Monsanto’s Annual Shareholder Meeting
Today was the annual shareholder meeting for Monsanto Company. I’ve been to several of these before, both here at Monsanto and for other companies. I can remember the first one I went to… it really didn’t match my expectations. I’m not sure what I expected – maybe something like the excitement in “Mr Deeds.” Although [...]
Video: Passionate About Cucumbers
Nischit Shetty is a breeder with Seminis, the Monsanto global vegetable seeds brand for open field crops. He breeds pickling and slicing cucumbers. Nischit provide insights into the various stakeholders for cucumbers – such as pickle manufacturers for whom he needs to develop vegetable products to precise specifications – as well as his commitment to continuing the important sustainable agriculture work of fighting disease in vegetables.
Video: Passion & Innovation Bring Benefits to Producers & Consumers
Ken Kmiecik breeds beans for Seminis, the Monsanto global vegetable seeds brand for open field crops. Ken discusses the implications of disease resistance on grower success – in providing higher agriculture yields and ensuring that vegetables look appealing to consumers – and talks about his own history of becoming involved in agriculture and how much he enjoys the constant challenges in his role with vegetables at Monsanto.
World Food Prize Dialogue Focuses on Next Generation
With World Food Day on the horizon, hundreds of people gathered in Des Moines, Iowa for the World Food Prize Symposium. Started by Nobel Laureate, Norman Borlaug in 1986, the World Food Prize recognizes individuals for their efforts to increase food production globally through innovation in agriculture. The 2011 symposium, called the “Borlaug Dialogue,” placed focus on [...]
Giving Back to the Troops
Recently, I received an invitation from a military-support organization to spend the day with the troops. As a member of the Navy League in the US, and the Royal British Legion Scotland and Royal British Legion in the United Kingdom, I never pass up those opportunities.
Helping Restore a Piece of St. Louis’ Past
Greenwood Cemetery was founded in 1874 by Herman Kreuger, a native German and member of St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church, to serve the African-American community of St. Louis. Situated on 31 acres, it is divided into 22 burial sections. Krueger’s descendants maintained the cemetery through the 1970s. It was sold in the 1980s, and gradually [...]
Passionate About Bees
By Nitzan Paldi Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, Beeologics I’m passionate about bees. For most of my adult life, I’ve worked with bees either as a beekeeper or as a scientist studying bees or both. Through the years, I’ve always seen it as part of my job to educate people on the importance of bees [...]
Give a little bit…
What happens when a Scottish intern partners with Monsanto employees to volunteer with almost 1,000 kids in the St. Louis community?
Helping Grow Community
Reflections from one of Scotland’s Saltire Foundation interns at Monsanto on volunteerism by Monsanto employees and the new Grow St. Louis project.
The Scottish Are Coming! The Scottish Are Coming!
One of Monsanto’s interns from Scotland’s Saltire Foundation blogs about her first eight days at Monsanto.
Monsanto Organizes Employees’ Passion for Volunteering
Monsanto employees have a long history of volunteer work. Recently, a Monsanto team created a program that makes it easier for employees to get involved in communities where we do business—Monsantogether.
Learning What I Didn’t Know
By Kate Hangley My first six weeks with Corporate Marketing & Communications team here in St. Louis have been intriguing. After interning twice with Monsanto, I thought I knew a lot about the company – but I’ve been humbled. It’s a completely different world from what I experienced before. I am an economics major; marketing [...]
New Experiences, Perceptions & Lessons
Monsanto has two interns from Scotland’s Saltire Foundation spending their summer with us. The Saltire Foundation is an independent charitable organization representing a new vision for Scotland, providing invaluable opportunities through experience, learning and business networking. This is the first blog from Rory, one of the interns. Both interns will be blogging their insights on St. Louis, Monsanto, agriculture and anything else that strikes their fancy during their stay throughout the coming weeks.
Indian Farmers Producing More, Conserving More and Improving Lives with Better Technology
Through innovative technology and a partnership between farmers, Monsanto and an Indian NGO, farmers are growing more, on the same amount of land, using less seed and less water. This is improving farmer’s lives, and the lives of those in the surrounding communities.
Golden Tower Pepper Improves the Lives of 30,000 Chinese Growers
Hongge Cai is a 49-year-old Chinese grower who used to feed his family by working on a two-hectare parcel of land growing corn. He, his wife, and two sons barely survived on $2,000 a year. But switching to a hybrid pepper on their farm improved their lives-along with 30,000 others.
The Future of Food
As a Brit living in the United States, I have immensely enjoyed all the attention my former stomping grounds have been receiving lately due to the Royal Wedding. Watching my future king walk down the aisle, and having my American friends and family celebrate with me, was incredible and exciting. So when His Royal Highness [...]
“It’s Our Community,Too”
On April 22, severe thunderstorms raked the St. Louis metropolitan area, spinning off several tornados and causing a wide swath of damage. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured or killed. The St. Louis airport sustained significant damage, especially Concourse C which remains closed. The tornado that struck the airport traveled across Highway I-170 (a connecting [...]
Monsanto and Blackwater: Is There a Connection?
Recently, an article titled “Blackwater’s Black Ops” by Jeremy Scahill was posted by The Nation, a weekly journal covering political and social topics, and then reposted on Grist. The article includes commentary and quotes relating to a firm called Total Intelligence Solutions (TIS), whether there is a connection to the private security firm Blackwater, [...]
Industrial Farming Gives Freedom of Choice for Farmers
From Mica: I discovered my colleague, Ed Umbaugh, through Twitter a few months ago. His Twitter bio intrigued me: “Ed Umbaugh lives on a very small farm where we raise grass fed lamb. I am a Tech at a Monsanto soybean seed plant.” I asked him if he’d be willing to share insight into his [...]
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 [...]
A Picture of a Reduced Refuge Concept is Worth…
A few weeks back, I wrote a post attempting to explain simply in words the difference between current and future corn products offering a reduced refuge. (“Refuge in the Bag: Will that be one bag or two?”) I reviewed Monsanto’s current Genuity® VT Triple PROTM and Genuity® SmartStax TM products versus Pioneer’s Optimum® AcreMaxTM 1 [...]
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.
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 [...]
Social Media Coverage of Commodity Classic 2010
California Dreamin’ with Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Sorghum Growers The 2010 Commodity Classic Show kicks off today in Anaheim, California. Classic (as its known to hip ag-sters) is the annual meeting of the nation’s corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers, hosted by the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, [...]
