2007 Farm Progress Show

• » Technology Showcase Tour
• » Products & Brands
• » Press Kit
• » Media Coverage
• » Media Contacts
• » Product Pipeline

Home > 2007 Farm Progress Show > Technology Showcase Tour > Monsanto Technology Showcase Tour Previews Pipeline Innovations for Farmers

Print This Page

Technology Showcase Tour

Monsanto Technology Showcase Tour Previews Pipeline Innovations for Farmers

DECATUR, Ill. (August 28, 2007) — Visitors to this year's Farm Progress Show can preview the future of agriculture by visiting Monsanto's Technology Showcase Tour, which promises to be one of the show's top attractions.

More than 8,000 farmers and representatives from 20 foreign countries are scheduled to tour the demonstration plots, which feature advances in seed breeding and biotechnology in Monsanto's new product pipeline.

This year's exhibit has been significantly expanded from the inaugural Technology Showcase Tour that Monsanto displayed at the 2006 Farm Progress Show in Amana, Iowa. This year, there are additional technologies on display and, for the first time, the tour will highlight Monsanto's advancements in genetics and plant breeding.

As a company focused solely on agriculture, Monsanto is committed to help farmers be successful," said Dave Rhylander, Monsanto Director of Traits. "That's why we're so strongly committed to developing new technologies that can help farmers increase their yields, improve their profitability and participate in new market opportunities for their crops."

Among the featured technologies are:

Soybean Plots

• Improved oils – Vistive™ low-linolenic soybeans, planted on 1.5 million acres this season, can reduce or eliminate trans fats in processed soybean oil. Monsanto's pipeline of food quality traits includes Vistive III™ soybeans, which can provide oil with lower saturated fats, lower trans fats and improved stability, as well as omega-3 soybeans, which are being developed through biotechnology to produce oil with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• Roundup RReady2 Yield™ soybeans, which received regulatory approval last month, are scheduled for a limited introduction in 2009. Through gene mapping, Monsanto has identified specific DNA regions in soybeans that have a positive impact on yield. Using advanced insertion and selection technologies, this Roundup Ready® gene is situated in one of these DNA regions. Roundup RReady2Yield delivered a 7 percent to 11 percent yield advantage based on three years of field comparisons.
• Dicamba-tolerant soybeans offer tolerance to dicamba herbicide and provide effective control against most broadleaf weeds, including those that may become resistant to glyphosate.
• High-oil soybeans are being developed through a two-pronged approach – conventional breeding and biotechnology. The goal is to increase the oil content of soybeans by 3 percent to 5 percent, with no loss in protein or grain yield, so that farmers can meet the growing demand for vegetable oils from the food and biodiesel industries.
• Higher-yielding soybeans target a 10 percent yield increase by inserting key biotech genes to boost the "intrinsic" yield of the plant. Monsanto scientists are also working on higher yielding corn, canola and cotton.

Corn Plots

• Processor Preferred® High Fermentable Corn (HFC) hybrids can deliver 2 percent to 4 percent more ethanol per bushel than commodity corn, helping to meet the booming demand for ethanol, which in turn can help support America's energy independence.
• New YieldGard VT Triple™ corn hybrids were introduced on over 1.5 million acres in 2007, offering farmers better consistency, improved insect control and higher yield potential than the first generation of YieldGard® rootworm products. Now moving through Monsanto's pipeline are YieldGard VT Pro™, which is a second-generation corn borer trait that will offer broader control of corn insects, as well as YieldGard VT Triple Pro™, which is YieldGard VT Pro combined with second- generation rootworm control plus Roundup Ready 2 technology.
• Drought tolerant corn is designed to enhance yield stability under limited water conditions. This is intended to be the first in a family of water utilization traits over the next decade that will offer the potential to reduce irrigation costs in dry geographies and lessen the impact of untimely drought stress in rain-fed areas. It is anticipated that drought tolerant corn will be the first new technology to be commercialized under a new agreement between Monsanto and BASF aimed at developing higher-yielding crops that are more tolerant to adverse environmental conditions.
• Nitrogen utilization corn offers the potential to boost yield under normal nitrogen conditions or stabilize yield in low-nitrogen environments.

Stress Mitigation

• A tent has been erected over 24 corn rows to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of insect control and herbicide systems under simulated dry-weather conditions. The plot includes untreated plants, plants treated with soil insecticides and YieldGard VT Triple hybrids. As traits continue to be added, stresses from insects or certain herbicides are reduced and the corn plants become more productive, even in dry conditions. Monsanto has erected and is monitoring 22 stress mitigation plots across the Corn Belt this season.

Plant Breeding

• New product development begins with the creation of superior germplasm. Monsanto's seed breeding organization encompasses over 250 breeders at locations around the world, working on a unique germplasm base for every major crop. This genetic diversity is the key to developing new, high-performing hybrids and varieties which are now producing steady yield gains for American farmers.
• Advances in molecular breeding enable scientists to greatly accelerate the product development process. Using genetic markers, Monsanto scientists can identify the specific plant genes that are responsible for desirable characteristics such as yield, root and stalk strength, grain quality and disease resistance. More than $1 million in molecular breeding technology will be featured as the final stop on the tour.

"American farmers support our research and development process by buying our products, so we believe it is important to provide them with a firsthand look at the exciting new technologies that are in development to not only support their operations but also future generations of farmers," said Rhylander. "Together, we're proud to work with growers to advance the world of agriculture."