Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that Charles W. Burson, 61, Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, will retire from the company effective Dec. 31, 2006. Deputy General Counsel David F. Snively, 52, will be named Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel effective Sept. 1, 2006. Burson will serve Monsanto as Special Assistant and Counsel to the CEO through Dec. 31, 2006.

"On behalf of the Monsanto Board of Directors and the employees of Monsanto, I thank Charles for his service to our company," said Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto. "During his tenure, Monsanto successfully transitioned from an agricultural company fueled by its chemistry business to one led by its seeds and traits businesses. Charles has played an important role in building the company's legal organization to better serve our growing business, not only in the United States but also in Latin America and Asia-Pacific, where farmers are increasingly choosing to plant Monsanto seeds and technologies.

"Dave Snively also has been a significant contributor to Monsanto's success in the legal arena. His extensive experience in coordinating the company's global law organization, strategic legal planning, and supervision of the litigation, environmental, antitrust, regulatory and intellectual property functions make him the obvious choice for Monsanto's next general counsel," said Grant.

Snively joined former Monsanto Company in 1983 and has directed many nationally recognized trials, including a series of novel patent trials which established Monsanto's position as the recognized technology leader in the field of agricultural biotechnology. He is an active leader in the American Bar Association (ABA) Litigation Section and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Committee on Corporate Counsel. Snively previously served for many years as Executive Director for Lawyers for Civil Justice, based in Washington, D.C. He also was a trial lawyer at Barnes & Thornburg in the early 1980s.

Snively holds a B.S. degree from Ball State University and a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law. He and his wife, Diane (Hepper), have three children, Matthew, Christine and Evan.

Burson joined Monsanto in April 2001 following 30 years of legal service in the private and public sectors in litigation, commercial and corporate law. He served in the White House from 1997-2001, first as Legal Counsel to Vice President Al Gore, and then as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Vice President. Burson also served as Attorney General of Tennessee for eight years and is a past president of the National Association of Attorneys General.

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