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Monsanto leverages strategy, innovation extending its leadership

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New York, New York
May 15, 2008

Monsanto's foundation of seeds and traits creates unmatched ag capabilities

Monsanto Company's (NYSE: MON) role in delivering and accelerating innovation within agriculture has enabled it to extend its leadership, Monsanto's Executive Vice President, Carl Casale will tell investors today. Casale will deliver his remarks as part of a presentation at the BMO Capital Markets Ag & Protein Conference today in New York.

"We have extended our leadership by widening the gap through global share growth, faster trait penetration and accelerated expansion into new markets,"
Casale said. "From new agronomic traits in soybeans and corn to traits that enhance yields through better tolerance to stress, we will continue to deliver new tools to farmers and expect to launch four new game-changing platforms through the middle of the next decade."

Casale's presentation will discuss how Monsanto's strong leadership and innovation create value and reduce risk for its farmer customers through improved yields and crop performance.

Casale will also discuss how Monsanto's yield-per-acre boosting technology can make a meaningful difference in today's supply-demand environment. There has been a fundamental shift in the agricultural landscape fueled by three main factors including, increased protein demand from rising incomes, demand for grain from China and biofuels.

The debate over using grain for food, feed or fuel is not an "either or" discussion, rather it's how do we use grain for all of those needs, Casale will state.

"As a leading technology provider in agriculture," Casale said, "we are focused on delivering products that can increase yield while reducing some of the inherent production risks on the farm. This approach allows farmers to get more out of each acre and ultimately use yield at their discretion."

Extending Leadership

Casale will also highlight how Monsanto's leadership, R&D pipeline, and strong cash position extends its competitive lead. These areas include:

-- Maximizing Monsanto's Seed Footprint - Monsanto's investment in seed and traits has created high-value growth opportunities across its core crops of corn, soy, cotton and vegetables. In its corn seed platform alone, Monsanto's DEKALB brand has realized a gain of 15 to 16 share points in the United States since 2001. Outside the United States, Monsanto's high-yielding, high-performing seed assets provide it with a footprint for the company's biotech traits. By 2012, Monsanto believes it has the opportunity to double the penetration of its
current biotech traits from its 2007 levels.

-- Strong R&D Pipeline - Monsanto expects to further extend its leadership through the launch of four game-changing technologies through the middle of the next decade. These technologies, including Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, SmartStax corn, drought tolerant and nitrogen-utilization corn are being developed to drive yields to meet global demands.

-- Translating Cash into Extending Competitive Lead - Monsanto has consistently re-invested its cash for future growth or returned cash to shareowners through dividends and share repurchase programs. In fiscal year 2008, Monsanto expects to generate close to $2.5 billion of operating cash to invest in its next wave of growth.

Webcast Information

Casale's presentation slides and simultaneous audio webcast of the presentation may be accessed by visiting the company's web site at http://www.monsanto.com/investors. Following today's live broadcast set for noon ET, a replay of the webcast will be available for two weeks through this same link.

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

DEKALB, SmartStax and Roundup Ready 2 Yield are trademarks of Monsanto Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

 

 

 

 

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