Monsanto Company has completed all necessary regulatory steps in Japan for its YieldGard Plus insect-protected corn technology. This means that YieldGard Plus corn is now available for sale and planting in the U.S. in the states in which it is registered.

YieldGard Plus corn provides growers with in-seed protection, allowing the corn plant to protect itself against the damaging Western, Northern and Mexican corn rootworm larvae and the European and Southwestern corn borers. The corn rootworm and the European corn borer have earned the nickname the "billion-dollar bugs" as experts in the industry estimate that each pest costs U.S. corn growers approximately $1 billion annually.

Monsanto's YieldGard Plus had previously completed the regulatory approval processes in the United States and Canada.

YieldGard Plus corn represents Monsanto's third stacked-trait technology offering for corn hybrids, and will serve as the springboard for the industry's first triple trait approach - YieldGard Plus with Roundup Ready Corn 2 technology.

BACKGROUND

Original US YieldGard Plus news release that was issued in the fall of 2003:
http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/media/03/11-03-03.asp

Corn Rootworm backgrounder: www.monsanto.com/monsanto/content/media/backgrounders/rw_backgrounder.pdf

Corn Borer backgrounder: www.monsanto.com/monsanto/content/media/backgrounders/cb_backgrounder.pdf