Helping Farmers Fight Plant Diseases
Today is the deadline for the applications for the 2012 Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program. We asked some of the current scholars to provide a perspective on what their experience has been with the program. More information can be found at Monsanto’s corporate web site. By Kebede Muleta Native country: Ethiopia Home University: Washington State [...]
Beachell-Borlaug Scholars Speak Out
The deadline for applications for the Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program (MBBISP) is Feb. 1. Monsanto established this program in 2009 in honor of two of the world’s most pre-eminent rice and wheat breeders, Drs. Henry Beachell and Norman Borlaug. Their lifelong work laid the foundation for the tremendous increases in rice and wheat production that [...]
Scholars Speak on the Beachell-Borlaug Program
The Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program develops highly educated rice and wheat plant breeders who can serve as agricultural leaders. In 2009, recognizing the importance of rice and wheat in global food security, Monsanto pledged $10 million to improve yields in these crops as part of our commitment to sustainable agriculture. The program is named [...]
Beachell-Borlaug Scholar Applications Now Open
Since 2009, Monsanto has sponsored the Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program to develop highly educated rice and wheat plant breeders who can serve as agricultural leaders. The program is named in honor of Drs. Henry Beachell and Norman Borlaug, two of the world’s pre-eminent rice and wheat breeders. The program, administered by Texas AgriLife Research at [...]
Innovation Conserves Water in Hawaii
Water is a limited resource. According to FAO, agriculture is the world’s largest consumer of water. Between now and 2050 the world’s water supply will have to feed and create livelihoods for an additional 2.7 billion people. It is essential to identify ways to preserve this precious resource. The Monsanto team in Hawaii took this challenge to heart, and were able to conserve 11 million gallons of water annually.
We’re all in this together…
I’m the youngest of seven children. Before I was born in Ireland, my parents and six older siblings lived in Zambia for a number of years and three of them were even born there. They often talk about their time spent in Africa and my brother Ronan’s adamant claims of “Afro-Irishness” still amuse me to this day. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why I have always been intrigued by the African continent and its peoples – my family loved their time in Zambia and their stories and tales about the friends they met and the things they experienced do well to paint a pleasant picture of life there.
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.
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.
Gothenburg Learning Center Highlights Agricultural Conservation
By Sara Duncan Water limitations are constant constraints to western agricultural production. In 2008, Monsanto pledged to reduce, by one-third, soil, land, water and energy resources required to produce a unit of its corn, soybeans and cotton crops between 2000 and 2030. Using a combination of advanced breeding, biotechnology and improved farm-management practices, the company [...]
Honors for Two Young Monsanto Employees
Two young Monsanto employees received special recognitions recently. Doug Hubner, general manager of Monsanto’s Hubner Seeds business, has received the 2010 Future Giants of the Industry Award from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). The award is given annually to recognize leadership, innovation and commitment to the seed industry. Cited for his passion, dedication and [...]
Purdue Study Finds Benefit to No-Till Farming
Researchers at Purdue University reported last month the results of a study on no-till farming and crop rotation – that using these practices in farm fields can significantly reduce field emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Specifically, no-till farming – leaving crop residue on the soil and not using a tractor to turn it [...]
Advances in R&D
Today, Monsanto announced advancements in nine projects as part of the company’s annual research pipeline update. Progress was reported for four yield and stress projects being undertaken in collaboration with BASF, and five projects involving corn, soybeans and canola. You can read details here. It’s important work, with an important purpose: make agriculture more productive. [...]
A Report from the EU
Last week, the European Commission’s research compendium published a report entitled “A Decade of EU-funded GMO Research.” It’s the second of two reports, the first entitled “EC-sponsored Research on Safety of Genetically Modified Organisms 1985-2000.” The two reports together are a compliation of 130 EU-sponsored studies carried out by more than 500 research organizations from [...]
It’s Coming Up Cotton in Texas
It sits on the Llano Estacado, the “staked” or “palisaded” plains in the southwestern U.S., one of the largest mesas on the continent. Spanish conqusitadors roamed here; a number of native American peoples like the Apaches, the Comanches and the Kiowa lived here. It is Lubbock, founded in 1876 and named for a Texas Ranger. [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Learning from Farmers at the Learning Center
It’s quiet right now at Monsanto’s Monmouth, Ill., Learning Center, as least from a visitor perspective. During the late spring and summer months, a steady stream of farmers, seed dealers, investors, academics, international groups and youth organizations tour the facility to learn about the latest seed technologies being researched and tested in the field. “And [...]
