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
farm bureau hawaii

Getting to Know the Farm Bureau

This week as millions of Americans went back to work after the New Year‘s holiday, thousands of men and women who kept working straight through the holidays began packing and finalizing schedules to have friends and family care for crops and livestock. Many of these farmers worked through the holidays but find the American Farm Bureau Federation‘s annual meeting requires their time.

The words “farm bureau” sometimes get thrown around without anyone taking the time to step back and talk about the basics of the organization. So before the thousands of farmers gather, I asked a few of … Full Article »



Originally published
January 7, 2012 by Janice Person

cotton

Farm Press Publications Honor “High Cotton” Winners

Farm Press Publications has announced the winners of its annual “High Cotton” Awards, and three of the four winners are Monsanto customers.

The awards, given through a grant by the Cotton Foundation, recognize cotton producers in each of the four Farm Press coverage areas who both produce good yields and take care of the land and water.

The Monsanto customers are:

Coley Bailey, Jr. farms near Coffeeville, Mississippi (Delta region).

Kent Wannamaker farms near St. Matthews, South Carolina (Southeast region).

Shawn Holladay farms near Lamesa, Texas (Southwest region).

The fourth winner, Don Cameron, farms near Helm, California (Western region).… Full Article »

Tags: , ,

Originally published
January 6, 2012 by Glynn Young

FAN2050075

Progressive Farmer Recognizes Customers

Last month, Progressive Farmer Magazine announced that five farmers had been named as the 2012 Best Young Farmers and Ranchers. Four of the five are Monsanto customers.

Ryan and Misty Bivens operate a farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Chad and Summer Goldman farm near Grandview, Indiana, and also help Chad’s father with his farm.

Scott Rasa farms near Higginsville, Missouri.

And Jeff and Dena Wuebker farm near Versailles, Ohio.

The four farm families, along with the fifth winner, Evan and Ashley Uthof of Jackson, Nebraska (a customer of one of our competitors, Syngenta), were recognized for their proven records of excellence … Full Article »

Tags: , ,

Originally published
January 5, 2012 by Glynn Young

FAN2050123

Wheat needs technological investments to ensure long-term sustainability

For thousands of years, wheat has been relied on as a key crop due to its versatility, nutritional value, and ability to be grown across a variety of climates and conditions. Even though overall wheat production gains have fallen behind corn and rice in recent years, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food and a major staple crop in many world areas.

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 … Full Article »

Tags: , , , ,

Originally published
December 2, 2011 by Monsantoco

MBBISPbanner

Talking with a Beachell-Borlaug Scholar

Applications are currently open for Monsanto’s 2012 Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program (MBBISP). One of the 2009 scholars was Godwin Macharia, a citizen of Kenya who is working on his PhD at the University of Minnesota. We caught up with Godwin recently and asked him his experiences with MBBISP.

Monsanto: Godwin, what area of research have you been working in since your acceptance in the Scholars program?

Godwin: With the emergence of Ug99, the new highly virulent race of wheat stem rust, there has been an increased urgency to discover genes that can be readily deployed in wheat programs to develop … Full Article »

Tags: , , , ,

Originally published
December 1, 2011 by Monsantoco

FAN2050062

What FFA Means to Me

This past summer, Monsanto presented an Ag Youth in the Spotlight Award to Vance Zacharias, son on of a North Dakota farmer. Vance is heavily involved in FFA at the local and state levels, and we asked him to tell us why he believes FFA is important to himself and to agriculture. Here’s what he said.

Throughout life, we make choices, choices that define who we are as individuals. One choice that has defined me as an individual is the choice to join the FFA. Throughout the past six years, the FFA has effectively made me the individual that I … Full Article »

Tags: , ,

Originally published
November 30, 2011 by Monsantoco

What Do You Say?

What do you say? What do you say to man who risks a good portion of his family wealth every year, so you can eat?

What do you say to the man who starts working at 4 a.m. and doesn’t stop until he tumbles into bed bone-tired?… Full Article »

Tags: ,

Originally published
November 23, 2011 by Glynn Young

FAN2050131

Despite Drought, Hope Remains for the Gold Finger Women

Recently, three of us from Monsanto’s St. Louis offices had the opportunity to visit a group of women in a Kenyan village. The village is approximately three miles off the equator, and we came there to learn more about the challenges the women, and many more like them throughout Africa, face each agricultural season.

In true Kenyan style, we were greeted with 20 minutes of singing, chanting and dancing when we arrived. They must have sensed our hesitancy to immediately join in. An older woman seized my hand, and with a huge welcoming smile, encouraged me to join in the … Full Article »

Tags: , , ,

Originally published
November 22, 2011 by Monsantoco

Kenya-Red-Cross-Drought1

Catholic Relief Services and the Horn of Africa

In 1943, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was formed to help resettle war refugees in Europe. Established by the U.S. Catholic bishops, the agency focused on helping people recover from a conflict that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions, and tens of millions more displaced and made homeless.

Almost 70 years later, CRS has continued to focus upon helping the poor in all parts of the world. The agency has expanded its scope to include programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Providing needed help and aid to people in nearly 100 countries around the world.

In the countries … Full Article »

Tags: , ,

Originally published
November 21, 2011 by Glynn Young

Vivretts

November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month, and as the mother of three adopted children (a seven-year old daughter from China and sons from Korea aged three and two), I tend to get a little emotional at times as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. I’m frequently reminded of how thankful my husband and I are to have the privilege of getting to raise and love these three crazy kids of ours. Our journey to parenthood was long and winding, as the international adoption process took us nearly two years for each of our children.

While we worked hard to bring home our kids, … Full Article »

Tags: ,

Originally published
November 18, 2011 by Monsantoco