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New America's Heartland public TV series to celebrate agriculture
Sacramento, California
April 21, 2005

A new weekly public television show that celebrates the miracle of American agriculture and the farm and ranch families that help make it possible will hit the airwaves this fall, it was announced today. America's Heartland will profile the people, places and products of U.S. agriculture. The magazine-style, half-hour program will focus on our national love for the land, our fascination with food and the bedrock American values of family, hard work and independence that make our agricultural system the finest in the world.

In announcing the ground-breaking series today, the series' two flagship supporters - Monsanto Company and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) - along with the show's producer, KVIE, the public television affiliate in Sacramento, Calif., said they are proud to collaborate with other U.S. agriculture groups to raise awareness of the significant contribution that agriculture makes to the quality of American living. America's Heartland supporting contributors include American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, United Soybean Board and U.S. Grains Council.

America's Heartland will help viewers better understand the nation's farm and ranch families and the challenges and opportunities they face as they produce food and fiber for Americans and people in other countries.

"American farmers play an important role in the stewardship of the land and foods we eat -- it is important that they are recognized by non-farming communities for their hard work and devotion," said Kerry Preete, vice president of U.S. crop production at Monsanto Company. "America's Heartland will provide metropolitan audiences an important opportunity to learn more about the story beyond the grocery store shelves and usher in a greater respect for farmers' and ranchers' contributions."

Series supporters also believe America's Heartland will help raise public awareness of the agricultural industry, particularly among the nation's opinion leaders, and highlight the important role farmers and ranchers play in feeding, clothing and fueling the world. "We believe America's Heartland will provide an opportunity for consumers to get reacquainted with American farmers and ranchers, the people who produce their food," said Bob Stallman, president of AFBF. "Americans, for a number of reasons, are removed from their agricultural roots. America's Heartland will help bridge that disconnect. America's Heartland will show the diversity of American agriculture -- the variety of operations and people in the profession. America's farms are still predominantly operated by farm families and not large corporations, as many people think. America's Heartland will put a face on those families and give them a voice."

Stallman said Farm Bureau is proud to team up with Monsanto, a leading agricultural technology company that has helped farmers become more profitable, productive, and efficient in meeting the needs of American consumers, and KVIE, which has already proved its ability to tell agriculture's story to the public through its eight years of producing the California Heartland series, which was one of the most-watched series in the 50-year history of California public television.

America's Heartland is as much about the way of life of the people working and caring for the land as it is America's food and agriculture system. Each half-hour program will be shot entirely on location in digital widescreen format, according to Jim O'Donnell, Director of Program Marketing for KVIE.

The first season of the program will consist of 20 original programs, one or more of which will break from the established format to cover a single topic or theme. The series will premiere the first week of September 2005. The series will be distributed to each of more than 300 public television stations in America by America's Public Television, the single largest provider of programming to public television stations.

"We project that the first season of the program will be available in markets totaling more than 60 percent of the nation's viewers - approximately 100 stations reaching more than 71 million households," O'Donnell said.

People interested in seeing a sneak peek of the series may view an introductory trailer at the website: www.americasheartland.org

America's Heartland is a weekly television program that celebrates the miracle of American agriculture and the farm and ranch families that help make it possible. The presentation of this program is made possible through major underwriting by Monsanto Company in collaboration with the American Farm Bureau Federation. Additional production and promotion assistance is provided by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, United Soybean Board and U.S. Grains Council.

The American Farm Bureau Federation is the nation's largest farm organization with affiliates in 49 states and Puerto Rico.

Monsanto Company is a leading industry provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm efficiency and food quality.

KVIE, Sacramento is the creator and producer of America's Heartland, a weekly series celebrating the generous earth of our nation and the people who work it. KVIE is a PBS member station and one of the most prolific producers of content for public television in America.

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