St. Louis, Missouri
November 29, 2007
Harvest data from more than 15,000
head-to-head comparisons from on-farm trials across the United
States demonstrate that whether it's DEKALB seed genetics,
triple-trait technology offerings, or the combination of both,
Monsanto Company (NYSE:
MON) is delivering a better product to farmers than leading
competitors.
"These yield figures show the powerful and tangible results that
come from our elite germplasm, our triple-trait products and the
combination of both in one package," said Robb Fraley, chief
technology officer for Monsanto Company.
"The higher-yielding opportunity of Monsanto's products is not
only delivering additional value to the farmers who plant our
products, but it's also helping agriculture continue to support
the growing demands for food, feed and fuel."
Key findings from this year's on-farm field trials, which were
conducted by Monsanto and third parties, reinforce that:
- DEKALB is delivering
better yielding seed to corn farmers: According to more than
14,000 comparisons taken during 2007 harvest, DEKALB corn
seeds delivered an average of 8.4 more bushels per acre
yield compared with genetics from leading competitive
national corn seed brands. This margin widened to more than
12 bushels per acre in hybrids planted in the 110-day
relative maturity zone, the area which comprises the top
corn-producing states in the Corn Belt (e.g. Illinois,
Indiana and Iowa).
- Monsanto's triple-trait
technology is protecting yield on-farm better than the
competition: In more than 3,000 field trials, Monsanto's
YieldGard VT Triple technology outperformed the competitive
Herculex®
XTRA with weed control technology by more than 13 bushels
per acre on average across the United States. Key corn
production states such as Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa saw
even higher per bushel returns with average yields outpacing
the competitive trait package by 17.3, 15.3, and 13.4
bushels per acre respectively.
- The combination of
Monsanto's corn genetics and traits deliver the highest
yielding opportunity to the farm: In nearly 1,700 field
trials, DEKALB varieties stacked with YieldGard VT Triple
technology delivered
an average of more than 14.6 bushels per acre yield
advantage compared with the leading competitor's seed and
triple trait combinations. In all cases, DEKALB seed and
triple trait combinations were compared with offerings that
included Herculex XTRA technology with a weed control
technology. In Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska trials,
the DEKALB YieldGard VT Triple advantage grew to 15.0, 16.9,
14.4, and 17.2 bushels per acre respectively compared with
the leading competitor's seed and triple-trait offerings.
Performance of DEKALB genetics
expected to support near-term growth
Monsanto is a leader in both biotechnology and breeding,
spending approximately $2 million per day to discover and
deliver better products to farmers. As a result, the company's
national corn seed brand, DEKALB, has realized six consecutive
years of market share gains in the U.S. corn seed market,
growing to 23 percent, or more than doubling its presence in the
market in the last five years. Backed by the higher-yielding
advantage that its seeds are delivering to farmers, the company
anticipates that its DEKALB brand could grow by as much as 10
percentage points in the United States by 2012.
Monsanto recently announced manufacturing expansions in Nebraska
and Iowa that will more than double corn seed production in both
states. The company is investing more than $380 million in both
states to expand existing corn seed operations and build two new
DEKALB corn seed conditioning facilities.
These expansions will help the company keep pace with these
growing domestic demands for its corn seed products.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality.
DEKALB and YieldGard VT Triple are trademarks of Monsanto
Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Herculex is a
registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. |
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