WALNUT CREEK, CA AND ST. LOUIS, MO (November 15, 2007)-Valent U.S.A. Corporation and Monsanto Company announced the addition of Valent’s residual herbicides Valor® Herbicide, Valor® XLT Soybean Herbicide and Gangster® Herbicide to Monsanto’s Roundup Rewards® START CLEAN, STAY CLEAN(tm) Assurance Plan for Roundup Ready® soybeans. …more

New Herbicide Portfolio Delivers Powerful Weed Control in Herbicide-tolerant Corn, Soybeans

INDIANAPOLIS — Nov. 13, 2007 — Dow AgroSciences has introduced a new Technology for Traits™ portfolio of herbicides that provides growers with new weed control tools designed for high performance in herbicide-tolerant corn or soybean production systems.

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Golden Valley, MN, November 7, 2007 - As combines roll across the Corn Belt this fall, it marks the end of another season for corn and soybean farmers. However, fall harvest is just the beginning for the seed companies that support those farmers. …more

New varieties help growers battle SCN as it spreads into northern areas.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 1, 2007 - Soybean growers now have more options when selecting soybean varieties that have high yield potential and the ability to stave off soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, continues to expand its lineup of SCN-resistant soybean varieties, providing growers a choice in rotating SCN sources in their fields to keep potential resistance issues in check. …more

Syngenta Seeds Hosts the Largest TruBulk® Seed Delivery System Conference in United States

Golden Valley, Minn. - October 2007 - A 5-year trend of soybean sales indicates the success of bulk handling advances has resulted in a 47 percent drop in the use of 50-pound bags by growers. Leading the trend, retailers, seed advisors and reps from 15 states recently completed intensive training on the TruBulk® Seed Delivery System from Syngenta at the KSi Conveyors’ facility in Cissna Park, Ill. Participants learned of new advances and services to increase efficiency of bulk seed delivery. …more

Pioneer TruChoice® financing to include Touchdown Total® and Touchdown HiTech® herbicides plus Quilt® fungicide

Greensboro, N.C., and Des Moines, IA, October 23, 2007 – Syngenta Crop Protection and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, today announced an agreement to promote glyphosate-based Touchdown® herbicides, Quilt® fungicide, and Pioneer® brand corn hybrids and soybean varieties for the 2008 growing season. …more

ST. LOUIS, April 18, 2007 – Monsanto today expressed support for the America Heart Association (AHA) “Face the Fats” campaign, which is designed to increase consumer understanding about fats and how to eat sensibly. The educational campaign is designed to teach Americans how to minimize trans fat in their diet and eat less foods loaded with saturated fat.

Kurt Wickstrom, U.S. soybean traits marketing manager for Monsanto, said the AHA national education campaign underscores the opportunity for U.S. soybean growers to meet the growing consumer demand for healthier foods by growing Vistive™ low-linolenic soybeans.

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As food company and processor demand for better oils for healthier foods continues to grow, Monsanto next season will offer soybean farmers an expanded portfolio of high-performing Vistive™ low-linolenic soybeans, which can reduce or eliminate trans fats in processed soybean oil.

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Ames, Iowa - October 10, 2007 - Becker Underwood is offering soybean growers a choice of three VAULT inoculants made fresh for the 2008 growing season for greater performance in the field and maximum yields.

“Our VAULT inoculants are made fresh every year for that specific growing season to ensure they deliver strong, vigorous rhizobia to your seed, which helps maximize both nitrogen fixation and yield in your soybeans,” says John Wilke, Becker Underwood inoculant product manager. “Based on university research and independent field trials, soybean growers who use fresh VAULT inoculants can expect an average yield advantage of 2.5 bushels* per acre compared to soybeans grown without inoculants.”

Jim Beuerlein is a professor of agronomy and soybean research and extension specialist for The Ohio State University. Beuerlein has evaluated soybean inoculants in hundreds of field trials since 1995. These tests have consistently shown the practice of inoculation provides a two-bushel per acre average yield advantage.

“If you look at just one year, you might not think an extra bushel or two is all that significant. But when you look at it over the long run, and compare the yield advantage versus the cost of inoculating, the economic returns truly are significant,” Beuerlein explains. “When you invest $2 to $3 an acre for an extra two bushels of soybeans that sell for $7 or $8 a bushel, inoculation is a practice that can generate 400 percent to 500 percent profit. And that can add a lot to your bottom line when you spread that over all your soybean acres.”

Available in two different liquid formulations and one dry formulation, the 2008 VAULT lineup will deliver the performance and results you demand from an inoculant.

New VAULT LVL is a low-volume liquid inoculant that is professionally applied by your seed dealer so you can stay focused on planting and still get maximum benefits from your inoculant. The low application rate for VAULT LVL increases your options to add other beneficial treatments such as fungicides and insecticides for healthier, more productive crops. VAULT LVL features Becker Underwood?s exclusive BioStacked® Technology that combines advanced strains of beneficial rhizobia with the disease-fighting power of Integral®, an EPA-registered biofungicide that suppresses many common diseases including rhizoctonia and fusarium.

Replacing NOD+TM is VAULT NP, a highly concentrated liquid inoculant that offers excellent bacteria counts - more than 1.1 million rhizobia per seed (based on 3,000 seeds per pound). Fresh VAULT NP inoculant contains the USDA-patented TA-11 Nod+ rhizobia strain, plus additional strains to improve stability and make the product even more robust over a wider range of environmental conditions. VAULT NP has been specially formulated so you can apply the product yourself either on-seed or in-furrow.

VAULT SP is a highly potent, sterile peat-based inoculant for on-seed application.

VAULT SP contains the USDA-patented TA-11 Nod+ rhizobia strain proven to increase yields in soybeans. VAULT SP is packaged in convenient 28-ounce packets that will treat up to 1,000 pounds of seed.

“Inoculating soybeans is a sound management decision that can deliver an outstanding return on investment. But for maximum results, be sure to use a fresh product like VAULT - the only inoculant guaranteed to be made fresh for the 2008 growing season,” Wilke says.

You can learn more about VAULT LVL and the other VAULT inoculants by visiting www.weproveit.com or by talking to your local dealer or seed treater. Call 1-800-892-2013 if you need help locating a dealer in your area. You can also visit www.beckerunderwood.com for additional information on the extensive line of seed enhancements offered by Becker Underwood.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (October 1, 2007) – Asgrow® has introduced its 2008 class of 16 new Elites products, all high-performing soybeans providing farmers with excellent yield potential and consistent performance and plant health.

“Asgrow products are evaluated by our genetic purity specialists,” explains Betsy Hill, U.S. Asgrow Soybean Technical Manager at Monsanto. “They take extra steps at the onset of the breeding process to provide soybean farmers with ‘better beans’ that have the genetic purity and consistency to deliver higher yield potential at harvest.”

“Asgrow has access to one of the world’s largest, most diverse germplasm pools,” says Tom Schaefer, U.S. Soybean Marketing Manager for Monsanto. “Asgrow genetic purification and breeding refinements are focused on plant health, disease resistance and yield characteristics resulting in more than 15 new products each year.”

Additionally, this year’s Elites lineup includes six new Vistive™ low-linolenic varieties, which offer premiums to farmers, as well as the opportunity to meet the growing consumer demand for healthier diets.

Nationally, six of the most exciting new 2008 Asgrow Elites products include AG1403, AG2108, AG2606, AG3205, AG3803 and AG4405. Here is a brief description of these products:

AG1403 – Mid-Group 1 Roundup Ready® soybean product that produces a medium bush plant type with excellent standability and emergence. It features very good iron chlorosis tolerance and very good white mold tolerance with exceptional yield potential.

AG2108 – An Early Group 2 Roundup Ready product featuring high yield potential coupled with very good iron chlorosis tolerance. This product offers excellent emergence and standability, combined with moderate resistance to race 3 soybean cyst nematode. May be packaged with AG2002 or AG2107 for SCN and high pH.

AG2606 – Mid-Group 2 Roundup Ready product. An attractive plant type with excellent yield potential and very good emergence with Phytophthora protection with the Rps1c gene and moderate resistance to race 3 soybean cyst nematode. Farmers can plant with confidence on all acres without high pH issues.

AG3205 – An Early Group 3 Roundup Ready product. It is highly adaptive and versatile, with high yield potential across all field types. Features excellent brown stem rot resistance, moderate resistance to race 3 soybean cyst nematode, and multi-race Phytophthora protection with the Rps1c gene.

AG3803 – This Group 3 Roundup Ready soybean product features high yield potential and delivers consistent performance across the Corn Belt. This product is resistant to race 3 soybean cyst nematode, and also offers multi-race Phytophthora protection, as well as very good field tolerance. It produces an attractive plant with tall, thin canopy with a gray phenotype.

AG4405 – A Mid-Group 4 Roundup Ready product that is ideal for conservation tillage. Features multi-race Phytophthora protection with the Rps1c gene, in addition to resistance to race 3 soybean cyst nematode. It is suited for positioning in fields where southern stem canker and sudden death syndrome have been problems in the past.