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Monsanto Mobile Technology Unit to showcase agricultural innovation at the 2009 Beltwide Cotton Conferences

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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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