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.

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Tag Archives: Monsanto

The Scottish Are Coming! The Scottish Are Coming!

By Kitty Gordon

Avid “Beyond the Rows” readers will have been introduced to my fellow intern Rory, and will know a little about who we are, and why we’re with Monsanto for the summer. For those of you who haven’t had the good fortune to read Rory’s blog, I’ll fill in the gaps.

My name is Kitty Gordon. I am a 26 year old Communications and Public Relations student from Aberdeen in the north east of Scotland, and part of the fantastic Saltire program.

The Saltire Foundation is a Scottish organization established in 2006 with a view to … Full Article »

Tags: Agriculture, Biotechnology, Corporate Responsibility, Monsanto, Research, Saltire Foundation, Scotland, St. Louis, Sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture

Originally published
July 25, 2011 by Monsantoco

Monsanto Organizes Employees’ Passion for Volunteering

By Sara Duncan

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.

Monsantogether hosts a website where employees can learn about local organizations that need volunteers, using a variety of search criteria including the types of services offered by each organization and where they are headquartered. Employees can also use the website to organize team-based service projects and search for projects organized by others. After each volunteer event, employees are asked to input volunteer hours on the website.… Full Article »

Tags: Monsanto, pride, renovate, St. Louis, tornado, volunteer

Originally published
July 20, 2011 by Monsantoco

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 is something of a foreign concept. In the past I would see Monsanto ads, websites, commercials, handouts, and tweets and think about the company as I knew it.

I never gave thought to the amount of work, talent, and planning that actually goes into such … Full Article »

Tags: intern, marketing, Monsanto

Originally published
July 19, 2011 by Monsantoco

New Experiences, Perceptions & Lessons

By Rory Herron

It’s not very often that a student from a Scottish University gets the opportunity to spend a summer working abroad in one of the world’s most successful companies. Yet thanks to a relatively new Scottish initiative, The Saltire Foundation, I am one of 54 successful student applicants lucky enough to be doing just that: having the experience of a lifetime; enjoying 8 weeks of summer in the busy offices of one of the world’s most exciting and innovative multinational companies.

My name is Rory Herron; I’m 22 years old and hail from County Derry in Ireland. … Full Article »

Tags: Africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Monsanto, Research, Saltire Foundation, Scotland, Sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture

Originally published
July 15, 2011 by Monsantoco

Indian Farmers Producing More, Conserving More and Improving Lives with Better Technology

By Sara Duncan

Indian farmer Jamuna Lal had always planted his corn crop the same way: he mixed the corn seed with the fertilizer and spread it out over the field. Like many farmers in his village, he also used a traditional method of a bullock-drawn indigenous plough based system. Using this method results in the random spacing of seeds and direct contact with fertilizer—both factors decrease yield.

After seeing farmers experiment with mechanization, Lal decided to join a project that introduced him to a new sowing and fertilizing drill that would revolutionize his farming practice.

The seed cum fertilizer … Full Article »

Tags: Agriculture, Corn, Farmers, farming, India, Monsanto, partnership, Planting, Sustainable Agriculture

Originally published
July 14, 2011 by Monsantoco

Golden Tower Pepper Improves the Lives of 30,000 Chinese Growers

By Sara Duncan

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. Recently, Cai and his wife experienced one of the many joys of parenthood: their eldest son was accepted into college.

They were proud, but concerned about how to pay for tuition when they could barely get through day-to-day life.

Until, Cai happened to see a field demonstration about growing a certain type of pepper with potential. He borrowed money from his relatives, … Full Article »

Tags: Agriculture, china, Farmers, farming, Hybrid, korea, Monsanto, Monsanto Employees, peppers, Sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture, Vegetables

Originally published
July 8, 2011 by Monsantoco

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 (HRH) the Duke of Cambridge’s father, otherwise known as HRH The Prince of Wales or Prince Charles and my immediate future king, visited the U.S recently to speak on food and agriculture at the Future of Food conference in Washington D.C., I paid attention.… Full Article »

Tags: Agriculture, biotech, Biotechnology, Farmers, farming, Food, Monsanto, No-till, organic, Sustainable Agriculture, Water

Originally published
May 31, 2011 by Mark Sutherland

"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 highway between Interstate 70 and Interstate 64) and then moved for several blocks through the suburban community of Berkeley.

The news coverage of the damage was extensive, but to see the devastation first-hand is something else again. Last week, a team of 20 Monsanto people … Full Article »

Tags: Monsanto, St. Louis, tornado

Originally published
May 9, 2011 by Glynn Young

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, and services that TIS provided to Monsanto.

Monsanto did not hire Blackwater nor did we approve of the firm infiltrating any groups as was suggested in the Nation article. In 2008, 2009 and early 2010, a firm called Total Intelligence Solutions (TIS) provided … Full Article »

Tags: Blackwater, Monsanto, Total Intelligence Solutions

Originally published
September 16, 2010 by Monsantoco

Monsanto seed technicion Ed Umbaugh gazes at his grass-fed lambs.

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 experiences with us. Here are his thoughts.

By Ed Umbaugh

I’ve been asked if there is some contradiction in raising grass-fed lamb and working for Monsanto producing transgenic (GMO) soybean seed—both of which I do.

My decision to raise lamb as opposed … Full Article »