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)

 

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x

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(1)

Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

(2)

Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

(3)

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(4)

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(5)

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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.

 

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October 28, 2016

To our stockholders:

We are pleased to invite you to attend the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders of S&W Seed Company, to be held on Friday, December 9, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time at The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, California.

Details regarding the business to be conducted are described in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the Proxy Statement.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you attend the annual meeting we hope you will vote as soon as possible. There are three ways that you can cast your ballot - by telephone, by Internet or by mailing the proxy card (if you request one). Please review the instructions included in the Proxy Statement.

Thank you for your ongoing support and continued interest in S&W Seed Company. We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.

Sincerely,

Mark J. Harvey
Chairman of the Board


7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380
Fresno, CA 93720

NOTICE OF SPECIALANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 9, 2016

To Be Held On April 10, 2015the Stockholders of S&W Seed Company:

Dear Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend a specialThe 2016 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, 2015Friday, December 9, 2016 at 11:10:00 a.m. Pacificlocal time at the Company's corporate headquarters located at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno,The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, California, for the following purpose:purposes:

1.

to elect the following eight nominees to the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board"): Glen D. Bornt, David A. Fischhoff, Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander B. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark W. Wong, each to serve until 2017 annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

2.

to ratify the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2017;

3.

to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers, as disclosed in the Proxy Statement; and

4.

to conduct such other business as may properly come 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 statementProxy 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 19, 2016. 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 meeting and during ordinary business hours for ten days prior to the meeting at our corporate offices, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 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.

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


To ensure your representation at the Special 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 Special Meeting.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the SpecialAnnual Meeting of Stockholders to beBe Held on April 10, 2015:December 9, 2016 at The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, California.

Rules adopted byThe Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Stockholders (including the Securities and Exchange Commission allow companies to send stockholders a NoticeForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016) are available free of Internet Availability of proxy materials, rather than mail them full sets of proxy materials. For this Special 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 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.charge at: wwwproxyvote.com.

By Order of the Board of Directors

President and Chief Executive Officer

Fresno, California
March 9, 2015October 28, 2016

You are cordially invited to attend the meeting in person. Whether or not you expect to attend the meeting, please complete, date, sign and return the proxy mailed to you, or vote over the telephone or the internet as described in these materials, as promptly as possible in order to ensure your representation at the meeting. Even if you have voted by proxy, you may still vote in person if you attend the meeting. Please note, however, that if your shares are held of record by a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to vote at the meeting, you must obtain a proxy issued in your name from that record holder.

 

 

2

S&W SEED COMPANY

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2015 SPECIAL2016 ANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS OF S&W SEED COMPANY

AtThe enclosed proxy is solicited by the Special Meeting, we are seeking stockholder approval for the issuanceBoard of shares underlying Debentures and Warrants we issued in a financing transactionDirectors (the "Financing Transaction""Board"), the proceeds 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.

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 SPECIAL MEETING

10

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

14

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

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

58

PROXY SOLICITATION

58

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

58

AUDITORS, TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR

59

OTHER MATTERS

59

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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,"S&W," "us,""we" or "our" and "ours" refer only to S&W Seed Company and not to any other person or entity.

Our stockholders will be asked), for use in voting 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 Special2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders dated March(the "Annual Meeting") to be held at The Westin San Francisco Airport, on December 9, 2015. If2016, at 10:00 a.m. and at any such matter properly comes beforeadjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof, for 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% limitationpurposes 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 stockholdersNotice of record asAnnual Meeting of February 9, 2015, commencing on or about March 11, 2015.Stockholders.

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.TABLE OF CONTENTS

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.

Questions and Answers about the Annual Meeting1
Directors, Corporate Governance and Executive Officers10
Executive Officers25
Executive Compensation30
Proposals37
Proposal No. 1 - Election of Directors37
Proposal No. 2 - Ratification of the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as the Company's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm38
Proposal No. 3 - Approval, on an advisory basis, of Executive Compensation40
Audit Committee Report42
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management43
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance45
Transactions with Related Persons46
Other Business47
Householding47

 

 

2i


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.

7


  • 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

Why am I receiving these materials?

We have prepared these materials for our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") to be held on Friday, December 9, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. S&W is soliciting proxies for use at the Annual Meeting, including any postponements or adjournments.

The Annual Meeting will be held at The Westin San Francisco Airport, located at 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, California. You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and requested to vote on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement (the "Proxy Statement").

These materials were first sent or made available to stockholders on October 28, 2016.

What is thisincluded in these proxy statement? materials?

If you withrequested printed versions by mail, these proxy materials also include the proxy card or voting instruction form for the Annual Meeting.

Why did I receive a notice in connectionthe mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials?

Beginning with its solicitation of proxiesthis Annual Meeting, in accordance with rules adopted by the CompanySecurities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), S&W has elected to be voteduse the Internet as the primary means of furnishing proxy materials to stockholders. Accordingly, we have sent a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the "Notice") to our stockholders pursuant to which the Board is soliciting your proxy to vote at the Special Meeting. Please note that throughout theseAnnual Meeting, including any adjournments or postponements thereof. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials weover the Internet or request a printed copy of the materials can be found in the Notice.

Stockholders may referfollow the instructions in the Notice to elect to receive future proxy materials in print by mail or electronically by email. We encourage stockholders to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet to help reduce the environmental impact of our annual meetings, and reduce the cost to S&W Seed Company as "S&W," "the Company," "we," "us" or "our." Theseassociated with the printing and mailing of materials.

S&W's proxy materials are first being mailedalso available atwww.swseedco.com/investors/annual-meeting-and-proxy/. This website address is included for reference only. The information contained on S&W's website is not incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement.

We intend to mail the Notice on or about October 28, 2016 to all stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Special MeetingAnnual Meeting.

Will I receive any other proxy materials by mail?

We may send you a proxy card, along with a second Notice, on or about March 11, 2015.after November 7, 2016.

What is the purpose of the Special Meeting? At the Special Meeting, our stockholders will act upon the proposal described in these Proxy Materials: That is, you are being asked to consider a proposal to approve the possible future issuance of the Company's common stock upon conversion and exercise of Debentures and Warrants that were issued in a private placement that closed on December 31, 2014, as well as the possible issuance of additional shares of our common stock in lieu of cash payments to service the Debenture indebtedness, at our option and provided various conditions are satisfied.

Who Can Vote?Only holders of record of the common stock on February 9, 2015, which we refer to as the Record Date, will be entitled to attend and vote at the Special Meeting or any adjournment thereof. As of the Record Date, there were 12,961,475 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.

For Stockholders of Record

If, on February 9, 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 Special 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 Special Meeting and vote the shares yourself.Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting, please complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy card or vote online prior to the Special 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 Special Meeting and vote your shares in person at the Special 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 Special Meeting must be received by us at least one day prior to the Special Meeting date, being April 9, 2015, in order to ensure that the votes will be counted.

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For Beneficial Owners

If, on February 9, 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 Special Meeting. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker on how to vote your shares, and you may attend the Special 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.

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 Special 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 Special 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 Special Meeting.

Proxies that are sent to us and not voted in person at the Special Meeting must be received by us at least one day prior to the Special Meeting date, being April 9, 2015, in order to ensure that the votes will be counted.

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

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 Special 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 Special 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 Special Meeting, revoking your proxy and voting in person (although attendance at the Special 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 Special 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 Special 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, 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 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on April 9, 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 Special 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 Special 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 Special Meeting.Attendance at the Special Meeting does not revoke your previously submitted voting instructions. If you have previously voted but want to change your vote at the Special 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 Issuance Proposal and in accordance with the discretion of the proxy holders upon such other business as may properly come before the Special Meeting 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.

What proposalsitems will be voted on at the SpecialAnnual Meeting?At

There are three items scheduled for a vote at the Special Meeting, stockholders will be askedAnnual Meeting:

Will any other business be conducted at the meeting?

Other than the proposals referred to in this Proxy Statement, S&W knows of no other matters to be submitted to the terms of Debentures and Warrants, which securities were previously issued in a private placement. We refer to this proposal asstockholders for consideration at the "Share Issuance Proposal." We are not seeking approvalAnnual Meeting. If any other matters properly come before the stockholders at the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the Acquisition orpersons named in the Financing Transactions.accompanying proxy to vote upon such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

What isare the Board's voting requirement to approve the Share Issuance Proposal, and how does the Board of Directors recommend that you vote? The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, represented and entitled to vote, excluding abstentions, on the proposal is required to approve this proposal (assuming a quorum is present in person or by proxy). 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. You may vote either "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN." recommendations?

The Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares "FOR"shares:

May the Annual Meeting be adjourned or potential issuance by uspostponed?

Any action on the items of our common stock equal to 20% or more of our common stock outstanding beforebusiness described above may be considered at the issuance, ifAnnual Meeting at the price per share is less than the greater of book value or markettime and on the date of pricing. If the Debentures are fully convertedspecified above or at any time 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 onto 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, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock (as calculated on February 9, 2015). That means that at least 6,480,738 shares of common stock must be present at the SpecialAnnual Meeting in order to have a quorum and enable us to conduct the Special 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 Proposal and any other matter than may properly come before the Special 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:

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

Are any of the Company's officers and directors interested in matters to be acted upon? Our officers and directors do not have any interest in the matters to be acted upon at the Special 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, we have engaged Georgeson, Inc. to assist in obtaining proxies by mail, facsimile or email from brokerage firms, banks, broker-dealers or other similar organizations representing beneficial owners of shares for this Special Meeting. We have agreed to a fee of approximately $24,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses. Georgeson, Inc. may be contacted at (888) 624-7035.

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 over the Internet?You may access this proxy statement on the Investors page of our website at www.swseedco.com by clicking on "April 10, 2015 Special Meeting."

May the meeting beproperly adjourned or postponed?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 boardBoard 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

Are any of S&W's officers and directors interested in matters to be acted upon?

Other than the nominees' interest in the election of directors and the potential impact of the advisory vote on executive compensation, our officers and directors do not have sufficient votes for a quorum orany interest in the matters to approve the Share Issuance Proposal, it our intention to make an announcementbe acted upon at the Special MeetingAnnual Meeting.

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Who may vote at the Annual Meeting?

Each share of a new date for an adjourned or postponed meeting that is withinS&W's common stock has one vote on each matter. Only stockholders of record as of the 60-day period permitted under Nevada law. Thereafter, if required,close of business on October 19, 2016 (the "Record Date") are entitled to receive notice of, to attend, and to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were 17,680,828 shares of S&W Board will fix a new&W's common stock issued and outstanding, held by 23 holders of record. In addition to stockholders of record date and a new meeting date.of S&W's common stock, beneficial owners of shares held in street name as of the Record Date can vote using the methods described below.

What is the mailing addressdifference between a stockholder of record and a beneficial owner of shares held in street name?

If I am a stockholder of record of S&W's shares, how do I vote?

If you are a stockholder of record, there are four ways to vote:

If I am a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, how do I vote?

If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank, or other agent, you should have received a Notice containing voting instructions from that organization rather than from the Company. Simply follow the voting instructions in the Notice to ensure that your vote is counted.To vote in person at the annual meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other agent. Follow the instructions from your broker or bank included with these proxy materials, or contact your broker or bank to request a proxy form.

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If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, there are four ways to vote:

What is the quorum requirement for the Annual Meeting?

A majority of the shares entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting must be present at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy for the transaction of business. This is called a quorum. Your shares will be counted for purposes of determining if there is a quorum if you:

Under Nevada law, unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, a quorum is calculated based on the voting power present in person or by proxy, regardless of whether the proxy has authority to vote on all matters. Consequently, broker non-votes and withheld votes will be counted towards the presence of a quorum for holding the Annual Meeting.

At least 8,840,415 shares of common stock must be present at the Annual Meeting in order to have a quorum and conduct the Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present, we may propose to adjourn the Annual Meeting to solicit additional proxies.

How are proxies voted?

All shares represented by valid proxies received prior to the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting will be voted and, where a stockholder specifies by means of the proxy a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the shares will be voted in accordance with the stockholder's instructions.

What happens if I do not vote or give specific voting instructions?

Stockholders of Record.If you are a stockholder of record and do not vote by completing your proxy card, by telephone, through the Internet or in person at the Annual Meeting, your shares will not be voted. If you are a stockholder of record and you:

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then the persons named as proxy holders, Mark S. Grewal and Matthew K. Szot, will vote your shares in the manner recommended by the Board on all matters presented in this Proxy Statement and as the proxy holders may determine in their discretion with respect to any other matters properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name.If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and do not provide the organization that holds your shares with specific voting instructions then, under applicable rules, the organization that holds your shares may generally vote your shares in their discretion on "routine" matters but cannot vote on "non-routine" matters. If the organization that holds your shares does not receive instructions from you on how to vote your shares on a non-routine matter, that organization will inform the inspector of election that it does not have the authority to vote on this matter with respect to your shares. This is generally referred to as a "broker non-vote."

Which proposals are considered "routine" or "non-routine"?

The ratification of the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as S&W's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 (Proposal No. 2) is considered a routine matter under applicable rules. A broker or other nominee may generally vote on routine matters, and therefore no broker non-votes are expected in connection with Proposal No. 2.

Each of the other proposals, including the election of directors (Proposal No. 1), and the advisory approval of the compensation of S&W's named executive officers (Proposal No. 3), are considered non-routine matters under applicable rules. A broker or other nominee may not vote without instructions on non-routine matters, and therefore broker non-votes may exist in connection with Proposal No. 1 and Proposal No. 3.

What is the voting requirement to approve each of the proposals?

With respect to the election of directors (Proposal No. 1), S&W's bylaws provide that our directors are elected in uncontested elections by a majority vote. In contested director elections, elections in which the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected, the directors are 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 as such, 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.

Approval of Proposals No. 2 and No. 3 requires, in each case, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and voting at the Annual Meeting.

How are broker non-votes and abstentions treated?

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 not count against the approval of any particular proposal.

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In order to minimize the number of broker non-votes, S&W Seed Company's principal executive offices? Asencourages you to provide voting instructions on each proposal to the organization that holds your shares by carefully following the instructions provided in the Notice and the voting instruction form.

May I change my vote after I have voted?

You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the taking of March 1, 2015, ourthe vote at the Annual Meeting. Prior to the applicable cutoff time, you may change your vote using the Internet or telephone methods described above, in which case only your latest Internet or telephone proxy submitted prior to the Annual Meeting will be counted. You may also revoke your proxy and change your vote by signing and returning a new principal executive officesproxy card or voting instruction form dated as of a later date, or by attending the Annual Meeting and our mailing address isvoting in person. However, your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not automatically revoke your proxy unless you properly vote at the Annual Meeting or specifically request that your prior proxy be revoked by delivering a written notice of revocation to S&W's Secretary at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720. Any93720, prior to the Annual Meeting.If you are a beneficial owner, please contact your organization for specific instructions for changing your vote and make sure that you plan for sufficient time for your organization to meet the time deadline for delivering your revised votes or your original votes will stand.

Is my 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 S&W or to third parties, except:

If you write comments on your proxy card or ballot, the proxy card or ballot may be forwarded to S&W's management and the Board to review your comments.

Who will serve as the inspector of election?

A representative from Transfer Online will serve as the inspector of election.

Where may I find the voting results of the Annual Meeting?

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. Final voting results will be tallied by the inspector of election after the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting. S&W will publish the final voting results in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the Annual Meeting.

May I propose actions for consideration at next year's annual meeting of stockholders or nominate individuals to serve as directors?

You may present proposals (including nominations for election of directors) to be considered for inclusion in next year's proxy materials or for action at a future annual meeting only if you comply with the requirements of the proxy rules established by the SEC and our bylaws, as applicable.

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To be considered for inclusion in next year's proxy materials, your proposal must be submitted in writing to our Corporate Secretary by June 30, 2017.

For nominations or other business to be properly brought before the 2017 annual meeting, you must have given timely notice in proper written requestsform to our Corporate Secretary and any such proposed business must constitute a proper matter for stockholder action under the Nevada Revised Statutes. To be timely, your notice must be delivered to our principal executive offices in Fresno, California between August 11, 2017 and September 10, 2017; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the 2017 annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after December 9, 2017, your notice must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the 2017 annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such 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.

Where should I send proposals and director nominations for the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders?

Stockholder proposals and director nominations must be delivered to our Corporate Secretary by mail at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, or by email at secretary@swseedco.comand received by our Secretary by the dates set forth above.

I share an address with another stockholder, and we received only one paper copy of the proxy materials. How can I obtain an additional information,copy of the proxy materials?

S&W has adopted an SEC-approved procedure called "householding." Under this procedure, S&W may deliver a single copy of the Notice and, if applicable, this Proxy Statement and the Annual Report to multiple stockholders who share the same address unless S&W has received contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders. This procedure reduces the environmental impact of S&W's annual meetings and reduces S&W's printing and mailing costs. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to receive separate proxy cards. Upon written or oral request, S&W will deliver promptly a separate copy of the Notice and, if applicable, this Proxy Statement and the Annual Report to any stockholder at a shared address to which S&W delivered a single copy of any of these documents.

To receive, free of charge, a separate copy of the Notice and, if applicable, this Proxy Statement or the Annual Report, or separate copies of theseany future notice, Proxy Statement or annual report, stockholders may write or call Lytham Partners LLC, S&W's Investor Relations firm, at the following:

Robert Blum, Joe Diaz, Joe Dorame
Lytham Partners LLC
3800 North Central Avenue, Suite 750
Phoenix, AZ 85012
(602) 889-9700
sanw@lythampartners.com

If you are receiving more than one copy of the proxy materials at a single address and would like to participate in householding, please contact Lytham Partners using the contact information above.

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Stockholders who hold shares in "street name" may contact their brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization to request information about householding.

How may I obtain copies of the exhibits to the 2016 Annual Report? 

A copy of the 2016 Annual Report is enclosed with this Proxy Statement, but we have not included the exhibits to the 2016 Annual Report. The 2016 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 Lytham Partners through the contact information provided above. Our 2016 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 our website atwww.swseedco.com/investors.

What is S&W's fiscal year?

S&W's fiscal year ends on June 30. All information presented in this Proxy Statement is based on our fiscal calendar.

Who is paying the costs of this proxy solicitation?

S&W is paying the costs of the solicitation of proxies. S&W has retained Broadridge and Transfer Online to assist in the printing and distribution of proxy materials. We have agreed to pay Transfer Online and Broadridge fees of approximately $22,050. Transfer Online serves as our liaison with Broadridge. If you have any questions regarding distribution of the proxy materials, you may contact Daniel Harris at Transfer Online. Transfer Online may be reached at (503) 227-2950.

S&W must also pay brokerage firms, banks, broker-dealers and other similar organizations representing beneficial owners certain fees associated with:

In addition to solicitations by mail, S&W's directors, officers, and employees, without additional compensation, may solicit proxies on S&W's behalf in person, by telephone or by electronic communication.

Where are S&W's principal executive offices located and what is S&W's main telephone number?

S&W's principal executive offices are located at 7108 Fresno Street, Fresno, California 93720. S&W's main telephone number is (559) 884-2535.

How can I attend the Annual Meeting?

Only stockholders as of the Record Date are entitled to attend the Annual Meeting. Stockholders may be requested to present valid photo identification such as a driver's license or passport and, if asked, provide proof of stock ownership as of the Record Date. The use of mobile phones, pagers, recording or photographic equipment, tablets or computers is not permitted at the Annual Meeting without prior consent of the Chairman of the Board.

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Even if you plan on attending the Annual Meeting in person, we encourage you to vote your shares in advance using one of the methods outlined in this Proxy Statement to ensure that your vote will be represented at the Annual Meeting.

INFORMATION REGARDING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

General Information About Our Board

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:

Members of the Board of Directors monitor and evaluate our business performance through regular communication with our chief executive officer and other members of senior management, and by attending board meetings and board committee meetings.

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 are 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 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 will promptly tender his 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 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.

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Our Board has determined that Messrs. Fischhoff, Matina, Seidler, Wickersham and Wong, representing five of the eight nominees standing for election, 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"). There are no family relationships between any director and executive officer.

The Board proposes that the eight director-nominees named in the following summary be elected as our directors, each to hold office until the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or their earlier resignation or removal.

Information Regarding the Nominees

The Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board recommended, and the full Board of Directors has approved, Glen D. Bornt, David A. Fischhoff, Ph.D., Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander C. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark W. Wong as nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting. If elected, each of the directors will serve until the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, and until a successor is qualified and elected or until his earlier death, resignation or removal. Other than Dr. Fischhoff, each of the nominees is currently a director of our company.

Michael (Mick) M. Fleming, who has served on our Board since the corporation's inception in 2009 and who has served as our Lead Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Compensation Committee, is not standing for re-election at the Annual Meeting. His term will expire at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. We wholeheartedly thank Mr. Fleming for his many years of service and his support of our company.

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 58)
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 believe 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.

David A. Fischhoff, Ph.D. (Age 63)
David Fischhoff Consulting LLC

Dr. David A. Fischhoff is a director nominee. He has 33 years of experience in agricultural research and development ("R&D") across a broad range of technologies, product development and business development in areas including biotechnology, plant breeding, genomics, precision agriculture and data science. In addition to R&D leadership, he has expertise in new technology identification, assessment and acquisition; technology licensing; establishment and management of research collaborations; and intellectual property management and defense. Dr. Fischhoff recently retired after a 33-year career with

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Monsanto Company and currently serves as an independent consultant and advisor. With Monsanto, he most recently served from 2014 to 2016 as Chief Scientist of The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto that develops and provides digital agriculture products and services for farmers. At The Climate Corporation, he led R&D teams in data science, field research and new measurement technologies. Prior to this, from 2002 to 2014, he was Vice President for Technology Strategy and Development at Monsanto with responsibilities for scientific strategy, identification of new growth opportunities, assessment and acquisition of new technologies, and oversight of Monsanto's research portfolio. Dr. Fischhoff is internationally recognized as a founder of agricultural biotechnology. He was responsible for the development of insect resistant transgenic crops (i.e., Bt crops), which today are a primary tool for insect control in corn, cotton and soybean in multiple countries. He is the co-inventor of the synthetic gene technology for expression of Bt genes in plants, which is the enabling technology for all insect resistant crops today. Dr. Fischhoff served as the scientific expert in the acquisition by Monsanto of multiple biotech and seed companies, including Agracetus, Calgene, Ecogen, Dekalb and Asgrow. He initiated and led Monsanto's plant genomics research program, and from 1998 to 2002 he was Co-President of Cereon Genomics LLC, a collaborative research venture between Monsanto and Millennium Pharmaceuticals; and he played leadership roles in the establishment and management of genomics research collaborations with Mendel Biotechnology, Paradigm Genetics and Ceres.

Dr. Fischhoff received his S.B. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from The Rockefeller University. He was the recipient of the first Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology from the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2015 for his work on insect resistant crops, and the James B. Eads Award for outstanding achievement in technology from the Academy of Science of St. Louis in 2010. Dr. Fischhoff is also the recipient of Monsanto's two highest awards for science and technology. He is the inventor on key patents related to insect resistant plants, an author of more than 25 scientific publications, and an invited speaker at numerous national and international symposia. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors are honored that Dr. Fischhoff has agreed to serve on our Board and are confident that his wealth of experience in agriculture, genetics and technology will help guide the Board in the years to come.

Mark S. Grewal (Age 60)
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

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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 61)
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. In addition to his duties as Chairman, he actively supports our sales and marketing efforts. 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 40)
Vice President, Investments, MFP Investors, LLC

Mr. Matina has served on the Board of Directors since May 2015. 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 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 has served on the board of directors of Trinity Place Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded real estate company and as its Chairman of the Board since November 2013. Since August 2007, Mr. Matina has also served as an adjunct professor of finance 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 (Chip) B. Seidler (Age 39)
Executive Director, Nomura Securities

Mr. Seidler was elected to our Board in June 2010. Commencing in June 2010, Mr. Seidler began serving as an executive director and senior member of a proprietary trading group of Nomura Securities in New York, New York. From January 2007 through June 2010, Mr. Seidler held various senior positions at

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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.

Grover T. Wickersham (Age 67)
Vice Chairman of the Board, S&W Seed Company
Private Investor, Vice Chairman of SenesTech, Inc.,
Chairman of Eastside Distilling, Inc.

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 our Vice Chairman. Since 1996, Mr. Wickersham has been a director and portfolio advisor of Glenbrook Capital Management, the general partner of a limited partnership that invests primarily in public and private securities. Mr. Wickersham also serves, (i) since July 2016, as Chairman of the Board of Eastside Distilling, Inc., an OTCQB-traded producer and "micro" distiller of spirits; (ii) since December 2015, as the Vice Chairman of the Board of SenesTech, Inc., a private company that has developed proprietary technology for managing animal pest populations through fertility control; and (iii) since May 2015, as Vice Chairman of Arbor Vita Corporation, a private company that has developed a test for detecting certain types of cancer. From 1996 until its voluntary liquidation and dissolution in 2016, Mr. Wickersham served as the chairman of the board of trustees of The Purisima Funds, a trust that operated two series of mutual funds advised by Fisher Investments of Woodside, California. In addition to the chairmanships noted above, Mr. Wickersham also serves on the board of directors of Verseon Corporation, a London AIM-listed pharmaceutical development company Mr. Wickersham is admitted to practice by the California State Bar and has specialized in securities law. From 1976 to 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 Law). We believe that Mr. Wickersham is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors 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 Vice Chairman. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors believe that Mr. Wickersham should be re-elected to the Board.

Mark W. Wong (Age 67)
Chairman, American Dairyco

Mr. 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. Mr. Wong was a founder and, since 2009, has been a partner of Colorado Financial Holdings (CFH), a private venture investment and investment bank that specializes in the agricultural, energy and biotechnology sectors.

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Since January 2012, Mr. Wong has served as Chairman of American Dairyco, Ponte Vedra, Florida, the owner and operator of dairies in Florida and Georgia, which is a venture jointly owned by CFH. Between 2008 andDecember 2015, he served either as Chairman of the Board or chief executive officer of Agrivida, a private 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. From January 2016 to February 2016, Mr. Wong served as Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., a publicly-traded agricultural biotechnology trait company for which he also served on the board from May 2006 until February 2016. Mr. Wong was the Chief Executive Officer of Renewable Agricultural Energy Corporation, a private ethanol production company, from 2006 to 2007. Prior to that time, was the founder and, from 1999 to 2005, chief executive officer of Emergent Genetics, an international seed biotech company that was sold to Monsanto Company in 2005. Mr. Wong founded and managed a series of other agricultural and biotechnology companies, including Big Stone Partners, Agracetus Corporation, a plant biotechnology company that was sold to Monsanto and Agrigenetics Corporation, a seed and biotechnology company that was sold to Dow Chemical. Mr. Wong also worked as an engineer for FMC Corporation and Chemical Construction Corporation. Mr. Wong served as a director of BioFuel Energy Corp., a publicly traded corn ethanol company, from January 2008 until October 2014, and Chair from March 2010 to October 2014, when it was renamed Green Brick Partners following an acquisition and recapitalization transaction. Mr. Wong received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Wong provides the Board with a wealth of experience in the agricultural and energy industries, and, given his background in agriculture, engineering and business, 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. 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 2016 for each of the standing committees:

Name

 

Audit

 

Compensation

 

Nominating and
Governance
Committee

       

Michael (Mick) M. Fleming

 

Chair

 

Chair(1)

  

Alexander C. Matina

 

X

 

X

  

Charles (Chip) B. Seidler

 

 

X

 

Chair

William S. Smith(2)

 

X

    

Grover T. Wickersham

     

X

Mark Wong

   

Chair(1)

 

X

 

Total meetings in fiscal 2016

 

7

 

6

 

4

_______

(1) Mr. Fleming served as Chairman of the Compensation Committee through its meeting in December 2015, at which time, Mr. Wong assumed the Chairmanship.
(2) Mr. Smith served on the Audit Committee until he resigned from the Board in March 2016.

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Audit Committee

As of October 24, 2016, the members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Fleming, Matina and Seidler. Mr. Fleming serves as current 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 and audit committee chair. 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 things:

The Audit Committee acts under a written charter adopted and approved by our Board of Directors. 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 43.

Compensation Committee

As of October 24, 2016, the members of the Compensation Committee are Messrs. Fleming, Matina and Wong. Mr. Wong serves as chairman of the committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that 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:

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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.

Typically, the Compensation Committee meets approximately four times per yearand with greater frequency if necessary. The agenda for each meeting is usually developed by the Chair of the Compensation Committee, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board.The Compensation Committee meets regularly in executive session. However, from time to time, other directors and outside advisors or consultantsmay be invited to participate in Compensation Committee meetings. The Chief Executive Officer may not participate in, or be present during, any deliberations or determinations of the Compensation Committee regarding his compensation or individual performance objectives.

The charter of the Compensation Committee grants the Compensation Committee full access to all books, records, facilities and personnel of the Company. The Compensation Committee has the authority to obtain, at our expense, such advice or assistance from consultants, legal counsel, accounting or other advisors as it deems appropriate to perform its duties. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Compensation Committee may retain or obtain the advice of compensation consulting firms to assist in the performance of its duties and to determine and approve the terms, fees and costs of such engagements. Under its charter, prior to selecting, or receiving advice from, any consultant or advisor, the Compensation Committee is required to consider the independence of such advisor based on any applicable criteria specified by the SEC or Nasdaq, including the independence factors listed in Nasdaq Rule 5605(d)(3). However, the Compensation Committee is not prohibited from obtaining advice from advisors that it determines are not independent. During fiscal 2016, the Compensation Committee did not retain the services of any outside consultants.

The specific determinations of the Compensation Committee with respect to executive compensation for fiscal 2016 are described in greater detail in the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy Statement.

Nominating and Governance Committee

As of October 24, 2016, 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

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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, independence, age, diversity (which, in this context, means race, ethnicity and gender), integrity, skills, financial and other 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 particular 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:

In addition to the candidates proposed by our Board of Directors or identified by the Nominating 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 "What is the process and deadline to nominate individuals for election as directors at the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders?" 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.

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

Financing Committee

During fiscal 2016, the Board of Directors established a "working" Financing Committee to provide ad-hoc recommendations and guidance to the full Board on issues related to the financing of the Company. The Financing Committee serves at the pleasure of the Board and the chairman. The members of the Financing Committee included Messrs. Seidler, Smith and Wong until the Financing Committee was

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reconstituted in March 2016. As of October 24, 2016, the Financing Committee consists of Messrs. Seidler, Matina and Wickersham, with Mr. Seidler serving as chairman. To date, the members of the Financing Committee have served without compensation for their work in that capacity. It is anticipated that in fiscal 2017, the Board will adopt a charter governing the Financing Committee, which will, thereafter, assume specific, ongoing responsibilities, and its members will be compensated for attendance at meetings of the committee.

Acquisitions Committee

In fiscal 2014, the Board of Directors established a "working" Acquisitions Committee that has provided ad-hoc recommendations and guidance to the full Board in connection with identifying and pricing potential acquisition candidates and transactions. The Acquisitions Committee serves at the pleasure of the Board and the chairman. As of October 24, 2016, the Acquisitions Committee includes Messrs. Grewal, Harvey, Matina and Wong, with Mr. Matina serving as chairman. To date, the members of the Acquisitions Committee have served without compensation for their work in that capacity. It is anticipated that in fiscal 2017, the Board will adopt a charter governing the Acquisitions Committee, which will, thereafter, assume specific, ongoing responsibilities, and its members will be compensated for attendance at meetings of the committee.

Executive Committee

In December 2014, the Board established a working committee for the purpose of addressing matters that may need or would benefit from board involvement between meetings. The members of the Executive Committee who served in fiscal 2016 are Messrs. Bornt, Harvey and Nordstrom, who is chairman of the board of our Australian subsidiary Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd., each of whom was chosen because of his 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. The committee meets on an as- needed basis and, when pertinent, reports back to the full Board on its decisions or its recommendations, either at quarterly board meetings or in between meetings by email or other forms of communication.

Board Independence

At all times throughout fiscal 2016, our Board consisted of a majority of independent directors. Of our eight director nominees, only one is an employee. Our Board consults with our counsel to ensure that the Board's determinations are consistent with relevant securities and other laws and regulations regarding the definition of "independent," including those set forth in pertinent listing standards of Nasdaq, as in effect from time to time. Our Board has affirmatively determined that five of our directors or director nominees who are standing for election, namely Dr. Fischhoff and Messrs. Matina, Seidler, Wickersham and Wong, representing a majority of our directors, are "independent directors" as defined under the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq. In making this determination, our Board found that none of these directors or nominees for director had a material or other disqualifying relationship with the Company.

Executive Sessions of Independent Directors

In order to promote open discussion among independent directors, our Board of Directors has a policy of conducting executive sessions of the independent directors. The board holds regular executive sessions of the independent directors at least four times per year in connection with regularly-scheduled Board meetings and holds executive sessions at other times throughout the year as needed or desired. These directors may designate one of their number to preside at each session, although it need not be the same

19


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 met eight times in fiscal 2016. Each member of the Board attended or participated in 75% or more of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the Board held during the period for which such person has been a director, and (ii) the total number of meetings held by each committee of the Board on which such person served during the periods that such person served.

Board Attendance at Annual Stockholder Meetings

Our directors are strongly encouraged to attend each annual meeting of stockholders. All of our then-current directors who were standing for reelection attended the 2015 Annual Meeting, and we expect all of our current director nominees to attend the Annual Meeting.

Board Leadership

The Board does not have a formal policy on whether or not the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be separate and, if they are to be separate, whether the Chairman of the Board should be selected from the non-employee directors or be an employee. The Board believes that it should be free to make a choice from time to time in any manner that is in the best interests of our company and our stockholders. Currently, we separate the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with Mr. Harvey serving as the Chairman and Mr. 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 day-to-day operations of the Company, 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 committees of the board consists entirely of independent directors.

Our Chairman is selected by a majority of the Board of Directors. The Chairman may be replaced at any 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 2016, our independent directors designated Michael (Mick) M. Fleming to continue to serve as Lead Director. The Lead Director has specifically enumerated duties and responsibilities, which include:

20


As noted elsewhere, Mr. Fleming is not standing for re-election at the Annual Meeting. It has not been determined whether the Board will designate a new Lead Director to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Fleming's departure.

Board Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. With the oversight of our full Board of Directors, our senior management are responsible for the day-to-day management of the material risks we face. In its oversight role, our Board of Directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself 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 risk and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for us. Additionally, our Board of Directors 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 address 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

21


Additional review or reporting on enterprise risks will be conducted as needed or as requested by the Board of Directors or a committee 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 group, are welcome to do so in writing, addressed to such person(s) in care of our Corporate Secretary. Email correspondence of this nature should be sent to secretary@swseedco.com, and other written correspondence should be addressed to S&W Seed Company, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, Attention: Secretary.

Our 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 may forward certain correspondence, such as customer-related inquiries, elsewhere within our company for 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 atwww.swseedco.com/investors.

We will provide our code of ethics in print without charge to any stockholder who makes a written request to: S&W Seed Company, 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720, Attention: Secretary, or by e-mail to secretary@swseedco.com. Any waivers of the 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

22


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. While the Committee has not retained a compensation consultant since fiscal 2014, it could retain such independent advice in the future.

Director Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the fiscal 2016 compensation earned by each person who served on the Board at any time during fiscal 2016, other than Mr. Grewal, whose compensation is described under "Executive Compensation" beginning on page 30.

Fees Paid in Cash

Stock Awards

Option Awards

($)(1)

($)(2)

($)(2)

Total ($)

Glen D. Bornt

$33,500

-

$19,441

$52,941

Michael M. Fleming

58,250

-

19,441

77,691

Mark J. Harvey(3)

193,629

$65,701

-

259,330

Alexander C. Matina

47,667

-

26,531

74,197

Michael N. Nordstrom(4)

33,500

-

19,441

52,941

Charles B. Seidler

37,500

-

19,441

56,941

William S. Smith

16,500

-

19,441

35,941

Grover T. Wickersham(5)

90,750

-

19,441

110,191

Mark W. Wong(6)

56,000

-

19,441

75,441

____________

(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 stock awards and option awards represent the aggregate grant date fair value of such awards granted to the directors 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. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the directors 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, 2014, notices2016.
(3) This amount represents an annual stipend of stockholder proposals, recommendations$175,000 paid to Mr. Harvey for candidateshis role as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board, in addition to the per meeting fees described below.
(4) Mr. Nordstrom served as a director until the 2015 Annual Meeting. However, he has continued to attend board meetings in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of our Australian subsidiary, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd. ("SGI") throughout fiscal 2016. The compensation he received as Chair of SGI in fiscal 2016 is included in the column "All Other Compensation" in the Annual Retainer and Per Meeting Fees table on page 24.
(5) This amount represents an annual stipend of $75,000 paid to Mr. Wickersham for his role as Non-Executive Vice Chairman, in addition to the per meeting fees described below.
(6) Mr. Wong is paid an additional $5,000 per quarter to consult with the Chairman, the full board or any committee thereof.

23


Annual 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. Other than our Chairman and Vice Chairman of 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 (through December 2015), as well as serving as lead independent director, was paid an additional $20,000 cash retainer in fiscal 2016 for his service in those capacities. In fiscal 2016, the Chairman of the Board and the Vice Chairman of the Board were paid an annual stipend of $175,000 and $75,000, respectively, payable monthly.

In addition to the annual retainer, non-employee directors receive:

We 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 time.

The following table summarizes the cash compensation paid in fiscal 2016 to our directors for service on the Board. As noted above, Mr. Grewal, our Chief Executive Officer and President, also sits on our Board but receives no additional compensation in that capacity. Mr. Nordstrom served on the Board until the 2015 annual meeting in December 2015, and Mr. Smith resigned from the Board in March 2016.

Annual

Board

Committee

Other

Director Name

Retainer

Meetings

Meetings

Compensation

Total

Glen D. Bornt

$20,000

$13,500

-

-

$33,500

Michael M. Fleming

40,000

12,750

$5,500

-

58,250

Mark J. Harvey

175,000

13,000

-

$5,629

(1)

193,629

Alexander C. Matina

20,000

10,500

5,500

11,667

(2)

47,667

Michael N. Nordstrom(3)

20,000

7,500

1,000

5,000

33,500

Charles B. Seidler

20,000

13,500

4,000

-

37,500

William S. Smith

5,000

9,750

1,750

-

16,500

Grover T. Wickersham

75,000

13,500

2,250

-

90,750

Mark W. Wong

20,000

11,250

4,750

20,000

(4)

56,000

________

(1) Represents fees paid for serving on the boards of our two Australian subsidiaries.
(2) Mr. Matina joined our Board in May 2015. He was paid $11,667 in fiscal 2016 for his pro rata share of the 2015 annual retainer and for meeting fees earned in fiscal 2015 but paid in fiscal 2016.
(3) Mr. Nordstrom served as a member of our Board until the 2015 Annual Meeting. Thereafter, he was paid to attend board meetings of our board in his capacity as chairman of the boards of our two Australian subsidiaries in addition to fees paid for serving in those capacities and attending meetings of the subsidiary boards.
(3) Mr. Wong was paid an additional $5,000 per quarter to provide consulting services to the Chairman, the Board and any committee thereof on an as-requested basis.

24


EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the name and certain information as of October 24, 2016 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 12 of this Proxy Statement.

Name

Age

Title

Danielson B. Gardner

50

Chief Marketing and Technology Officer

Dennis C. Jury

56

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Matthew K. Szot

42

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

Mr. Gardner joined our Company in October 2012 as Vice President of Breeding and Genetics. In August 2016, he was promoted to the newly-created executive office position of Chief Marketing and Technology Officer. For 18 years prior to joining S&W, he served in various positions in breeding and international sales at Dairyland Seed Co., a Dow AgroSciences subsidiary. His most recent position at Dairyland, which he held from June 2008 until his departure in October 2012, was International Distribution Manager. He also served as Alfalfa Breeder for Dairyland from March 1994 until October 2012. Mr. Gardner has a B.S. degree in Genetics from the University of California at Davis and later graduated from the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy. He currently sits on the board of directors, communications to the boardCalifornia Seed Association.

Mr. Jury has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since April 2013. He also serves as Chief Executive and General Manager of directors or any other communications should be sent to this address.our subsidiary, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd ("SGI"). Mr. Jury served as SGI's Managing Director from July 2009 April 2013. 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.

WillMr. 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 Company's auditorsAustralia Pty Ltd and Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd. Mr. Szot is also currently a Director and serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committees of SenesTech, a life science company focused on animal health. From February 2007 until October 2011, Mr. Szot served as the Chief Financial Officer for Cardiff Partners, LLC, a strategic consulting company that provided executive financial services to various publicly traded and privately held companies. 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.

25


Employment Agreements with Named Executive Officers

In March 2016, we entered into new three-year employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Each agreement was made effective from January 1, 2016 and will expire on December 31, 2018. The principal terms of each of the new employment agreements is as follows:

Grewal Employment Agreement

1526


Szot Employment Agreement

Jury Employment Agreement

Mr. Jury's March 2016 employment agreement with S&W complements and is intended to supplement his separate employment agreement entered into with our Australian subsidiary, Seed Genetics International Pty Ltd. ("SGI"). Certain matters pertaining to Mr. Jury's employment are governed by Australian law and therefore, in certain exceptions, DuPont Pioneer will purchase alfalfa seedrespects, his employment agreement differs from us underthose entered into with Messrs. Grewal and Szot. However, in key respects, including the determination of bonus compensation and payments upon a long-term distribution agreement discussed below.

End Customers.Alfalfa seed is used forchange of control, the productionterms 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 varietiesthe Jury Employment Agreement parallel the similar terms provided in the patent application or prosecution process. We acquired these patentsGrewal Employment Agreement and applications as part of the Acquisition.Szot Employment Agreement.

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.

1727


Legal ProceedingsThe Jury Employment Agreement includes the following key terms:

The principal terms of Mr. Jury's SGI Employment Agreement include:

28


Gardner Employment Agreement

In August 2016, Danielson B. Gardner, formerly our Vice President of Breeding and Genetics, was promoted to a newly-created executive officer position of Chief Marketing and Technology Officer. In connection with the promotion, Mr. Gardner entered into a new three-year employment agreement (the "Gardner Employment Agreement") containing the following terms:

29


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 partEach 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' contractsabove employment agreements defines "change-of-control" 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 statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in 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

23


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 all or substantially all of the assets of the alfalfa product line ("Alfalfa"Company 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 portionanother entity by means of consolidation or merger after which the then S&W stockholders before the transaction hold less than 50% 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's 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 eachvoting power of the two years ended December 31, 2013.

Accrued Grower Compensation

The Business contracts with growers (farmers) to produce commercial alfalfa seed using Pioneer germplasm (parent seed supplied by Pioneer). The growers are compensated for the number of pounds of alfalfa seed harvestedsurviving corporation;provided, however, 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 consistreincorporation of the following:Company will not be deemed a Change of Control.

  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, plantEXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide a separately-captioned "Compensation Discussion and equipment forAnalysis" (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 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 availablefollowing narrative disclosure 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)highlight salient portions 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 anda typical CD&A. This narrative disclosure should be read in conjunction with the (i) historical consolidatedSummary 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 our 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. In fiscal year 2016, all of our executive officers were Named Executive Officers. Our Named Executive Officers refers to those executive officers identified in the Summary Compensation Table below. Our Named Executive Officers for fiscal year 2016 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.

The Company's executive compensation programs are designed to (1) motivate and reward our executive officers, (2) retain our executive officers and encourage their quality service, (3) incentivize our executive officers to appropriately manage risks while improving our financial statementsresults, and (4) align executive officers' interests with those of S&W included in its Annual Report on Form 10-Kour stockholders. Under these programs, our executive officers are rewarded for the year ended June 30, 2014; (ii) the historical consolidated financial statementsachievement of S&W for the three months ended September 30, 2014 included in its Form 10-Q; (iii)company objectives and the audited special purpose combined financial statementsrealization of the DuPont Pioneer alfalfa business for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.increased stockholder value.

The unaudited pro forma combined consolidated balance sheet asprogram seeks to remain competitive with the market while also aligning the executive compensation program with stockholder interests through the following types of September 30, 2014,compensation: (i) base salary; (ii) annual cash-based incentive bonuses; 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.(iii) equity-based incentive awards.

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.

Key Executive Compensation Objectives

The historical financial information has been adjusted to give effect to pro forma events that are directly attributable tocompensation policies developed by 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 adjustmentsCompensation Committee are based on preliminary estimatesthe philosophy that compensation should reflect both Company-wide performance, financially and operationally, and the individual performance of the fair valuesexecutive, including management of assets acquiredpersonnel under his supervision. The Compensation Committee's objectives when setting compensation for our executive officers include:

30


Our compensation program is designed to reward superior performance of both the Company and of each individual executives and seeks to encourage actions that drive our business strategy. In fiscal 2016, we 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.

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 (defined below). 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 differ fromdelegate 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 amounts reflectedCompensation Committee does not delegate any of its functions to others in setting the compensation of senior management, it includes members of senior management in the unaudited pro forma combined financial statements,Compensation Committee's executive compensation process. We have asked each of our senior executives to annually provide us with input with regard to their goals for the coming year. These proposals include suggested company-wide and individual performance goals. The individual goals include not only the differencesgoals 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 that the Committee may feel should be material.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 2016, 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.

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 

Compensation Risk Assessment

As part of its risk assessment process, the Compensation Committee reviewed material elements of executive and non-executive employee compensation. The Compensation Committee concluded that these policies and practices do not create risk that is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

The structure of our compensation program for our executive officers does not incentivize unnecessary or excessive risk taking. The base salary component of compensation does not encourage risk taking because it is a fixed amount. The incentive plan awards have risk-limiting characteristics:

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.

Performance Cash-Based Incentive Bonuses. Our practice is to award cash-based incentive bonuses, based in part on 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.

Equity-Based Incentive Awards. Our equity-based incentive awards are designed to align our interests with those of our employees and consultants, including our Named Executive Officers. Our Compensation Committee is responsible for approving equity grants. As of the end of fiscal 2016, our Named Executive Officers have been granted both stock option awards and restricted stock units. Vesting of the stock option and restricted stock unit awards is tied to continuous service with us and serves as an additional retention measure and long-term incentive.

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


Key Compensation Decisions and Developments for Fiscal Year 2016

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
NotesFor fiscal 2016, each executive was entitled 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 asreceive an increase in the principal amount of the Note)annual incentive bonus of up to $5 million100% of his base salary, payable 65% in cash and 35% in equity. Following the completion of the 2016 fiscal year, each of our executive officers self-evaluated himself against his specific goals and presented his assessment to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee followed with its own assessment and discussed the results with each of our executive officers. Cash and equity incentive awards were paid in October 2016 based on S&W sales under the distribution and productioncommittee's assessments. Based on the year-end assessments, the Compensation Committee determined that our executive officers were entitled to incentive bonuses as follows:

Mark S. Grewal60% of base salary
Matthew K. Szot80% of base salary
Dennis C. Jury50% of base salary
InventoryMark S. Grewal $21,519,376  350,000
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 allocatedMatthew K. Szot $39,200,000  285,000

The purchase price consists of the following:

CashDennis C. Jury $27,000,000  172,687

The above base salaries were fixed in 2015 and have remained in place since that time. Mr. Jury's base salary has been converted from Australian dollars to U.S. dollars based on an exchange rate of .7286, which was the average exchange rate during fiscal 2016.

Secured three-year promissory note10,000,000 
Fair value of contingent consideration2,200,000 
     Total acquisition cost allocatedMark S. Grewal $39,200,000  136,500

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 warrantsMatthew K. Szot $27,000,000  148,200
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 activitiesDennis C. Jury $29,510,400  57,750

35Mr. Jury's cash bonus has been converted from Australian dollars to U.S. dollars based on an exchange rate of .75, which was the exchange rate at the time the bonuses were awarded.

Named Executive Officer

 

Stock Options

 

Restricted Stock Units

 

Dollar Value of
Options and RSUs

       

Mark S. Grewal

 

18,284

 

7,562

 

$73,500

Matthew K. Szot

 

19,851

 

8,210

 

79,800

Dennis C. Jury

 

7,738

 

3,200

 

31,108

       

All of the options and restricted stock units awarded as incentive bonus compensation vest quarterly over three years, commencing on January 1, 2017.

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Note 2 - Pro Forma AdjustmentsExecutive Officer Compensation

a)   ReflectsThe following Summary Compensation Table sets forth certain information regarding the surplus of net financing proceeds of $29,510,400, less $27,000,000 of cash paidcompensation earned during fiscal 2016 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 closingthe end of the Pioneer Acquisition, less one-time transactions costs (referend of fiscal 2016. These individuals are referred to footnote b).herein as our "Named Executive Officers."

b)Summary Compensation Table

Year

Salary
($)

Stock
Awards
($)(1)

Option Awards ($)(1)

All Other
Compensation ($)

Total
($)

Mark S. Grewal

2016

$374,654

$119,000

$141,796

$21,594

(2)

$630,044

President and Chief
Executive Officer

2015

338,841

-

82,772

22,638

(2)

444,251

Matthew K. Szot

2016

282,997

119,000

101,283

15,400

(3)

518,680

Executive Vice President
of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer

2015

267,163

-

76,015

16,176

(3)

359,355

Dennis C. Jury(4)

2016

172,687

(5)

39,665

-

21,299

(6)

233,651

Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer

2015

167,853

(5)

-

59,123

25,662

(6)

252,638

__________

(1) The Company expects to incur approximately $1,145,064 of one-time costs associated withamounts shown for stock awards and option awards represent 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 estimatedaggregate grant date 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 dateNamed Executive Officers as the parties agree) a second asset purchase and sale agreement (the "Second APSA"), as the same may be updatedcomputed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. For each award, 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 acquisitiongrant date fair value 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

40


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 transactionscalculated 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 (thethe grant date and, in the Debentures were issued). Similarly, with respectcase 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 Warrants, on December 31, 2014, the per share exercise price was $5.00, so there would be no potential profit toactual value that may be realized upon exercise by the selling stockholdersNamed Executive Officers upon vesting or exercise of such awards. For information on the assumptions used to calculate the value of the Warrants, assuming they were currently exercisable (which theyawards, 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, 2016.
(2) Includes (a) $10,400 and $16,638 in 401(k) matching employer contributions for fiscal 2016 and 2015, respectively; (b) $10,500 vehicle allowance in 2016; and (c) $6,000 in 2016 and 2015, representing the personal use benefit related to a country club membership, used primarily for business purposes.
(3) Includes (a) $10,400 and $16,176 in 401(k) matching employer contributions for fiscal 2016 and 2015; and (b) $5,000 in SGI board fees in 2016.
(4) Mr. Jury is paid in Australian dollars, while the dollar amounts in the table are not).in U.S. dollars, using the average exchange rate over the applicable fiscal year. The exchange rate applied was 0.7286 in fiscal 2016 and 0.836425 in fiscal 2015.
(5) Mr. Jury's salary in Australian dollars was $237,012 in fiscal 2016 and $200,680 in fiscal 2015.
(6) Includes for fiscal 2016: (a) $16,299 (AUD $22,370) for the company's superannuation guarantee contribution; and (b) $5,000 for SGI board fees. 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.

4534


Shares Issuable to Selling Stockholders in Satisfaction of Principal and InterestOutstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End 2016

The following table sets forth information regarding each unexercised option award held by our Named Executive Officers as of June 30, 2016.

  Option Awards Stock Awards
              Market
           Number  Value of
           of Shares  Shares or
           or Units  Units of
  Number of Securities  Option   of Stock  Stock that
  Underlying Unexercised  Exercise Option that have  have not
  Options (#)  Price Expiration not Vested  Vested
  Exercisable Unexercisable  ($) Date (#)  ($)
               
Mark S. Grewal 75,000 - $4.20 10/24/2016     
  25,000 -  7.20 12/8/2017     
  8,333 1,667(1) 6.14 12/10/2018     
  7,000 -  6.23 1/31/2019     
  20,408 28,592(2) 3.95 12/11/2024     
  17,499 52,501(3) 4.76 7/15/2025     
           28,336(4)$123,545
           17,388(5) 75,812
               
Matthew K. Szot 50,000 -  4.20 10/24/2016     
  25,000 -  7.20 12/8/2017     
  8,333 1,667(1) 6.14 12/10/2018     
  3,750 1,250(6) 6.23 1/31/2019     
  18,742 26,258(2) 3.95 12/11/2024     
  12,498 37,502(3) 4.76 7/15/2025     
           28,336(4) 123,545
           17,388(5) 75,812
               
Dennis C. Jury 17,500 3,500(1) 6.14 12/10/2018     
  3,750 1,250(6) 6.23 1/31/2019     
  - 20,418(2) 3.95 12/11/2024     
           5,797  25,275

__________

(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) Options vests in twelve quarterly installments on the first day of the fiscal quarter. Vesting commenced on October 1, 2015 and will continue through July 1, 2018.

35


(4) Restricted stock units, which were awarded 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 $4.36, which was the closing price on June 30, 2016, the last trading day of fiscal 2016.
(5) Restricted stock units, which were awarded on July 15, 2015, vest quarterly with the passage of time beginning on October 1, 2015 as to 15% of the total numberaward. Thereafter, the vesting continues quarterly for 11 successive quarters through and including July 1, 2018.
(6) 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.

Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan

The S&W Seed Company Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2009 Plan") authorizes the grant and award 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 2,450,000 shares of common stock that would behave been issued to the selling stockholders if we redeem all principal and interestor are currently reserved for issuance 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 account2009 Plan, which was last amended to increase 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 Debenturesavailable share pool 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.our 2015 Annual Meeting.

Number of Shares Issuable in Satisfaction of the Principal Amount of the Debentures
Based on Various Assumed Conversion Prices for Monthly Redemptions

Assumed Conversion Price

Number of Shares Potentially Issuable

Initial Conversion price ($5.00 per share)

5,400,000

$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

Equity Compensation Plan Information

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

$22,086,429

Comparison of Issuer Proceeds to Potential Investor Profit

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 toinformation about 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 is 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 effectoptions 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 ofequity compensation under 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, 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 name2009 Plan as of the close of business on February 9, 2015,June 30, 2016. 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 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

1,192,297(1)

$5.14(2)

740,139

________

(1) Represents awards granted under the record date for2009 Plan. Consists of 1,021,418 options and 170,879 RSUs.
(2) Represents the purposeweighted average exercise price 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.options.

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.

4936


Your intermediaryPROPOSALS

Overview of Proposals

This Proxy Statement contains three proposals requiring stockholder action:

Proposal No. 1 - Election of Directors

General

The business and affairs of our company are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors, as provided 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 be set by Board resolution. The Board has currently set the size of the Board of Directors at eight members. That number may be changed by further resolution of the Board or by an amendment to the Bylaws approved by our stockholders or the Board.

The Board proposes that the eight director-nominees named in the following summary be elected as our directors, each to hold office until the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until 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 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 your voting instructions in sufficient timethe 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 your intermediarythat 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 will consider the resignation offer and recommend to the Board whether to accept such offer. The Board will endeavor to act on them priorthe recommendation within 90 days following the recommendation. Thereafter, the Board will promptly disclose its decision whether

37


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 deadlineCompany'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 Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board recommended, and the full Board of Directors approved, Glen D. Bornt, David A. Fischhoff, Ph.D., Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander C. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark W. Wong as nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting. If elected, each of the directors will serve until the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, and until a successor is qualified and elected or until his earlier, death, resignation or removal. Other than Dr. Fischhoff, each of the nominees is currently a director of our company. For information concerning the nominees, please see "Information Regarding the Nominees" beginning on page 11 in this Proxy Statement.

Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the proxies received by them "FOR" each of Glen D. Bornt, David A. Fischhoff, Ph.D., Mark S. Grewal, Mark J. Harvey, Alexander M. Matina, Charles (Chip) B. Seidler, Grover T. Wickersham and Mark W. 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 a nominee would be unable or unwilling to serve as a director.

Vote Required

Each director is elected 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 and abstentions have no bearing on the outcome of the election.

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

Proposal No. 2 - Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accountants

Our Audit Committee has selected Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the depositfiscal year ending June 30, 2017 and has further directed that we submit the selection of proxiesour independent registered public accounting firm for ratification by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting. Crowe Horwath has audited our financial statements since our 2015 fiscal year.

Representatives of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)Crowe Horwath LLP will be present at our Annual Meeting, will have an opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

Stockholder ratification of the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm is not required by our bylaws or otherwise. However, our Board is submitting the selection of Crowe Horwath LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the stockholders fail to ratify the selection, our Audit Committee will reconsider whether or

38


not to retain Crowe Horwath LLP. Even if the selection is ratified, our Audit Committee may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if they determine that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders.

Annual Evaluation and Selection of Independent Auditor

To help assure continuing auditor independence, our Audit Committee annually reviews Crowe Horwath LLP's independence and performance in connection with the Committee's determination of whether to retain Crowe Horwath LLP or engage another firm as our independent auditor. In the course of these reviews, our Audit Committee considers, among other things:

Based on this evaluation, our Audit Committee has determined that Crowe Horwath LLP is independent and that it is in the best interest of our company and its stockholders to continue to retain Crowe Horwath LLP to serve as our independent auditors for our fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Our Audit Committee is responsible for audit firm compensation. The aggregate fees billed by Crowe Horwath LLP for the years ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 for the professional services described below are as follows:

Fiscal Year Ended

June 30, 2016

June 30, 2015

Audit fees

$271,580

$189,380

Audit-related fees (1)

-

-

Tax fees (2)

-

-

All other fees

-

-

     Total fees

$271,580

$189,380

_________

(1) Audit fees relate to professional services rendered in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements included in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, 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.

39


(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 2016 or 2015.

Record (registered) stockholders

If you areAll of the services described above were pre-approved by our Audit Committee. The Committee concluded that the provision of these services by Crowe Horwath LLP would not affect their independence.

Rotation of Lead Audit Partner

The Audit Committee requires the lead audit partner to be rotated at least every five years. The process for selection of our company's lead audit partner pursuant to this rotation is expected to involve discussions with Crowe Horwath to consider issues related to the timing of such rotation and the transition to new lead and reviewing partners and a record (registered) stockholder, a proxy card is enclosedmeeting between the Chair of our Audit Committee and the candidate for the role as well as discussion by the full Audit Committee and management.

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 proxy statement to enable you to vote, or to appoint a proxyholder to vote on your behalf, atpolicy, 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 voteAudit Committee pre-approved all services to be counted.performed by our independent registered public accounting firm.

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.Vote Required

Transfer Online provides Internet proxy voting to allow you toThe affirmative 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 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, 2017.

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, 2017 (Proposal No 2).

Proposal No. 3 - Advisory Vote to Approve Executive 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 30 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 orderways that support the following principles that we believe reflect our core values (relationships matter; be open, honest and constructive; demand excellence; take intelligent risks; and act like an owner):

40


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. The performance goals developed for each executive officer include both personal and Company-wide goals.

We request that our stockholders approve the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as described elsewhere in this Proxy Statement 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 disclosure in the Proxy Statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

As an advisory vote, this proposal (commonly referred to as "say-on-pay"), is not binding on S&W, our Board or the Compensation Committee and will not be construed as overruling a decision by S&W, the Board or the Compensation Committee or creating or implying any additional fiduciary duty for S&W, the Board or the Compensation Committee. However, the Compensation Committee and the Board value the opinions expressed by our stockholders in their votes on this proposal and will consider the outcome of the vote when making future compensation decisions regarding named executive officers.

At our 2013 Annual Meeting, our stockholders expressed support to hold an advisory vote on our executive compensation program every year. Therefore, we expect the Special Meeting.next advisory vote on executive compensation to occur at our 2017 annual meeting. It is expected that the next vote on frequency of say-on-pay will be presented at our 2019 annual meeting.

Vote Required

Approval of the Share Issuance ProposalNamed Executive Officer compensation requires the affirmative voteapproval of at least a majority of the votes cast by holders of our common stock presentshares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the Special Meeting, assuming a quorum is present.Annual Meeting.

The proxy card gives discretionary authority to proxyholders toBoard of Directors recommends that stockholders vote as"FOR" 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.

Asapproval of the date of this proxy statement, the S&W Board is not aware of any such amendments, variations or other matterscompensation paid 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.our Named Executive Officers (Proposal No. 3).

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

5041


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 inAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The following is 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 timereport 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 listed 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.

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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, bothAudit Committee with respect to the paymentCompany's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2016. The information contained in this report shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or otherwise considered "filed" with the SEC, and such information shall not be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates such information by reference in such filing.

As of interestJune 30, 2016, the Audit Committee consists of three members: Messrs. Fleming, Matina and Seidler. 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 provided 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 monthly redemption payment. While it issystem 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 intention to payfinancial statements.

In fulfilling its oversight responsibility of appointing and reviewing the Debenture obligations in cash, we may in the future determine that it is inservices performed by the Company's best interestindependent 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 use shares. The exact number of shares that wouldwhich the independent registered public accounting firm may 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.retained to perform non-audit services.

The following table illustratesCompany maintains an auditor independence policy that, among other things, prohibits the number of shares of our common stock potentially issuable upon conversionCompany'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 the express pre-approval of the originally-issued $27,000,000Audit and Finance Committee.

In connection with the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016, 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 principal amount of Debentures, plusRule 3200T; and

(3) received the exercise of all 2,699,999 Warrants, at (i)written disclosures and 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). As noted above, we intend to make all interest payments in cash and therefore have not included in the following table any shares that potentially would be payable as interest. In addition, in each instance the conversion was calculated on the aggregate principal amount rather than based upon each individual investor's purchase.

$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

Noneletter from Crowe Horwath required by applicable requirements of the executive officers or directors of our company or DuPont Pioneer have any interest inPCAOB regarding the Acquisition,Auditors' communications with the Financing orAudit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the Share Issuance Proposal.Auditors the Auditors' independence.

5342


Vote Required

ApprovalBased upon these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Company's Board of Directors that 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 presentaudited consolidated financial statements be included 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 effectS&W Seed Company's Annual Report 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 approvalForm 10-K 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 usfiscal year ended June 30, 2016 filed 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 interestSecurities 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.Exchange Commission. Our Board has approved this inclusion.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

THE S&W BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTEFOR THE SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL.Michael M. Fleming, Chairman
Alexander C. Matina
Charles B. Seidler

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, 20152016, by:

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 13,161,47517,680,828 shares of common stock outstanding on FebruaryOctober 20, 2015.2016. 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, 2015)2016 (December 19, 2016). 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, as well as MFP Partners, L.P. entered into a voting agreement in connection withsecurities, particularly by the closing of the Debenture Financing 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, under the technical provisions of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, could be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares owned by all of the other parties to the voting agreement.

None of the holders of the securities purchased5% stockholders listed in the Debenture Private Placement, in that capacity, are included in the table below because, in accordance with the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market, until receipt of stockholder approval of the Share Issuance Proposal, only an aggregate of 1,036,594 shares may be issued upon conversion of the Debentures. In addition, the Warrants are not exercisable until July 1, 2015. Following receipt of stockholder approval, the largest investors in the Debenture Private Placement could be deemed to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more or our outstanding common stock.table.

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

*

5543


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

____________

     Number of Shares      
     Issuable Upon Total Shares 
  Number of Shares  Conversion or Exercise Beneficially Owned 
Name of Beneficial Owners Beneficially Held  by December 19, 2016 Number  Percent 
5% Stockholders           
MFP Partners, LP (1) 3,197,838  200,000 3,397,838(2) 18.8%
Wynnefield Capital Management 2,024,991  - 2,024,991  11.3 
     LLC and Related Entities (3)           
RMB Capital Management 1,377,596  169,999 1,547,595(5) 7.8 
     LLC and Related Entities (4)           
            
Directors, Director Nominees and           
Named Executive Officers           
Glen D. Bornt 180,000  36,500 216,500  1.2 
David A. Fischhoff, Ph.D. -  - -  - 
Michael (Mick) M. Fleming 10,983  36,500 47,483  * 
Mark S. Grewal 106,463  99,736 206,199  1.2 
Mark J. Harvey 220,943(6) 14,000 234,943  1.3 
Alexander C. Matina -  13,500 13,500  * 
Charles (Chip) B. Seidler 101,788  46,500 148,288  * 
Grover T. Wickersham 787,238(7) 61,500 848,738  4.8 
Mark W. Wong -  17,000 17,000  * 
Matthew K. Szot 50,977  86,652 137,629  * 
Dennis C. Jury 234,624(8) 31,414 266,038  1.5 
            
All executive officers, directors 1,693,016  512,258 2,205,274  12.1 
     and director nominees           
     as a group (12 persons) (9)           

* 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. 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 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.
(2) Includes 200,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. The warrants are exercisable only to the extent that, upon such exercise, MFP will not own shares in excess of 4.99% of the total number of shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, unless MFP gives notice that it desires to increase the applicable beneficial ownership limit. The total in this table does not take into account this limitation. Therefore, the actual number of shares of common stock currently beneficially owned by MFP, after giving effect to the blocker, is less than the number reported in the table. The information set forth is based on the information provided by MFP's Form 4 filed with the SEC on September 28, 2016. Alexander C. Matina, a member of our Board of Directors, is Vice President of Investments for MFP.

44


(3) The information is as reported on Form 4 filed with the SEC on July 13, 2016.  The address for Wynnefield Capital Management, LLC and related entities is 450 Seventh Avenue, Suite 509, New York, NY 10123. Of the shares indicated, 674,743 shares are beneficially owned by Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. ("Partners"), 1,088,8261 shares are beneficially owned by Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. I ("Partners I") and 261,422 shares are beneficially owned by Wynnefield Small Cap Value Offshore Fund, Ltd. (the "Fund"). Wynnefield Capital Management, LLC has an indirect beneficial interest in the shares held by Partners and Partners I. Wynnefield Capital, Inc. has an indirect beneficial interest in the shares held by the Fund. Nelson Obus may be deemed to hold an indirect beneficial interest in the shares held by Partners, Partners I and the Fund because he is the purchaserco-managing member of Wynnefield Capital Management, LLC and a principal executive officer of Wynnefield Capital, Inc. (the investment manager of the securities.

(3) The addressFund). Joshua Landes may be deemed to hold an indirect beneficial interest in the shares held by Partners, Partners I and the Fund because he is the co-managing member of Wynnefield Capital Management, LLC and a principal executive officer of Wynnefield Capital, Inc. (the investment manager of the Fund). Mr. Obus and Mr. Landes both disclaim any beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock reported in this Proxy Statement.
(4) RMB Capital Management, LLC and("RMB") is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The shares shown as owned by RMB are directly owned by funds affiliated with Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC ("Iron Road"). RMB is the controlling member of Iron Road. RMB Capital Holdings, LLC is the controlling member of RMB. The address for all of the affiliated entities is 115 South LaSalle Street, 34th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.
(5) Includes 169,999 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. The information disclosed herein is made in reliancewarrants are exercisable only to the extent that, upon the Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC by these entities on November 10, 2014. such exercise, RMB/Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC is a subsidiarywill not own shares in excess of RMB Capital Management LLC. RMB Capital Management, LLC is a manager4.99% of the total number of shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, unless RMB/Iron Road Capital Partners, LLC, which isgives notice that it desires to increase the purchaserapplicable beneficial ownership limit. The total in this table does not take into account this limitation. Therefore, the actual number of the securities.

(4) The address of DRH Investments, Inc. is 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. The information disclosed herein is made in reliance upon the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC by DRH Investments, Inc. on January 20, 2015. DRH Investments, Inc., in its capacity as investment adviser, may be deemed to beneficially own 716,238 shares that are held 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 21,250 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days ofbeneficially owned by RMB/Iron Road, after giving effect to the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

blocker, is less than the number reported in the table.
(6) Includes 61,250(i) 8,847 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable optionsheld directly by Mr. Harvey; and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(ii) 212,096 shares held in a retirement fund as to which Mr. Harvey is a beneficiary.
(7) Includes 33,000 restricted(i) 206,096 shares that are subject to annual vesting over three years, which commenced in May 2013.

(8) Includes (i) 1,000held directly by Mr. Wickersham; (ii) 472,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants and (ii) 109,583 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days ofowed by a limited partnership, the date of this table (April 21, 2015).

(9) Shares are held in trusts 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) 19,000corporate general partner referred to in (ii); (iv) 34,97 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants; and (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) 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, executivethe majority stockholder, and an officer and controlling stockholder; (iii) 51,022 shares of common stock owned by a corporation wholly owned bydirector. 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.
(8) Includes (i) 121,2501,286 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 directly by Mr. Jury; and (ii) 1,500234,624 shares owned by a retirement fund as to which Mr. Jury is a beneficiary.
(9) Consists of shares beneficially owned by our Named Executive Officers, directors and director nominees, and includes 68,956 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants ownedvested options held by his minor daughter's irrevocable trust.one executive officer who is not individually named in the table.

(15) Includes 48,748 sharesSECTION 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 issuable upon exerciseand other equity securities. Executive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders are required by SEC regulation to provide to us copies of currently exercisable options and options that will become exercisable within 60 days of the date of this table (April 21, 2015).all Section 16(a) forms they file.

(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).

(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.

5745


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

S&W files annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. You may read and copy this information at the SEC's Public Reference Room, located at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain informationTo our knowledge, based solely on the operationa review of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the SEC at the above address, at prescribed rates. The SEC also maintains a websitesuch reports furnished to us and written representations that containsno other reports proxy statements and other information that S&W files electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov. You may also obtain copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K forwere required during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014,2016, other than Alexander C. Matina, who was late in reporting one option grant, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Qexecutive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to these executive officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders.

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS

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 period ended December 31, 2014 and these proxy materialsAudit 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 whicha 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 www.swseedco.com. Any such documentsavailable 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 reportsher knowledge promptly to a supervisor or to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Related Person Transactions

Glen D. Bornt, a member of the Company's 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, the Company's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, is a minority shareholder of IVM. IVM had a 15-year supply agreement with IVS, and this agreement was assigned by IVS to the Company when it 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 the Company pursuant to a supply agreement. Under the terms of the supply agreement, IVM's entire certified and uncertified alfalfa seed production must be offered and sold to the Company, and the Company has the exclusive option to purchase all or any portion of IVM's seed production. The Company paid $11,091,920 to IVM during the year ended June 30, 2016. Amounts due to IVM totaled $396,027 and $834,158 at June 30, 2016 and June 30, 2015, respectively.

46


OTHER BUSINESS

Our Board, at the time of the preparation of this Proxy Statement, knows of no other matters that will be furnished without charge upon written or oral request as follows:presented 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 vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

S&W Seed Company
Attn: Secretary
7108 N. Fresno Street, Suite 380
Fresno, California 93720
Telephone: (559) 884-2535
Fax: (559) 255-5457
Email: secretary@swseedco.com

PROXY SOLICITATIONHOUSEHOLDING

The costs of providing the ability to vote over the Internet and the costs in preparing and mailing this proxy statement and form of proxy card will be paid by us. In addition to soliciting proxies by telephone, Internet and mail, employees of S&W may, at our expense, solicit proxies 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 of their beneficial owners for their reasonable expenses in delivering proxy solicitation materials to their beneficial owners, including objecting beneficial owners.

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

CompaniesSEC 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.

58A copy of the Company's Annual Report to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016 is available without charge upon written request to the Company's Secretary at 7108 North Fresno Street, Suite 380, Fresno, CA 93720.

47


AUDITORS, TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: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 SpecialNotice of 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 judgmentProxy Statement 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 transacted2016 Annual Report are available 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.www.proxyvote.com.

 

 

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 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:

The stockholders of S&W Seed Company hereby authorize and approve the issuance of shares of the Company's Common Stock issuable upon conversion of up to $27,000,000 in 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures at 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 the Company's 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 terms of the Debentures, in each case without giving effect to the conversion cap set forth in the Warrants and the Debentures.

61


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, 2015DECEMBER 9, 2016

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 thesuch 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 Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, California at 10:00 a.m. Pacific timeTime on April 10, 2015,December 9, 2016, 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: ____________________

Security Code: ____________________

Instructions for voting electronically:

1. Readon the accompanying Proxy Statement and Proxy Card
2. Go to www.transferonline.com/proxy
3 Enter yourProxy Code andSecurity Code
4. Press Submit
5. Make your selections
6. Press Submitother side of this document.

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

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


The Board of Directors recommends a voteFORProposal No. 1.

Please mark your proxy as in this example:  x

PROPOSAL NO. 1: APPROVAL OF SHARE ISSUANCE PROPOSAL To approve the issuance of S&W Seed Company common stock issuable upon conversion and exercise of up to $27,000,000 in principal amount of 8% Senior Secured Convertible Debentures and Common Stock Purchase Warrants, respectively, which securities were issued in the Debenture Private Placement that closed on December 31, 2014, plus an indeterminate additional number of shares of the Company's 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 terms of the Debentures.

o

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

Print Name: ________________________________________


S&W SEED COMPANY
c/o Transfer Online, Inc.
512 SE Salmon St.
Portland OR 97214

VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or the meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the website and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-ton telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then following the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

Investor Name
Investor Address

S&W SEED COMPANY COMMON


CONTROL # ____________
SHARES ____________

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:              x

KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS


DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

The Board of Directors recommends a voteFOR the following:

1. Election of Directors.For All   oWithhold All   oFor All Except   oTo withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s),
mark "For All Except" and write the number(s) of the nominee(s)
on the line below.

Nominees

01 Glen D. Bornt       02 David A. Fischhoff       03 Mark S. Grewal       04 Mark J. Harvey       05 Alexander C. Matina

06 Charles B. Seidler             07 Grover T. Wickersham       08 Mark W. Wong

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR proposals 2 and 3

2. Ratification of the appointment of Crowe Horwath LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

oFOR      o AGAINST      o ABSTAIN

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

oFOR      o AGAINST      o ABSTAIN

NOTE: The proxies are authorized to vote on such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any postponements or adjournments thereof.

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

Investor Name
Investor Address

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.

Signature (PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX)

DateSignature (Joint Owners)

Date