An advisory jury in U.S. District Court here found that five employees of French-based conglomerate Rhone Poulenc Agrochemie, now Aventis CropScience, should be added as inventors of two patents held by DEKALB Genetics Corp., a seed company owned by Monsanto Company. DEKALB will ask the court to set aside the jury's decision, and if necessary, DEKALB will file an appeal to the Federal Circuit Court.

"We're disappointed with this decision, but confident we'll prevail when all the facts are brought
forward,'' said David F. Snively, assistant general counsel - litigation. Snively said the dispute
between DEKALB and Aventis is a technical matter and has no bearing on current or future
Roundup Ready corn product offerings by Monsanto through 200 regional seed companies
licensed to sell these products to growers.

Aventis is not licensed to make, use or sell Roundup Ready corn.

Monsanto Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pharmacia, is a leading provider of agricultural
solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide top-quality, cost-effective and
integrated approaches to help farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality
foods.

Roundup Ready is a trademark owned or licensed by Monsanto and its subsidiaries. 

Company news release
N2966