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

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About Nick Weber

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Nick Weber is a member of the Monsanto Public Affairs team. His responsibilities include promoting Monsanto and its products and people to media. He received a B.A. in Communications from Saint Louis University and a M.A. in Media Communications from Webster University in St. Louis. Nick is a native St. Louisan. He believes Willie McGee’s No. 51 should be retired by the Cardinals, October is the best month of the year and “the Wave” should be outlawed at sporting events.
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An Update on Roundup Ready Patent Expiration

Recent articles (see here, here and here) have discussed patent expiration for Roundup Ready® soybeans. In light of these articles and ongoing interest in the subject, the timing seems right to remind readers of our post-patent plans.

The last Monsanto-owned patent for Roundup Ready soybeans will expire in 2014, and the last applicable third-party patent will expire in early 2015. That means independent seed companies will no longer owe trait royalty payment to Monsanto beginning in 2015. Farmers will have access to a generic trait offering beginning in the 2015 planting season.

Monsanto has had numerous discussions … Full Article »

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Originally published
May 2, 2011 by Nick Weber

Michael Marlow Monsanto Agonomist

Monsanto Agronomist Helps Farmers 140 Characters at a Time

As an agronomist, Monsanto’s Michael Marlow has to be on top of the field conditions in his territory, which includes most of Oklahoma and northern and eastern Texas. It’s in his best interest—and his customers’ best interests—to know when plant diseases are popping up, when bugs are starting to move into fields and when weather is impacting crops.

But he can’t deliver those tidbits of information to everyone on a personal basis every day. That’s why he uses Twitter—a social media outlet that allows people to share thoughts in 140 characters—as one of his communication tools to update farmers … Full Article »

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Originally published
September 3, 2010 by Nick Weber

Researchers from Monsanto's Chesterfield Village site come out to Jerseyville to observe new traits and technologies growing outside.

Research Is More Than Spending Time in a Lab

From the road, the Jerseyville research farm looks like any other Southwest Illinois farm: corn and soybeans dominate the landscape and a couple sheds rise above the green. Once I entered the center of the 240-acre site, I discovered how special the farm is—where nearly every row of plants receives special care.

Jerseyville is one of a handful of sites where biotech traits are tested in the field. Their performance and reaction to the conditions (much more variable than in a controlled setting like a greenhouse) are monitored and tracked throughout the season.

That’s why nearly a dozen researchers from … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 21, 2010 by Nick Weber

Detasseling allows one line of corn to fertilize the other, producing a high-yielding hybrid, and prevents the plants from self-pollinating and ruining the hybrid line.

A Quick Lesson in Detasseling

If you’re a farmer or farm kid, you know what detasseling is.

If you’re not, this video courtesy of reporter Mike Brooks at WICS in Springfield, Ill., gives you a good background on detasseling and why seed companies like Monsanto do it.

Detasseling Corn Alive and Well – Fox 55/27 Springfield, ILL

This Twitter search stream gives you a bit more, um, color, about what detasselers are saying this summer.

I was at the corn field while Mike was interviewing Monsanto employees and the workers. The detasseling is quite impressive. I’m not certain I could handle a whole month of … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 16, 2010 by Nick Weber

Precision planting! Sean and Pat have nearly the identical form

When It Comes to Planting, Mother Nature Holds the Cards

Monday began with a rain shower in the St. Louis area. No planting at the Jerseyville farm for the next two days, I thought. After getting settled in at work, I sent an email to the crew at the farm, asking, “Do you think you’ll get in the fields later this week?”

To my surprise, the farm planned on hitting the fields. Research associate Joe Kinser replied immediately, “We caught a shower here this morning, but I think we will plant a few small fields in the 1 to 4 p.m. time frame at Jerseyville today. Let me know when … Full Article »

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Originally published
May 5, 2010 by Nick Weber

Video: Excitement for Planting Spans Across Farmers and Researchers

For the 2010 crop season, Monsanto is trying something a little different with its planting and harvest reports. We thought it’d be fun, insightful and worthwhile to follow a few people through the entire year, instead of hopping around the country only at planting and harvest. We hope this approach will allow our online audiences the opportunity to get an intimate look at agriculture through the eyes of our customers and our employees.

I’m happy to say that I get the honor of being a contributor to this coverage. I’ll provide reports on Monsanto’s research farms and what their experiences … Full Article »

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Originally published
April 14, 2010 by Nick Weber

Flooded Field

Farmers Manage Risks during Flooding

Every nine out of 10 years, Iowa farmer Dave Sieck expects the Missouri River to stay in its banks near his farmland in Glenwood, Iowa, about 15 miles south of Council Bluffs. But lately, it’s been a rough run. This is the third year in a run some Sieck and Midwest farmers are facing the threat of flooding.

“It’s a never-ending battle, especially on the bigger rivers,” he said. “We plan on losing a crop once or twice every 10 years.”

Heavy snow totals in the fall and winter and a quick rise in temperatures this spring are leading … Full Article »

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Originally published
March 22, 2010 by Nick Weber

Roundup Ready technology contains in-plant tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides, allowing growers to spray Roundup agricultural herbicides to kill the weeds without harming the crop.

Many factors lead to better weed control for farmers

If there’s one thing I’ve learned by talking with farmers, it’s that they have a great sense and appreciation of their farm’s history. And as a result, they have an even greater sense of how the present state of farming is better than it used to be.

Marvin Borg and Jeffrey Larson are two examples of that. Mention “weeds” and they both have stories that would make suburbanites happy that all they have to tend to is Saturday yard work.

“When I was young growing up on the farm, prior to herbicides, we used to walk the fields and pull … Full Article »

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Originally published
March 3, 2010 by Nick Weber

How the FFA has Impacted Monsanto Employees

National FFA Week is upon us, and it’s a great time to celebrate the contributions that past members have made and current students are making. At Monsanto, we have hundreds of employees who are FFA alumni. This week, I spoke with four Monsanto employees about their FFA experiences and how the organization has had a lasting impact on their lives and careers.

Michele Grevie, who works at Monsanto’s Woodland facility and is an alumna of the Woodland High School FFA Chapter in Woodland, Calif., said she got involved in FFA because of her family’s ag background.

“Most of … Full Article »

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Originally published
February 24, 2010 by Nick Weber

There Isn’t an Off-season in Farming

During the cold days of February, Nebraska farmer Leland Uden sometimes recalls a joke he’s heard from his non-farming friends:

“I wish I could be a school teacher in the summer and a farmer in the winter.”

Uden’s winter to-do list proves at least the farmer part of that joke isn’t true. A farmer’s job doesn’t stop at harvest. Here’s what Uden has been up to since his crop was harvested in November:… Full Article »

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Originally published
February 8, 2010 by Nick Weber