Monsanto Initiates Regular Product Performance Update to Provide Customer Resource During Harvest
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ST. LOUIS, Sept. 20, 2010 - As farmers continue the 2010 harvest and prepare for the 2011 season, Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) will begin providing regular 2010 harvest performance updates for its corn and soybean portfolio on its website. The online resource will provide farmers with more information as they evaluate the best products for their farm.
Monsanto offers farmers the industry's most extensive trait-and-germplasm product line-up to improve on-farm productivity and profitability. As harvest progresses, Monsanto will collect nationwide data on approximately 15,000 head-to-head comparisons for its branded corn and soybean seed-and-trait offerings, creating a resource to assist customers as they evaluate Monsanto product performance throughout this year's harvest.
Initial results suggest that Monsanto is delivering higher yields to farmers again this year, led by DEKALB corn hybrids. Highlights from the first harvest report include:
o Early indicators are demonstrating the continued performance of
YieldGard VT Triple® relative to competitive offerings. YieldGard VT
Triple continues to be a cornerstone product and popular choice in 2010
among customers. Initial reports from more than 2,000 comparisons
through the core areas in the South-Central Corn Belt indicate YieldGard
VT Triple's performance is sustaining its overall yield advantages
versus comparable competitive traits offerings.
o Genuity® VT Triple PRO trait, Monsanto's new triple-trait technology
offering, protects yield on-farm better than the competition.
Monsanto's preliminary yield trials, which include now more than 1,700
comparisons in the South, continue to demonstrate that Genuity VT Triple
PRO provides a yield advantage of more than eight bushels per acre over
competitors. This represents an improvement in performance for Monsanto
products in this part of the country on top of the whole yield value
that comes from the benefit of refuge reduction. As the data set
expands to now include more than 500 early comparisons from the south
central Corn Belt, the differential advantage of Genuity VT Triple PRO
is continuing and demonstrating strong combined genetic and trait
advantages relative to the competitive triple-stack offerings.
o Genuity® SmartStax® offers comprehensive insect protection.
Agronomic evaluations conducted in 2010 indicate the Genuity SmartStax
trait platform is delivering expected benefits on insect control, with
more than 70 percent reduction in kernel damage versus refuge and
competitive traits. To date, with less than 10 percent of the total
expected Genuity SmartStax harvest completed, early indicators suggest
some hybrids are delivering yields on par with YieldGard VT Triple, the
industry's leading triple corn technology, while others have shown yield
variability below this YieldGard VT Triple technology. Monsanto will
continue to monitor and track hybrid performance as additional data
points are collected. The majority of the Genuity SmartStax product
offerings and volume of 2010 sales were in the shorter-maturity regions
in the Northern Corn Belt and are yet to be harvested.
This year's soybean harvest is less advanced. Monsanto is currently collecting initial reports from soybean plots harvested in the Southern region and expects to report on these findings as well as additional data over the next several weeks.
Monsanto will post updates to this information throughout the harvest season on its harvest update website at: www.monsanto.com/productperformance. Farmers can also follow product news and performance online at: www.asgrowanddekalb.com and www.genuity.com.
About Monsanto Company
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. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: www.monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at www.monsantoblog.com, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.
CONTACT
Media:
Mimi Ricketts
(314-694-5703)
Ben Kampelman
(314-694-6192)
SOURCE Monsanto Company
Web Site: www.monsanto.com
