ST. LOUIS (June 29, 2009) – Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that soybean varieties with the Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield® trait and Acceleron™ seed treatment system are showing an early season performance advantage over competitive soybean products and first-generation traits in many areas of the United States. 

The new biotechnology trait is designed to deliver higher yield potential to farmers, and the seed treatment system helps maximize crop performance potential beginning at planting.  This is the first year of commercialization for both technologies.  These technologies will serve as base platforms underpinning the company’s sustainability goal of doubling soybean yields by 2030, compared to a base year of 2000.

The debut of both technologies comes at a time where global soybean stocks are dwindling as global demand for U.S. soybeans is strong.

“In what may be a peak year for U.S. soybean acreage, more than 16,000 farmers across the Corn Belt have purchased and are experiencing the breakthrough benefits of this new trait and seed treatment,” said Jennifer Ralston, Monsanto’s U.S. oilseed product management director. “Early season observations of soybean varieties with the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait and Acceleron give us confidence that soybeans with this trait-and-treatment tandem will be the industry leader in yield performance.”

Early season data from soybeans with the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait and Acceleron for next season demonstrates consistent improvement in plant stand and seedling vigor, as compared to untreated soybeans and competitive germplasm treated with commercial seed treatments, such as CruiserMaxx®.  Field trials were conducted in multiple locations across more than 10 states.

Today, approximately one-third of the soybean seed planted in the United States is treated.  This compares to nearly all of the corn and cotton seed planted in the United States.  The value and expected use of seed treatments in soybeans are expected to expand as the yield potential of new soybean varieties are increasing through the introduction of traits like Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield.

“Doubling average soybean yields will take innovative scientific advancement in breeding, biotechnology and agronomic practice improvements, like seed treatment,” Ralston said.  “In soybeans, we see a great deal of upside yield potential and we’re very excited about the step change that the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait and Acceleron brings to increasing yields.”

For photographs of early season performance for the new trait and treatment, please visit Monsanto Company.

Syngenta Seed Care™ is promoting education about corn nematodes by hitting the roadways with a 70-foot “Traveling Nematode” that will be prominently positioned atop a trailer and will journey throughout the Midwestern United States to bring attention to a growing concern for corn growers in the Midwest.

“In recent years, there has been an increase in corn-on-corn and no-till or reduced tillage, as well as the removal of in-furrow organophosphate and carbamate insecticides from corn production.  These changing production practices are contributing to an environment in which corn nematodes can become yield-limiting pests,” explained Mark Jirak, Syngenta Seed Care crop manager.  “It is important for Midwestern corn growers to understand that nematode populations may be more prevalent than they realize, and nematode damage can dramatically affect profitability.”

Because nematodes are a relatively new concern, Syngenta Seed Care recognizes the need for corn nematode education.  The trailer will feature taglines including:  “Your corn nematode problem is bigger than you think” and “CAUTION:  Nematodes stop at all cornfields.”  Throughout its travels, the “Traveling Nematode” will be part of the effort to help teach the industry about corn nematodes.

The trailer will visit industry events, tradeshows, plot tours and many other venues.  In addition to spreading the word about corn nematodes, the “Traveling Nematode” will showcase the latest product combination from Syngenta Seed Care–Avicta® Complete Corn.

New for the 2010 season, Avicta Complete Corn is a seed treatment combination that teams Avicta seed treatment nematicide with Cruiser® seed treatment insecticide and Apron XL®, Maxim® XL and Dynasty® seed treatment fungicides to offer corn growers the only triple protection against nematodes, early-season insects and diseases.

For more information about Avicta Complete Corn, contact your local Syngenta Crop Protection or Seed Care representative.

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 24,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.

This season marks the 50th anniversary of atrazine, one of the most valuable crop protection products ever developed. Throughout these years, growers have relied on atrazine for efficient, cost-effective control of a wide range of broadleaf weeds and grasses.

“Time has proven that atrazine is one of the most reliable, flexible tools growers can use to protect crops from yield-robbing weeds,” said Chuck Foresman, technical brand manager for Syngenta. “Well over half the corn acres, about two-thirds of sorghum acres and up to 90 percent of sugar cane acres in the United States use atrazine to control weeds.”

Triazine herbicides were discovered by researchers at a Syngenta legacy company in the early 1950s, and atrazine was introduced to growers for the 1959 season. As the original developer, Syngenta plans to celebrate atrazine’s anniversary throughout the year. 

The product is known for economical and effective weed control and the ability to enhance the performance of other products. 

“Atrazine is an economical option that helps us control problem weeds like velvetleaf, vines and morningglory,” said grower Mat Muirheid of Oakley, Ill., who is a second-generation atrazine user. “We get more residual control for the cost, and that protects our yields.”

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, atrazine helps corn growers like Muirheid save as much as $28 per acre. Besides protecting crops and grower profits, atrazine also supports conservation tillage systems that can reduce soil erosion by up to 90 percent, and can help delay the development of weed resistance.

Muirheid noted, “We also use atrazine to provide a different mode of action for weed control.  We don’t want to develop weed resistance.”

Today, besides being available as a stand-alone herbicide, such as AAtrex® brands, more than 45 pre-mix products contain atrazine, including Lumax®, Lexar®, Expert® and Bicep II Magnum® brand herbicides from Syngenta.  Foresman added that used in combination or rotation with other herbicides, atrazine also helps delay and manage weed resistance.

Because of its vital role in weed control and popularity in more than 60 countries around the world, atrazine has been carefully studied for years.  World-renowned institutions including the World Health Organization, the National Cancer Institute and EPA all have studied atrazine and found no health concerns when used as directed.

“Atrazine continues to pass the most stringent regulatory standards for safety,” said Foresman. “In 2006, the EPA re-registered atrazine for crop protection use. And Syngenta works closely with growers in many watershed projects and in other stewardship programs to ensure that atrazine is used according to EPA guidelines and best management practices we’ve helped develop.”

Muirheid understands the importance of following those guidelines, so that he can continue to take advantage of the value atrazine brings. 

“We follow the label and regulations for atrazine use,” he said. “Atrazine helps us get the best weed control possible.”

For more information, visit www.atrazine.com.

Avicta® Complete Corn, which contains Avicta, the first seed treatment nematicide for use on corn, is now available to offer corn growers the only complete triple protection against nematodes, early-season insects and diseases. In addition to Avicta seed treatment nematicide, Avicta Complete Corn includes an increased rate of Cruiser® (0.50 mg ai/seed) seed treatment insecticide and Apron XL®, Maxim® XL and Dynasty® fungicides, together the most robust and widely used seed treatment fungicide package on the market. The components in Avicta Complete Corn work together to offer greater protection against the early-season threat of damaging pests to produce healthier plants and help each seed realize its full genetic yield potential.

“Corn nematode populations have increased due to changing production practices and are contributing to reduced yields in corn fields across the country,” said Mark Jirak, crop manager, Syngenta Seed Care. “With an average of only 40 total harvests in a lifetime, growers must start every corn crop off right. Syngenta Seed Care™ strives to keep growers on the cutting edge, so we are pleased to once again lead the seed treatment industry with this innovation to help corn growers succeed at producing more bushels per acre.”

Research trials have shown that seed treated with Avicta Complete Corn results in strong, healthy, high-yielding corn plants. In 2008, a set of 35 large-block side-by-side on-farm trials were conducted by private consultants in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. In these trials, the yield advantage of Avicta Complete Corn averaged 8.7 bushels per acre above Cruiser Extreme® 250, the industry standard. Another 15-trial program conducted in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas demonstrated a 5.3 percent yield increase in fields treated with Avicta Complete Corn versus those treated with Cruiser Extreme 250. Over 1,000 additional large-block, on-farm demonstrations are being conducted by seed companies with growers throughout the Midwest and Southern corn growing areas during the 2009 planting season.

Avicta seed treatment nematicide, the nematicide component of Avicta Complete Corn, provides immediate protection against all major early-season nematode species, including root-knot, stubby-root, sting, dagger, ring, stunt, spiral, needle, lesion and lance nematodes. Providing effective nematode protection from the time the seed is planted promotes stronger plant stands, and builds the foundation for better yield and return on investment potential.

The insecticide component in Avicta Complete Corn is an increased rate of Cruiser seed treatment insecticide (0.50 mg ai/seed), which offers more consistent activity and longer residual for more effective early-season insect protection. Since 2003, Cruiser has been protecting corn plants from a broad variety of seed, soil and foliar chewing and sucking insects, including wireworms, chinch bugs and seedcorn maggots, to help corn crops get off to a healthy, vigorous start.

Avicta Complete Corn boasts the most robust and widely used seed treatment fungicide package on the market. The proven disease protection of Apron XL, Maxim XL and Dynasty seed treatment fungicides helps shield the plant from dangerous diseases that reduce emergence and cause slow growth and damping off of the seedlings. The combination of Apron XL, Maxim XL, and Dynasty in Avicta Complete Corn protects against the most damaging seed- and soil-borne disease pathogens in corn resulting in better emergence, more uniform stands, better early-season vigor and higher yield potential.   

For more information about Avicta Complete Corn contact your Syngenta Crop Protection or Seed Care representative. 

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 24,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (June 18, 2009) – With a number of regions experiencing shorter growing seasons this year because of spring’s cool, wet weather, corn growers are paying particular attention to their postemergence herbicide applications.

“The later you plant, the greater your risk for yield loss,” said Jeff Springsteen, Bayer CropScience corn and soybean selective herbicides product manager. “The last thing a grower wants or needs is for weed pressure to further jeopardize yields, so growers will have even higher expectations of their herbicides this year. Especially if they didn’t have time to make pre-emergence herbicide applications before they started planting.”

Laudis® herbicide from Bayer CropScience is one of the best postemergence herbicide options for managing grass and broadleaf weeds in corn.

Laudis, which was introduced in 2008, is approved for use on field corn, white corn, seed corn, sweet corn and popcorn. It has a flexible application window from VE up to V8 growth stages in field corn and popcorn, and from VE up to V7 in sweet corn. Laudis also offers a combination seen in few selective herbicides: residual weed control and crop safety.

“There aren’t many products that seed corn companies allow to be used on certain corn,” said Jon Silsby, retailer, TH Agri-Chemicals, Inc., Union City, Mich. “Plus, we have weed control challenges. Laudis happened to work extremely well against those challenges because seed companies like the crop safety, and growers like the broad-spectrum weed control.”

Silsby said wild-proso millet, lambsquarters, velvetleaf and ragweed are the biggest weed concerns of his customers. The residual control provided by Laudis was particularly important when managing lambsquarters, velvetleaf and some grasses.

“Laudis worked extremely well on seed corn and popcorn,” explained Silsby. “When the weeds were about a half-inch tall, we would get some rain or irrigate, and then we’d see residual activity take down those weeds.”

Silsby also said he thinks Laudis is safer on crops than other selective postemergence herbicides he’s used. Springsteen credited this crop safety to a proprietary safener that is part of the Laudis formulation.

ST. LOUIS, June 17, 2009 - DuPont today filed an answer and counterclaims to a recent Monsanto lawsuit that seeks to block farmers’ access to innovative new soybean lines from DuPont business Pioneer-Hi Bred. These soybeans would contain Pioneer’s proprietary Optimum® GAT® trait and - through Monsanto’s royalty-bearing license agreement - the Roundup Ready® trait.

In its federal court filing here today, DuPont affirmed that combining, or "stacking," of Optimum® GAT® and Roundup Ready® technologies is clearly within its rights under the license agreement with Monsanto. DuPont also said that patents relating to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready® soybeans are invalid and, therefore, are not infringed when Optimum® GAT® and Roundup Ready® traits are "stacked" in soybeans. In addition, DuPont is seeking broad relief under anti-trust laws that would end Monsanto’s multifaceted, anti-competitive scheme to unlawfully restrict competition.

We believe we have every right through our existing Monsanto license agreement to ’stack’ our Optimum® GAT® trait with Pioneer soybean genetics already containing a Roundup Ready® trait," said DuPont Group Vice President James C. Borel. "We will vigorously defend our rights to bring valuable new technologies to the market.

Monsanto’s lawsuit is another tactic used to restrict the availability of competitive products. Farmers want and deserve diverse technology options that can best satisfy their specific needs to help meet the increasing global demands for agriculture. Advancements in agriculture productivity, for example, hinge on having technology options available in the market. Our proprietary Optimum® GAT® trait combined with the Roundup Ready® trait in elite Pioneer soybean genetics would be superior to any other product on the market - better yields and broader, more flexible weed control options," Borel added. "The seed industry, U.S. growers, and, ultimately, consumers are best served when seed companies can assemble the best combinations of traits and germplasm for their customers - without the anti-competitive restrictions imposed by Monsanto."

DuPont’s counterclaims.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

WESTMONT, IL, and FARGO, ND, (AgPR), June 17, 2009 – Farm Market iD, a leading provider of farm-level U.S. agricultural data, announced today the signing of a joint venture agreement with Fargo, North Dakota-based Agri ImaGIS.   The joint venture agreement between Farm Market iD and Agri ImaGIS creates co-development and co-marketing arrangements for Farm Market iD, a comprehensive database of U.S. farms, allowing the combined team to bring to the agricultural market a new and unique set of GIS [geographic information system] and geo-spatial products and services associated with sites in the database. 

Farm Market iD is a company of Telematch, Inc., a leading marketing intelligence solutions company.  The announcement comes less than a month after closing the acquisition of Farm Market iD by Telematch.

“This exciting opportunity with Agri ImaGIS demonstrates our commitment to Farm Market iD and the agribusiness community,” said Peg Kuman, chief executive officer, Telematch.   “We are investing early and aggressively into new and robust technologies that will continue to position Farm Market iD as the leader in quality farm data and database solutions.”

According to Lanny Faleide, president, Agri ImaGIS, "With FMiD’s proprietary data that identifies grower and farm detail, along with its geo-coded Common Land Units (CLUs), and Agri ImaGIS’s proprietary satellite imagery archive and Web-based GIS products, we plan to offer growers and marketers the unique opportunity to map individual farms, identify the crops and acreages for each field and to know precisely who owns and operates each farm.   It is truly revolutionary in scope."

"We are already in discussions with a number of leading ag suppliers about testing and licensing this unique enhancement of our database,” said John Montandon, co-founder of Farm Market iD who remains with Telematch as an investor and consultant. “This is a transitional moment for the company in several ways, and it certainly represents a major step forward in our intelligence offerings in support of farmers and to the agricultural marketplace. With Telematch stepping up immediately to support such innovations for Farm Market iD, we are excited about the practical applications that our joint venture with Agri ImaGIS will produce.”

For more information about the new FMiD/Agri ImaGIS geo spatial products, or for a demonstration of the features the new technology offers, contact Agri ImaGIS at (701) 235-5767 (email Lanny Faleide at lanny@satshot.com) or contact Farm Market iD at (800) 313-4778 (email John Montandon at johnleemon@aol.com).

SAN FRANCISCO AND FRESNO, CA – June 16, 2009 – Wilbur-Ellis Company and Agrian announced today that they have reached agreement to jointly develop a new agronomy information system utilizing the Agrian suite of data management tools.  The new agronomy system will be adopted across the entire Wilbur-Ellis enterprise with implementation to begin in the 4th quarter of 2009. Wilbur-Ellis spent over a year evaluating agronomy software providers and selected Agrian for its scalability, ease of use, robust infrastructure, and user-friendly, Web-based interface. As part of this new adoption, Agrian has partnered with AgJunction GVM, Inc. of Biglerville, Pennsylvania to help provide precision agriculture tools to Wilbur-Ellis.

 

About Wilbur-Ellis

Founded in 1921, Wilbur-Ellis is a privately-held international marketer and distributor of agricultural and industrial products headquartered in San Francisco. The Agribusiness division employs approximately 2,100 full-time employees in 138 branches across the US. The annual sales of products and services for the Agribusiness division in the most recent fiscal year were in excess of $1.6 billion.

About Agrian

Founded in 2004, Agrian Inc. offers the most integrated solution to the growing demand for information addressing food safety, environmental concerns, traceability, sustainability, and locally and organically grown food.  The company’s flagship products include Agrian Advisor and Documented™ Advisor; Agrian Grower and Documented™ Grower; Agrian Applicator and Documented™ Applicator; and Agrian Handler and Compliance Handler.

ST. LOUIS (June 16, 2009) — Water is a vital element in the production of food. Helping farmers better manage water utilization for crops is the focus of Monsanto Company’s (NYSE:MON) Water Utilization Learning Center, which opens today at Gothenburg, Neb.

More than 200 farmers, government officials and industry representatives are expected to attend the grand opening, which is sponsored by Monsanto’s Genuity™ trait brand. The Water Utilization Learning Center, the first of its kind in agriculture, is a $6 million facility designed for studying cropping systems comprised of world class genetics, agronomic practices and biotech traits including water-use efficiency technologies such as drought-tolerant cropping systems. The center will help Monsanto advance research to help improve farmers’ productivity in the Western Great Plains while gaining a better understanding of water use by crops.

“Water is a major factor in agriculture production,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto Chief Technology Officer. “In any given year, 10 million to 13 million acres of farmland planted to corn in the United States may be affected by at least moderate drought, and every crop acre faces some degree of water stress at some point in the growing season.”

More than 80 cropping and irrigation demonstrations are featured at the 155-acre farm and learning center. Among the Monsanto corn and soybean technologies on display are Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans, Genuity™ VT Triple PRO™ corn, and first-generation drought-tolerant technology for corn.

“Our upcoming drought-tolerant crop technologies represent one potential tool for addressing the challenge of water utilization, while ensuring greater sustainability and production within agriculture,” Fraley added.

In addition to crop and irrigation demonstrations, the facility includes three conference rooms that will be equipped with state-of-the-art videoconferencing capabilities. The center will be hardwired to eventually conduct virtual tours of robotics and seed analytics facilities in remote locations such as Monsanto’s breeding facility in Ankeny, Iowa, or the company’s Chesterfield, Mo., research facility, for example. The site also includes a 20,000 square foot breeding station and a smaller building to dry corn.

Gothenburg Learning Center Lead Chandler Mazour said Monsanto selected the site because of its location in the transition zone from dryland acres to irrigated acres on the western High Plains, adding that Monsanto needs that diversity to determine how to use future technologies in adding value to crops.

“The center provides visitors the platform to see our approach to water utilization from a systems standpoint, that is breeding, biotechnology and agronomics,” Mazour added. “Visitors get a first-hand understanding of how we make our genetic and biotechnology gains, and the process of reaching our sustainability goals and, most important, the goals that they want to achieve on their farms.”

The Gothenburg Water Utilization Learning Center is open during the summer for tours. Farmers can schedule a tour of the facility by contacting their local seed company representative.

DULUTH, GA (June 11, 2009) — Professional producers across North America are getting a first-hand look at a new generation of high horsepower rowcrop tractors they could envision only in their dreams five years ago. AGCO Corporation is debuting its newest models with growers at dealer locations throughout the United States and Canada. The Experience a Tractor Revolution road show will make more than 50 stops during its cross-country travels this year, previewing the tractors to as many as 900 growers per event.

The Experience a Tractor Revolution tour features an interactive presentation which details the creation of the Challenger® MT600C Series, Massey Ferguson® 8600 Series and AGCO® DT Series from farmer-directed concepts to the final product. Housed within a 53-foot mobile display trailer, the presentation recounts original grower input, displays the designer’s initial sketches and virtually builds the tractor as viewers watch.

“The Tractor Revolution road show is an eye-opening experience for agricultural producers because it demonstrates that AGCO truly listened to farmer requests and built these tractors based on their input,” says Rawley Hicks, marketing specialist for high horsepower tractors at AGCO Corp. “And the road show demonstrates the tremendous investment AGCO has in design and technology to develop the best tractors on the market, as well as the support and commitment the company has to our customers and our dealers.”

Virtually built as growers watch

As growers view the virtual build of the tractor, they watch it come together, from the chassis through the engine, transmission, rear axle, cab and sheet metal. A video explains the history of the AGCO SISU POWER® 8.4L diesel engines which power the 205 to 275 PTO horsepower tractors and then shows the engines being built in the company’s factory in Finland.

“We can’t take every customer to Finland, but we can bring our factory to them through the video,” Hicks relates.

The Tractor Revolution road show also gives growers an up-close and personal view of new heavy-duty continuously variable transmission (CVT) with industry-exclusive Dynamic Tractor Management (DTM). The fully functioning transmission is enclosed in a glass showcase allowing growers to watch it work as they put the transmission through its paces and experience the infinite speed control which is delivered without shifting, jerking or a delay in traction or power.

Growers also learn about the industry’s newest clean-air technology – e3 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology – first introduced to agriculture by AGCO in 2009 as the most effective method of meeting current and future EPA emission-control requirements which are slated for 2011 and 2014. A display demonstrates how the technology treats exhaust after it passes through the engine to meet clean-air requirements while maintaining the engine’s full power and actually improving fuel efficiency by 15 percent compared to competitive technologies.

Simulated trip in fully functioning cab

Each visitor to the Tractor Revolution road show also has the opportunity to sit in the cab of the tractor and experience what it is like to operate the machine in the field.

The final presentation details the operation of the tractors’ optional guidance, automated machine management, field data management and precision farming technologies.

“These tractors not only provide growers with the features they’ve requested relative to power, ease of operation, ISOBUS compatibility and comfort, but by partnering with Topcon, we are able to equip the tractors with technologies growers can use to do a better job of managing their operations today and into the future,” Hicks adds.

The Experience a Tractor Revolution road show runs through 2010 and will visit AGCO, Challenger and Massey Ferguson dealers throughout the United States and Canada. Growers should watch for information on an event in their area or check with their local dealer. For more information on the new tractors available from AGCO, Challenger and Massey Ferguson visit your local dealer or www.newfromchallenger.com, www.masseyferguson.com/8600 or www.agcoiron.com.