees listed above EXCEPT: ________________________________________

o WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for all nominees listed above.

2.    Approval of Amendment No. 3 to the S&W Seed Company common stock issuable upon conversionAmended and exercise of upRestated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan to $27,000,000 in principal amount of 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures and Common Stock Purchase Warrants, respectively, which securities were issued inincrease the Debenture Private Placement that closed on December 31, 2014, plus an indeterminate additional number of sharesshare reserve thereunder by 750,000 shares.

oFOR      o AGAINST      o ABSTAIN

3.    Ratification of the Company's Common Stock that may be issued from time to time in lieuappointment of cash payments of interest, principal redemption or other obligations that may payable in shares atCrowe Horwath LLP as the Company's discretion pursuant toindependent registered public accounting firm for the termsfiscal year ending June 30, 2016.

oFOR      o AGAINST      o ABSTAIN

4.    Approval, on an advisory basis, of the Debentures.compensation of our Named Executive Officers.

oFOR      o AGAINST      o ABSTAIN

FOR

o

AGAINST

o

ABSTAIN

THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, WILL BE VOTEDFOR THE SHARE ISSUANCEEACH PROPOSAL.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature                Date: ______________

________________
Print Name: ________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________
\ Signature, if Jointly Held            Date: ______________________________

Print Name: __________________________________________________________________________________

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear on the Proxy. When shares are held by joint tenants, both should sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If a corporation, please sign in full corporate name by president or other authorized officer. If a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person.

Address Change? Mark box, sign and indicate changes below: o

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting to be Held on April 10, 2015

We have made available on our website a set of our proxy materials for the Special Meeting. For your convenience, you can access those materials under "April 10, 2015 Special Meeting" on the Investors page of our website atwww.swseedco.com but you will not be able to vote on that website.