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Beyond the Rows is a Monsanto Company blog focused on one of the world’s most important industries, agriculture. Monsanto employees write about Monsanto’s business, the agriculture industry, and the farmer.

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Technology Is Vital to Increasing Food and Nutrition Security

New Report Urges US Global Food Security Focus on Science, Trade, and Business Featured Article

Today, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is hosting the Global Food Security Symposium in Washington, D.C., “to urge US leadership in mobilizing science, increasing trade, and capitalizing on the power of business to meet future food demand.”

At the meeting, the Council has released a report, Advancing Global Food Security: The Power of Science, Trade, and Business (PDF). The report includes four broad policy recommendations and some 21 specific action steps, including:

Appoint the Vice President to lead the whole-of-government approach for food security, and, in this role, to chair a National Science Commission on Global Food Security.

… Full Article »

Tags: agricultural developmen, Agriculture, Chicago Council, food security, Global Affairs, global food, symposium

Originally published
May 21, 2013 by Monsantoco

The Chicago Council Symposium on Global Food Security Featured Article

This week, I have the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in a place where some incredible minds are going to discuss global challenges regarding food production. The Global Food Security Symposium 2013, hosted by The Chicago Council, will “urge U.S. leadership in mobilizing science, increasing trade and capitalizing on the power of business to meet future food demand.” A topic this big requires a broad range of people to be engaged, and that’s exactly who will be in the room — leaders from science, government, business and civil society.

When I discovered that I … Full Article »

Tags: Catherine Bertini, Chicago Council, food security, Global Food Security Sumposium, poverty, Syracuse University

Originally published
May 21, 2013 by Janice Person

Invest an Acre: Fighting Rural Hunger Featured Article

Nearly 15 percent of rural households in America are regularly without food. That’s three million households in the areas where most of America’s food is grown. Monsanto has teamed up with the Howard Buffett Foundation, Archer Daniels Midland and Feeding America to fight rural hunger with Invest an Acre.

This infographic provides information about the program. More details (and a video) can be found at Monsanto.com.

… Full Article »

Tags: ADM, Feeding America, Howard Buffett, Invest an Acre, Monsanto, rural hunger

Originally published
May 16, 2013 by Monsantoco

Remembering a Colleague: Robert Berra Featured Article

The news comes like this kind of news usually does today – someone sends an email, or forwards a message, or perhaps even makes a phone call. In this case, I received an email last Friday saying that Robert Berra had died in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Not many people working at Monsanto today will remember Bob Berra – many of them were children in grade school when he retired from the company then called Monsanto. But what he accomplished while he was here is still very much with us today, long after spin-offs, acquisitions, being acquired, and being spun-off. The … Full Article »

Tags: executive, Human Resources HR, obituary, remembrance, Robert Berra

Originally published
May 15, 2013 by Glynn Young

Recipe for Recycling Old News – Food & Water Watch’s Latest Report Featured Article

Cookbook by Food & Water Watch and Reuters.

Recipe: “Biotech Ambassadors: Diplomacy or Marketing” by Food & Water Watch

Ingredients: Wikileaks reports that were released in 2010 and reported on ad nauseam for months in 2011.

Instructions: Marinate for 3 years; repackage in a newish looking report replete with anti-biotech and anti-Monsanto dogma; finish with wire service report that neglects to inform readers that this is old news.

Aftertaste: bad.

Serves: Food & Water Watch.

What Monsanto provided to the Reuters reporter: “We are aware of Wikileaks reports which were released in 2010 that mention … Full Article »

Tags: Ambassadors, biotech, Food & Water Watch, Reuter's, State Department, Wikileaks

Originally published
May 14, 2013 by Monsantoco

Hungry for Change Conference in Europe Focuses on Water, Food, Health and Biodiversity Featured Article

By David Carpintero
Monsanto Europe

Last month, the European Crop Protection Agency (ECPA) organized its second “Hungry for Change” conference in Brussels, bringing together nearly 250 people to discuss progress since the first Hungry for Change conference in late 2011. Representatives of key public, private, academic and non-governmental organizations engaged in discussions to drive forward development and understanding of sustainable practices.

A short plenary session was followed by four break-out discussions focusing on Biodiversity, Food, Health and Water. David Carpintero, Monsanto Corporate Affairs lead for Crop Protection in Europe and also co-lead of the biodiversity stream at ECPA, opened … Full Article »

Tags: biodiversity, EISA, Europe, European Crop Protection Agency, Hungry for Change, IEEP, IUCN, soil conservation, Water

Originally published
May 14, 2013 by Monsantoco

Monsanto Statement on the Supreme Court Decision in the Bowman Saved Seed Case Featured Article

In a unanimous ruling delivered today, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed its support for protecting U.S. innovations that are a critical part of supporting the world’s growing needs. The case, Bowman v. Monsanto, centered on the protection of intellectual property and its outcome was crucial for innovations that deliver benefits to millions of Americans.

The Supreme Court’s decision affirms the basic purpose of the U.S. patent system – providing an incentive to innovate by providing inventors a meaningful opportunity to recover costs on their R&D investments. The decision also reflects the Court’s sensitivity to the importance of patent protection … Full Article »

Tags: Bowman, Intellectual property, lawsuit, Litigation, Patent, saved seed, Supreme Court

Originally published
May 13, 2013 by Monsantoco

A Reflection on the Water for Food Conference Featured Article

By Chandler Mazour
Gothenburg Water Utilization Center

As I reflect on the Robert G Daugherty Water for Food Conference held last week in Lincoln, NE, it’s difficult to boil my thoughts down. There are so many challenges and opportunities with water, even if we’re only thinking of water for food. For me, there are two key takeaways from the three-day, information-packed conference.

First, extension-type efforts to create and teach water efficient cropping systems will be critical in the future. Second, and just as important, the emerging solutions on the ground, including those in development and those not even thought of … Full Article »

Tags: cooperative extension, Monsanto, University of Nebraska, Water, Water for Food, Water for Food Conference, Water Utilization Learning Center

Originally published
May 13, 2013 by Monsantoco

USDA Intends to Prepare EIS on Dicamba- and 2,4D Tolerant Crops Featured Article

On Friday morning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a statement of its intent to prepare two environmental impact statements (EIS) regarding the regulatory status of Dicamba-tolerant and 2,4D-tolerant crops.

Here’s Monsanto’s statement:

Monsanto to Cooperate With USDA on EIS for Next-Generation Dicamba Weed-Control Technologies, Remains Focused On Bringing New Benefits to U.S. Farmers (May 10, 2013)

Monsanto said today that it will cooperate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) as it prepares an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the company’s next-generation dicamba weed management … Full Article »

Tags: 24D, APHIS, Cotton, dicamba, dicamba-tolerant, EIS, environmental impact statement, Soybeans, USDA

Originally published
May 10, 2013 by Monsantoco

Water for Food Conference: Now What? Featured Article

By Melinda
Online Team

Solar-powered cameras and underground sensors and drones. Oh my!

This morning’s session of “Cool Tools & Technologies for Water and Agricultural Research” had me geeking out at the Water for Food Conference. Photographers, computer scientists and engineers are thinking outside of the box when it comes to applying technology in agriculture and the environment. In fact, they are taking these hi-tech gizmos directly to the cornfields and river basins to research. I’d like to cover these topics in more detail at a later date in order to focus more attention on each individually. … Full Article »

Tags: Audubon Rowe Center, Nebraska, Technology, University of Nebraska, Water, Water for Food, Water for Food Conference

Originally published
May 9, 2013 by Monsantoco

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