The Apiculture/ Beekeeping Industry is recognized as a small industry – vital, important, but small.  Not very many companies want to get involved in it as many times research and investment are expensive, with little immediate return that can be projected. Generally beekeepers go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), universities or private industry looking for help. Sometimes it comes but most of the time it doesn’t. 

Now we have a company committed to ag R&D that acquired Beeologics. They know nothing about honey bees, right? 

Actually, they do. Monsanto knows that honey bees are a key component to successful sustainable agriculture globally. They know that honey bees are responsible for one third of the food we eat. The acres of pollinator-dependent crops are the largest ever in the history of the world and growing along with population increases. Food is more than calories; it is nutrition. And with incomes increasing, there is more and more demand for fruits, nuts, vegetables and berries that enhance a diet nutritionally. 

Monsanto is committed to sustainable agriculture. It makes good business sense to support sustainable agriculture and that’s why they want to use their time, talents and resources to contribute positively to honey bee health. This is not a PR stunt; this is a smart business move to help agriculture globally. 

In the short time I’ve been with Monsanto it is clear to me that my company is spending time and energy on  bee health and also  really wants to listen and collaborate and learn from knowledgeable third parties.  It is really a pleasant  surprise and makes this much more real for me.  

Me, being able (on a small scale) to help this large company filled with smart and committed scientists, to develop  a safe and effective honey bee health products is a great opportunity. I have been in the beekeeping industry for 25+ years and have never seen this type of commitment by a large ag company. I had a great job in Florida as the Chief of the Apiary Section for the Commissioner of Agriculture. The weather was good, the collaboration with the industry was terrific, and I had a great Commissioner to work for. I’ve written the “Classroom” column in the American Bee Journal for 20 + years and wrote a book by the same name, and have served on all sorts of councils, committees and boards. 

And over all those years and all these things, we were always dealing with the lack of resources to control honey bee pests, parasites and diseases. 

So now we have an opportunity to do this. I have my personal neck stretched waaaay outside of my shell. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Question my sanity or intelligence but not my motivation.   I appreciate my new employer giving me a chance to bring the two worlds together.

(This post was also published by the American Bee Journal.)

Based on all the misinformation about our products floating around on the web and in social media, I’m not surprised by consumers who don’t see the benefits our products bring. It’s also easy to understand why they would question the safety of our products, especially if they don’t take the time to really understand the science behind the development and approval of our biotech products.

Social media enables anyone to have a voice; unfortunately, what many say doesn’t have to be balanced or based in fact. Because of this, I’m increasingly interacting with people (even my own relatives!) who take whatever they read on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and web sites at face value without doing any additional research. But every once in a while, I have a refreshing interaction with someone who digs a little deeper into what they read about our products.

Last week, I talked with a concerned consumer regarding our new biotech sweet corn. She told me one of her friends was trying to get her to sign a petition involving the product, but she felt it was really important to understand the science behind how we developed the product before she agreed to sign. After answering a few of her questions, she shared with me that she had a scientific background and felt the safety concerns regarding our product were irrational and had no desire to sign any petition against this product.

Maybe if more people took the time to understand the science and safety behind biotech crops, we’d see a lot less misinformation being tweeted and blogged.

Here are two third-party resources:

UC Berkeley’s page on agriculture, food and technology

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
Agricultural Biotechnology Website

And information is also available from these industry trade associations, and includes links to third-party sources:

CropLife International:
Database of the safety and benefits of biotechnology

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO):
What is Biotechnology?

A caterer in the United Kingdom tells the Independent newspaper that it doesn’t use GM food, which would have been difficult in the U.K. in 1999 since there wasn’t any to exclude, but that’s another story. The Independent reports it as “GM Food Banned in Monsanto Canteen.” GM critics have a field day.

Flash forward 13 years. Greenpeace, always interested in recycling, recycles this 1999 news story. People get excited, and tweet it as a current story.

The fact is, it wasn’t true in 1999, and it’s not true today.

All foods can be found in Monsanto cafeterias – conventional and organic. None of it is singled out as conventional or organic. It’s just food served in our cafeterias, the same food that everyone else eats.

In fact, the only time any food was removed from Monsanto cafeterias was a few years back, when a produce company announced a voluntary recall of spinach because of possible E. coli contamination. We remember it because spinach leaves suddenly disappeared from our salad bars.

Last year, there was a more limited recall of spinach because of concerns over possible Listeria contamination, but that didn’t affect our cafeterias, or most of them.

And, for the record, the spinach in question in both cases was – organic.

Today, Natural News has another incorrect report, claiming that the FDA is not requiring labeling of the “latest chemical sweetener from Monsanto,” neotame.

A simple search of Monsanto’s web site would have found the statement that Monsanto sold its sweetener business in 2000.

Or, if you don’t want to believe us, you could have done a Google search, which turned up this 2000 story from the Chicago Tribune: Monsanto selling off sweetener business.

Or, if you don’t want to believe us and the Chicago Tribune, you can even check the timeline of acquisitions and divestitures in the Monsanto entry on Wikipedia. The entry isn’t famous for accuracy but this timeline is correct.

So, Mike, tell your editors and headline writers at Natural News that, for the record, Monsanto is not in the sweetener business. It was sold in 2000.

By Kebede Muleta

Native country: Ethiopia
Home University: Washington State University (U.S.)
Collaborating organization: USDA-ARS

After graduating with a BS degree in plant science and later a MS degree in plant pathology from Haramaya University, I was able to receive the opportunity to work in various research institutes and agricultural universities. This has given me a chance to work closely with poor farmers. I have been able to look at several biophysical, technical and socio-economic factors that affect the production and productivity of their crops, leading to poor harvests and economic hardship in these societies.

Diseases, particularly the wheat rusts, are responsible for catastrophic yield reductions at various times. Since the beginning of my career, I have been interested in developing strategies to mitigating losses due these diseases.

Although great progress has been made to manage these diseases—and huge global efforts are underway—it is still imperative to design a strategy to identify and utilize cultivars with combined durable resistance to wheat rusts. My interest is particularly on the identification, characterization and deployment of cultivars carrying effective seedling resistance genes in combination with durable adult plant resistance genes. In fact, this is not feasible to me without sufficient financial resources and access to advanced technologies.

With the marvelous opportunity I have received from the most prestigious MBBISP scholarship, my wishes are getting closer to becoming a reality. It has given me a chance to pursue my education at one of the most renowned universities with access to the best facility, and exposure to the most prominent scientists, while learning advanced breeding techniques along with many more advantages. This will obviously enhance my professional competence, allow me to work more efficiently, and significantly contribute to my country.

In fact, to me, MBBISP is much more than a source of funding. It is an organization aimed at developing scholars with versatile skills and knowledge who can make significant contributions to the increasing productivity of wheat and rice. The stipend, tuition, research and other applicable fees provided by the scholarship, in addition to providing an opportunity to attend the World Food Prize (WFP) symposium, are indicators of this fact.

The 2011 WFP symposium was very remarkable and it enabled me to share experiences with groups from diverse backgrounds. I enjoyed it a lot. It inspired me, and gave me greater motivation. It was a great experience and forum to help recognize the issues in global wheat and rice productivity.

Top Photograph: The MBBISP scholars at the World Food Prize, Des Moines, Iowa, October 2011. Muleta is second from left.

Whether you are one of the few who experienced unexpected damage or one of the majority who experienced excellent performance on more than 99.8% of the acres planted with our corn rootworm traits in 2011, our recommendations for CRW control are the same.

• We recommend you limit corn rootworm damage by using dual mode-of-action (pyramided) Bt-trait products, rotating your crop to soybeans or another non-host crop and/or using soil- or foliar-applied insecticides as needed to manage larvae and adults.
• It’s also important to follow recommended Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, including cultural control tactics, scouting and the appropriate use of pest thresholds and sampling. We have information on common IPM practices available on our website.
• Growers should always follow an Insect Resistance Management (IRM) plan, which includes planting a refuge or using our RIB Complete products. To help reduce the risk of insects developing resistance, the refuge should always be planted with similar hybrids, close to, and at the same time as, the crop containing Bt technologies. Our agronomists and field sales reps are available to answer questions about refuge requirements, and a new online IRM calculator is available courtesy of National Corn Growers Association.

In addition to these recommendations, we’ll be working with those growers who saw unexpected damage in their fields last year to identify the best solution to managing corn rootworms on their individual fields. The 2011 inquiries were isolated to 437 fields in 11 states in the Corn Belt – totaling less than 0.2% of the acres planted with our rootworm-traited corn hybrids.

While we’ve already spoken with each of these growers, we are still looking at factors that may have contributed to each of the performance inquiries. Certainly, last year was a challenging growing season on many fronts, and we recognize that inquiries may or may not be related to susceptibility, or rootworm issues. We have worked to provide best management recommendations to growers for their fields. And, we’ll be following up with them before planting and again mid-season to help ensure CRW populations are well managed.

On one more front, we’re working to increase overall awareness through our Monsanto seed dealers, as well as the academic community. We hope all of these efforts will allow us to capture a deeper, more accurate look at what is occurring – as well as help you continue to see excellent results in your operation. Please don’t hesitate to contact a Monsanto agronomist or field sales rep if you have any questions about our products. Our goal is to work with each grower to deploy the best solutions for his or her farming operation and deliver the value from our traits that you have come to expect.

By Ty Vaughn
Corn Product Management Lead

Two scholars share their experiences below.

A Great Opportunity

By Renata Alhertl
Brazil

I can summarize the Monsanto’s Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program (MBBISP) experience as a great opportunity.

At the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil, I started my undergraduate course work in agronomy. When I attended the breeding plant classes, I decided it was a way to make a difference and contribute to agriculture by improving production and the productivity of crops.

During my undergraduate studies and while pursuing my MS, I continued to have a great interest in plant breeding. At the beginning of my Ph.D., the opportunity to be a scholar in the MBBISP happened, and from there other opportunities have arisen.

I have met students from many parts of the world. We have exchanged experiences, not only about agriculture and biotechnology but also about their cultures and traditions. I have met many important and influential people from all over the world; they have shared experiences and shown people that we can make a difference by helping farmers and starving people. They demonstrate that it is possible for private and public institutions to work together to supply farmers with technology.

This experience has been my opportunity to be in touch with Bourlag’s world and learn ways to contribute as a plant breeder.

As I said before, MBBISP has given me a great opportunity to learn about and contribute to agriculture. This is especially important at this moment—the world’s population has reached 7 billion people and our biggest challenge is to feed this population with improved crops quality and higher production.

At this moment, I face a big challenge of living in another country (USA) away from my family and friends. However, this challenge will be very rewarding as I will develop the second phase of my research project. I am looking forward to learning new techniques, different professional opinions and learning many things about breeding and biotechnology.

I hope at the end of this process, I can apply what I have learned from this opportunity to improve crop production.

Maintaining a Family Tradition

By Chetan Patokar
India

We all yearn for careers that would allow us make a great impact on the things we value the most. I was born in a farming background, among acres of agricultural land, with a sub-optimal produce season after season. I felt that I could make an impact by devoting my education to the study of agriculture. This would allow me to continue the tradition of my family, which has been maintained over generations. As a result, the decision to pursue agricultural studies came to me naturally.

To structure my career, I enrolled in the post-graduate molecular biology and biotechnology program at the G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in India. I was fortunate to obtain a DBT Scholarship from India’s government for this educational opportunity. Dr. Sundip Kumar, who is my supervisor at the university, inspired me with his work on molecular cytogenetics in plants. My exposure to his work and his commitments inspired me to further pursue my studies in molecular biology. Since then, I have completed my Master’s thesis in wheat. Then, I was fortunate to learn about of Monsanto’s Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program from Monsanto employee Jyotsna Bhatnagar.

This scholarship appealed to me, I applied and I was selected. When I delivered this news to my family, they were shocked. My mother was overjoyed and said, “It is unbelievable that your name is now associated with Beachell and Borlaug; two great men whose work has saved the lives of billions of people.”

Another opportunity from this program was to attend the 2011 World Food Prize ceremony. The World Food Prize is known as the Nobel Prize in agriculture. I had an unforgettable meeting with world renowned scientists. I met Dr. Gurudev Khush, who is known for his work on rice breeding, Dr. Ron Phillip, a MBBISP judge, and Dr. Ed Runge, the MBBISP program director. I also visited the Monsanto Ankeny lab where I learned about seed chipping technology and had an open discussion with Monsanto’s wheat breeding team.

By Hugh Grant
Chairman, President and CEO

Hugh Grant, Monsanto’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, has written an article for the Reuter’s Davos Notebook on world hunger – and the opportunity we have to end it.

To continue reading, please see the Reuter’s Davos Notebook.

Administered by Texas AgriLife Research at the Texas A&M University System, the program supports projects that allow students to develop advanced breeding techniques and gain experience conducting at least one season of field work in a developing country. Students receive a stipend, tuition, applicable fees, health insurance, research fees and travel, as well as funds for the collaborating institution and advising professor. Since the program’s inception, 38 students have been selected as Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug scholars.

Julie Borlaug, the granddaughter of Norman Borlaug, discusses her grandfather’s work and the Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug program at the blog Plenty to Think About.

Applications are currently being accepted until Feb. 1, 2012. More information about the program and the application process can be found at Monsanto’s web site.

Three of the scholars share their experiences below.

Filippo Bassi
Native Country: Italy
Home University: North Dakota State University, (U.S.)
Ph.D .Collaborating University/Organization: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Syria

The Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug Scholarship is an award that goes beyond a pure funding opportunity. It is an honor to be able to join such a very special and warm family. In this family, my brothers and sisters are the most amazing young students in wheat and rice, and my parents are world-renowned scientists who have contributed to plant breeding and genetics in more ways than I could ever possibly imagine. When I am with this family, I am free to challenge myself, to challenge ideas and pre-determined concepts, and to break existing rules of science and form new ones.

A normal family around the dinner table would talk about the events of the day. Instead, my special Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug family discusses how to save the world. I realize that we may not save it by ourselves, but when I am surrounded by so many bright minds it is hard not to get bold. I am able to look into the eyes of each of my fellow scholars and say: “You can and you will! And I will be right there next to you to support you every single step of the way.”

Monsanto has made this all possible in honor of probably the best men that agriculture has ever produced—Borlaug and Beachell. I never had the fortune of meeting them, and I regret that more than anything, but I have read about them, I have inquired about them, I have talked about them, and I can feel their presence and inspiration any time I am with my fellow students. I cannot say for sure, but I think they would be proud of what Monsanto is doing, and hopefully, one day, when we finally demonstrate our real value, they will also be proud of us.

I am certain, however, that I am proud to call myself a Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug Scholar.

Luxmi Tomar
Native Country: India
Home University: CCS Haryana Agriculture University, (India)
Ph.D .Collaborating University/Organization: University of California, Davis, (U.S.)

I am completing my Ph.D. at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (India). I am working with Dr. Jorge Dubcovsky at the University of California, Davis. I am a round two scholar.

When I think about receiving this fellowship, the first word that comes to mind is AWESOME. The Monsanto International Beachell-Borlaug Scholars program covers all of my expenses; all I have to do is the work. It’s more than just a fellowship. It provides me the opportunity to meet and interact with other awardees, judges and many other people in the industry. It has also given me the opportunity to attend the World Food Prize, something I have never thought I would be able to do. Getting the opportunity to work in lab in a foreign country has been a great experience. These things make it different, and better, than other fellowships.

Attending the World Food Prize and learning about the passion of people to make the world hunger-free is very inspirational. I heard speeches by Brazilian President Lula da Silva. They were very touching and much more than inspiration. I also like the fact that when you attend the symposium, you make friends from all over the world. I joined Dr. Dubcovsky’s lab about seven months ago. It’s the best opportunity I have ever had. Not just because it has given me the chance to learn a lot more about science. It has also helped me learn a lot more about myself.

If you’re interested in this fellowship, good luck and work hard.

Anuradha Bansal
Native Country: India
Home University: John Innes Centre
Ph.D .Collaborating University/Organization: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) (Mexico)

I don’t know where to start explaining my journey in the field of science, because I cannot honestly remember when I started it. I have always been curious about my surroundings, always asked questions and always sought answers. I was more interested in studying biology because of the sheer beauty of nature. As I grew up, the fundamental knowledge increased and I started asking myself what could I do with what I know? What could I do for nature, which has always inspired me?

During the course of my study, I have come in contact with a lot of people who have helped me figure out how to answer these questions. MBBISP has given me the perfect opportunity to learn as well as contribute to the field of agriculture. Better-yielding crops, in an ever- changing environment, are the key to a more sustainable civilization and economy.

All over the world, scientists are working to determine how to make plants more resistant to pests, how to reduce agriculture’s impact on environment, and how to make food more affordable. I am pursuing my Ph.D. at John Innes Centre in UK —a premier institute for biological sciences. I have interacted with scientists working in all realms of biology and related sciences; it has opened up a number of opportunities to address the aforementioned topics. I am learning new things everyday, and bit by bit I am also contributing to the existing pool of knowledge. It has been an enjoyable experience so far, and I am sure it will get better by the day.

I am not saying I will solve all the world’s problems, but the experience of finding something new is so satisfying. It makes you feel like you are already on top of the world. It is my hope that anyone who wishes to pursue science will be able to experience this feeling because it is the most rewarding. It makes you feel like no matter how small your discovery or contribution may be, you are one step closer to your ultimate goal.

Although the need for wheat continues to increase with the growing global population, wheat acres planted in the U.S. have fallen significantly during the past three decades, due in large part because farmers often feel they can get a better return on investment with other crops. According to experts such as Dr. Fred Cholick – the former Director of the Kansas State University College of Agriculture and current President and CEO of the Kansas State University Foundation – this trend can only be reversed if the same investments in technology are applied to wheat that have been used to enhance the productivity and quality of corn, soybeans, canola and cotton.

To find out more about the importance of wheat and the challenges facing its ongoing availability, take a look at the short videos below in which Dr. Cholick provides additional insights into some of the issues surrounding wheat, how these issues can be addressed, and why ensuring the long-term viability and availability of wheat is a global imperative, both in terms of offering farmers value for their investments and ensuring an important food source for a growing population.

More videos

Dr Cholick on the need for private/public partnerships to advance wheat

Dr. Cholick on some of the specific challenges to growing wheat

To this end, Monsanto is working hard to do its part in addressing these issues by incorporating the breakthrough breeding technologies it has developed and deployed in other row crops into its WestBred brand. Working and listening closely to the entire wheat industry, the Wheat team is focused on delivering significant germplasm yield and quality improvements in the near term and the development of biotech solutions to production issues for the long term.