San Antonio, Texas
December 22, 2008
Monsanto’s unique Mobile
Technology Unit (MTU) will appear at the 2009 Beltwide Cotton
Conferences, giving attendees a firsthand look at the latest
innovations in plant breeding and biotechnology designed to help
farmers be successful.
The 53-foot unit, with 1,000 square fee of exhibit space,
travels across the U.S., hosting farmer groups and appearing at
trade shows and other special events year-round. Customer
outreach is a central focus for the MTU and with Monsanto’s
Deltapine® brand hosting more than 350 growers at the Beltwide
and excitement about the new Class of ’09 cotton varieties, the
Beltwide was a perfect fit.
Tours are available for all Beltwide attendees Monday through
Thursday, Jan. 5-8, at the following times: Monday: 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. ; Tuesday: 12 noon to 9 p.m.; Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
and Thursday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"As a company focused solely on agriculture, Monsanto is
committed to helping farmers be successful," said Ernesto
Fajardo, Monsanto’s U.S. Business Lead. "That is why we are so
strongly committed to developing new technologies that can help
farmers increase their yields, improve their profitability and
participate in new market opportunities for their crops."
Fajardo noted that technology innovation also supports
Monsanto’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, including the
goal to double corn, soybean and cotton yields by the year 2030
while also conserving key resources by one-third.
Aboard the Mobile Technology Unit, farmers will first view an
introductory video featuring NFL quarterback and Iowa farm
owner, Kurt Warner, and then take a guided tour through the
following exhibit areas, which feature displays, videos and
interactive elements:
- Breeding – About
250 Monsanto breeders are working at dozens of breeding and
research centers around the world. These scientists have
assembled a broad, global germplasm base in order to develop
unique combinations of plant genes that can produce new,
higher-performing products for farmers. Today, breeders are
using advanced molecular breeding tools that can greatly
accelerate new product development by identifying and
utilizing specific plant
genes – or genetic markers – that are associated with
desirable characteristics, such as yield, root and stalk
strength, and disease resistance.
- Crop Analytics –
Monsanto's Crop Analytics team leads the industry in using
advanced, analytical tools to identify and measure output,
or "quality" traits, which add value to farmers and end
users, such as ethanol yield, healthier foods and more
nutritionally balanced livestock feed. Working closely with
breeders, this team supports new product development through
all stages by identifying and measuring millions of samples
for specific characteristics.
- Biotechnology –
Monsanto's family of YieldGard®, Bollgard® and Roundup
Ready® traits have provided significant benefits for farmers
for over a decade, including enhanced insect and weed
control, reduced pesticide use, greater convenience and
flexibility. Today, Monsanto scientists are developing new
traits, such as SmartStax™, which will combine eight
independent genes in multiple traits to provide yield
protection for above- and below-ground insect control and
weed protection.
- Trait Development –
The process of creating improved traits begins by inserting
new genes with desirable agronomic characteristics into
plant cells. This was traditionally accomplished by using a
gene gun, which literally propels DNA into plant tissue
using a 22-caliber charge. Now, Monsanto is using an
advanced gene insertion process, known as Vector Stack
Transformation, or VecTranTM, to create stacked hybrids with
more consistent insect protection and higher yield
potential. YieldGard VT Triple® technology, introduced in
2007, was developed using this science.
- Research and
Development Process – Monsanto invests over $2 million a
day in new product research and development. The R&D process
tracks through five phases. In the early phases, researchers
systematically test concepts, models and leads for new
products whose introduction may still be a decade away. Tens
of thousands of candidates are screened and tested for every
project that advances through all five phases, eventually
reaching the market.
- Corn Pipeline – New
corn technologies are being developed to provide increased
yield, improved insect and disease protection, better stress
tolerance, higher-quality animal feed and higher levels of
oil for food and fuel. These include drought-tolerant corn,
nitrogen use efficiency corn and higher-yielding corn.
- Oilseed Pipeline –
Monsanto's Vistive® low-linolenic soybeans, introduced in
2005, enable soybean growers to help meet the growing
consumer demand for healthier diets by reducing or
eliminating unhealthy trans fats in processed soybean oil.
Monsanto researchers are now engineering the next generation
of Vistive products, including soybeans to produce oil with
heart-healthy omega-3, traditionally found in fish. The
oilseed pipeline also includes higher-yielding soybeans,
high-oil soybeans and dicamba-tolerant soybeans. Roundup
Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans – the second generation of
glyphosate-tolerant soybeans – will have a controlled
commercial release in 2009, taking soybean yields to a
higher level.
- Cotton Pipeline –
Monsanto breeders are working to develop high-performing
seed products that offer cotton producers value through
improved yield, fiber quality and tolerance to environmental
stress. This includes the next generation of Bollgard®
control – Bollgard III – as well as drought-tolerant cotton,
dicamba-tolerant cotton and cotton lygus control.
Dr. Robb Fraley, Monsanto
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer,
emphasized that new product innovation is driven by pursuing
both seed breeding and biotechnology on parallel pathways. “We
are committed to offering the best possible germplasm,
incorporating the newest generation of biotech traits and
combining those traits into stacked combinations that provide
improved performance and better value to meet the needs of
farmers,” he explained. “Farmers today want the best genetics to
deliver strong yields and agronomic performance. But even the
best seed without a biotechnology trait may not deliver the
ultimate performance that a grower expects.”
Following the tour, farmers will have the opportunity to view
ethanol exhibits positioned outside the Mobile Technology Unit,
including an on-site ethanol production demonstration unit.
Monsanto is strongly committed to the ethanol industry through
its Processor Preferred® High Fermentable Corn (HFC) hybrids,
which offer strong yield potential and can produce 2 percent to
4 percent more ethanol per bushel than commodity corn.
“Monsanto is proud to be a technology leader in our industry,”
Fajardo said. “The Mobile Technology Unit is a way to
demonstrate that commitment to our customers – the American
farmers – because we realize that our success depends on their
success. Together, we can continue to advance the future of
agriculture.”
General Motors has donated a Chevy Silverado and Chevy Suburban
to support the MTU on tour. Both vehicles are fitted with an E85
“Live Green, Go Yellow” wrap.
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global
provider of technology- based solutions and agricultural
products that improve farm productivity and food quality.
Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and
large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while
conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water
and energy. To learn more about our business and our
commitments, please visit:
www.monsanto.com.
Monsanto Company is a member of BIO’s Excellence Through
StewardshipSM (ETS) Initiative. This product has been
commercialized in compliance with the ETS and Monsanto Product
Launch Stewardship policies, after meeting applicable regulatory
requirements in key export markets with functioning regulatory
systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can
only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries
where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It
is a violation of national and international law to move
material containing biotech traits across boundaries into
nations where import is not permitted. Monsanto encourages
growers to talk to their grain handler to confirm their buying
position for this product. Excellence Through StewardshipSM is a
service mark of Biotechnology Industry Organization. B.t.
products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with
your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your
state.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup
Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate,
the active ingredient in Roundup® agricultural herbicides.
Roundup® agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not
tolerant to glyphosate. SmartStax™ and other Pipeline products
commercialization is dependent on many factors, including
successful conclusion of regulatory process. SmartStax™ has not
been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It
is a violation of federal law to promote or sell an unregistered
pesticide. Bollgard®, Processor Preferred®, Roundup®, Roundup
Ready®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield™, SmartStax™, VecTran™, Vistive®,
YieldGard®, and YieldGard VT Triple® are trademarks of Monsanto
Technology LLC. Deltapine® is a registered trademark of Delta
and Pine Land Technology Holding Company LLC.
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