About “Beyond the Rows”

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.avatar Monsantoco Posts

Authors:

  • avatar
  • avatar
  • avatar
  • avatar
  • avatar
  • avatar
[x] close

Roundup-Resistant "Superweeds" In the News


There was a story today in the New York Times (“Farmers Cope with Roundup-Resistant Weeds”) about glyphosate-resistant weeds, or as the headline states – Roundup-resistant weeds. (Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. Its success has made the two interchangeable similar to the case of facial tissue and the brand name Kleenex).

This is the second story in recent weeks about “superweeds,” as the mainstream media has sensationally dubbed the weed resistance issue.

Overall the NYT story talks about the positive contributions of biotechnology on weed control—increase in no-till, the switch from alternative herbicides to Roundup, reduced … Full Article »

Alfalfa Field

Roundup Ready Alfalfa and the Supreme Court – the End of GMOs?

Today, Roundup Ready Alfalfa gets its day before the U.S. Supreme Court. And thousands of farmers will be watching and waiting—including the 5,500 farmers who planted approximately 260,000 acres of Roundup Ready alfalfa prior to the injunction.

This is significant because it’s the first time a biotech or genetically modified crop has gone before the high court. However, this case isn’t about the safety or the benefits of Roundup Ready alfalfa. It’s about whether the ban, or injunction, that’s currently in place is appropriate.

Roundup Ready alfalfa has been tied up in the court system. The product was commercialized in … Full Article »

Child Eating Field Bread Wheat

What’s for dinner in 2050? Monsanto Talks Ag & Food at Fortune Brainstorm Green

This week in Southern California, a diverse group of political, not-for-profit organizations and business leaders are sitting down at Fortune Brainstorm Green to brainstorm ideas and approaches on how to work together to feed, clothe and fuel human activity and to do so in a sustainable way.

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant and Executive Vice President Jerry Steiner will participate in two separate sessions to discuss agricultural approaches to the global food dilemma. You can watch their presentations and participate live via the Web.

Below is a preview of what you can expect to hear.


Earlier this year, at the World Full Article »

Coffee Laptop

Reflection on Earnings

On Wednesday morning, I sat with my coffee cup in hand and listened via Webcast to our CEO Hugh Grant talk with investors and analysts about Monsanto’s second quarter earnings. At the same time, I had my Tweetdeck and Google Reader up to scan and follow the latest comments from our farmer customers. It was refreshing to hear what our execs said in that call, because it matched what I’ve been seeing online from our customers.
What Monsanto executives said yesterday—including CEO Hugh Grant—was the result of feedback they picked up from meeting with farmers across the U.S. for … Full Article »

Farm Mom – A View from Here

Note from Mica: With our America’s Farmers Farm Mom of the Year contest in full swing with over 170 submissions so far, I asked my good friend and colleague Tami Craig Schilling to write a guest post for the blog, reflecting on what it means to be a farm mom. Tami is a full-time Monsanto employee, farm wife and mom, community volunteer and mentor for many of her colleagues. She’s one of those women that other moms’ envy (including me), and has us constantly asking, “How does she do it all and make it look so easy?”

At a recent … Full Article »

scientist field

Monsanto Supports Independent Research on Seed Products

Last summer, Scientific American ran an editorial criticizing seed companies for inhibiting independent research of GM (biotech) crops. The editorial was prompted by public comments from university scientists to the EPA, who stated they felt the contractual agreements required for purchasing commercial seed prohibited them from conducting their research.

Not long after the article ran, I read many outraged comments on Twitter and received quite a few inquiries. I was surprised by the backlash because it was my understanding that Monsanto allows independent research with products—and not just research that Monsanto believed would end with positive results. Heck, I’ve had … Full Article »

From the Farm- Farmer in Field of Corn

Online Coverage of the USDA/DOJ Workshop

Seven hundred people are expected at today’s joint USDA/DOJ workshop on “Issues of Concern to Farmers,” in Ankeny, Iowa. Event organizers are answering questions and completing last-minute preparations. There is a lot of anticipation and wonder over what today will look like.

I landed yesterday in a still wintry Des Moines and will be one of the hundreds in the audience. I will be tweeting live coverage of the panels via my Twitter account @mica_MON using the hashtag #agworkshop. You can also get twitter coverage via our corporate account @MonsantoCo.

The law bloggers at Truth on the Market have … Full Article »

Monsanto Employees Come Through for Those in Need

Charitable giving is an element of good citizenship. Today, Monsanto was named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. It’s a nice recognition for the company, but I chose to focus on the global citizenship of our employees.

On this past Saturday morning, I checked my Facebook account over a cup of coffee and saw a post from a work colleague:

“Thinking of all our Monsanto Chile employees and hoping that everyone is safe.”

That’s how I found out about the earthquake in Chile. And like my co-worker, my thoughts immediately fled to the couple of hundred Monsanto employees … Full Article »

They’re Planting Biotech What?? Where??

But more interesting to me, are the answers to the “where?” and “what?” questions. As in, where are farmers planting biotech crops and what are they planting? Reviewing the list, I see countries that I haven’t seen before as well as new products that I haven’t heard of (blue roses anyone?). Here’s some tidbits that caught my eye. Also, I should note that Monsanto is a sponsor of ISAAA.

Monsanto Senior Scientist Dannette Ward with members of the Clyde C. Miller Academy FFA Chapter.

Blue Jacket Pride

Who knew the FFA was so cool? I certainly didn’t, growing up in suburban St. Louis where my high school had 1,500 kids but no FFA chapter (or any agricultural education, for that matter). I didn’t even know that farming—or agriculture—was a career option.

But now, agriculture is hot because of a renewed interest in where, how, and by whom food is produced. This week’s USA Today reports on urban FFA chapters. According to the National FFA Organization, 34% of their members live in urban or suburban areas. The story profiles an urban St. Louis FFA chapter at the … Full Article »