St. Louis, Missouri
February 4, 2009
Asgrow Seed customer receives
first shipment of soybeans with the new Monsanto Roundup Ready 2
Yield trait
 Illinois,
a state that hosted the first field trial of biotechnology crops
more than two decades ago, made history again this week with the
first delivery to a dealer of the next generation of higher
yielding soybean technology. The technology, Monsanto's Roundup
Ready 2 Yield™ soybean trait, is expected to be the platform for
Monsanto's new soybean technologies in the coming decade.
Soybean and corn farmer Allen Pfeiffer of Bonfield, Illinois,
received the first delivery of soybeans with the Roundup Ready 2
Yield trait at his Asgrow dealer, Heritage FS Inc., in Herscher,
Ill. Asgrow, Monsanto's national soybean seed brand, is one of
the first seed companies to market the new higher-yielding
soybean technology.
Pfeiffer is transitioning to be the next generation to run the
family farming operation, and looks forward to experiencing the
next-generation of soybean technology.
"It's exciting to be keeping up with technology and improving my
farm," he said. "Talking to my local seed dealer and hearing
about the plot data helped me make my decision to try Asgrow
Roundup Ready 2 Yield. The whole idea is to help our bottom
line." The brand's consistency and seed quality were also
factors in his seed purchase decision.
"As the seed brand that delivers innovation to the farm, Asgrow
is proud to be leading the way in the introduction of this
important new technology," said Asgrow Marketing Lead Jeff
Wheeler. "The combination of Roundup Ready 2 Yield's step-change
in yield potential and the consistent, high performance of
Asgrow's exclusive genetics is a winning combination in the
field."
Roundup Ready 2 Yield offers farmers the same flexible,
dependable weed control and crop safety as original Roundup
Ready soybeans, but with higher yield potential resulting from
advanced gene mapping and insertion technology. The technology
provides higher yields by producing more beans per pod on the
plant. Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are the next generation of
the popular Roundup Ready® technology farmers have used in
soybeans since 1996.
"Continued delivery of new technologies, such as Roundup Ready 2
Yield, to increase the productivity of Illinois soybean farmers
is critical for keeping us among the most productive farmers in
the world," said Illinois Soybean Association Vice Chairman Ron
Moore. "We are excited and energized that Illinois is at the
forefront of delivering innovation to U.S. agriculture."
Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will be introduced as
part of a controlled commercial release on 1 million to 2
million U.S. acres this year. In 2010, the trait is expected to
be planted on 5 million to 6 million U.S.
acres across a broader spectrum of maturity groups.
For additional information about the delivery, please visit
http://www.monsanto.com/roundupready2yield2009/.
|
Why
are farmers excited to get this technology on 1 to 2
million acres in 2009 as part of a controlled
commercial release? |
- Roundup Ready
2 Yield offers farmers the same flexible,
dependable weed control and crop safety as
first-generation Roundup Ready soybeans, but
with higher-yield potential resulting from
advanced gene mapping and insertion technology.
- Roundup Ready
2 Yield™ was developed through extensive gene
mapping that allowed Monsanto to identify
specific DNA regions in soybeans that have a
positive impact on yield. Thanks to advanced
insertion and selection technologies, the
Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ gene is situated in one
of these high-yield DNA regions.
- Observations
show higher yield is driven by more beans per
pod with Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ compared to the
first-generation technology.
- More beans per
pod, leads to more bushels in the bin, which
leads to more profit potential per acre!
|
Monsanto Company 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.
Monsanto Company is a member of BIO's Excellence Through
Stewardship(SM) (ETS) Initiative. This product will be
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 Stewardship(SM) is a service mark of Biotechnology
Industry Organization.
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. Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ is a trademark of
Monsanto Technology LLC. |
|
Facts about soybeans
in Illinois |
|
Did You Know?
The value of Illinois soybeans
in 2007 was $3,854,950,000
That’s equal to about 12,850
combines.
In 2008, Illinois planted the
second highest amount of soybean
acres in the United States.
In 2008, Illinois had the
highest average yield of any
state.
Average yield was 47 bushels per
acre – about 7 bushels per acre
higher than the national
average. |
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