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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Tag Archives: Sustainability

Feed The World

The Hunger Games: A Real World Life and Death Battle Featured Article

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of spending time and having some deep conversations with some amazing people from a variety of walks of life. The conversations were incredible, focused on sustainability and the difference people can make in the lives of others, and these men and women were inspiring.

Nick Aster, CEO of TriplePundit.com, Marsha Diamond with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dr. Jim Carrington, head of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Roger Johnson of the National Farmers Union, Jonathan Berger with the Consumer Goods Forum, Andre Guimareaes of Conservation International Brazil… Full Article »

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Originally published
May 2, 2012 by Mark Sutherland

Hawaiian fruits and vegetables

An Incredible Learning Experience With Farm Bureau

For the last few years, I have had an opportunity to go to the annual meeting of the Farm Bureau. A group of us have also enjoyed being able to share the experience in real-time (thanks to Twitter) and with a bit of reflection on the AFBF meeting blog. This year, I wrote 1-2 blog posts a day with several of them featuring video interviews with farmers engaged in the meetings. The pace of doing that along with all the other activities seemed dizzying at times but what a rewarding experience it has been! I thought you would like … Full Article »

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Originally published
January 13, 2012 by Janice Person

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.

By making key changes in irrigation and fertigation practices, Monsanto Hawaii’s production research and manufacturing teams have saved more than 11 million gallons of water or enough water for more than 150 households for a year.

The research team undertook a series of studies at the Molokai and Kunia locations in … Full Article »

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Originally published
August 1, 2011 by Monsantoco

We're all in this together…

Editor’s note: Rory Herron is one of two UK interns spending their summer at Monsanto’s global headquarters, under a program with Scotland’s Saltire Foundation. The Saltire Foundation is an independent charitable organization representing a new vision for Scotland, providing invaluable opportunities through experience, learning and business networking. Its undergraduate internship programme offers Scotland’s students the chance to spend 8 weeks working at a top multinational company with the aim of encouraging candidates to develop their confidence, skills and capacity to succeed.

By Rory Herron

I’m the youngest of seven children. Before I was born in Ireland, my parents and … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 29, 2011 by Monsantoco

Producing More Vegetables in Peru

By Sara Duncan

Imagine increasing productivity by 1,000 percent without adding hours to the day. In just two production cycles, Monsanto employees in Peru increased the yield of cucumbers by 985 percent at their Homefarm Ica vegetable seed production site. The team also more than doubled the yield of melons, watermelons and tomatoes, tripled the yield of lettuce, and increased the yield of seedless watermelon by almost 700 percent. How did they do it? They looked at their farm and made production changes to make it more efficient.

“When I became Ica’s site manager, I realized–based on my previous De … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 26, 2011 by Monsantoco

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 »

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Originally published
July 25, 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 »

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Originally published
July 15, 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 »

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Originally published
July 8, 2011 by Monsantoco

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 is helping farmers make the most efficient use of precious resources that are vital to meeting growing demand for food, fiber and fuel. In 2009, Monsanto opened a learning center in Gothenburg, Nebraska, dedicated to showcasing efforts to support sustainable agriculture.

“The most difficult part … Full Article »

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Originally published
June 30, 2011 by Monsantoco

Attending the BSR Conference

I’m not quite sure how to describe the experience of being in the company of about 1,000 people from around the world who are recognized as leaders in sustainability and corporate social responsibility both in the business world and in the world of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Amazing, exciting and inspiring are words that just don’t seem quite enough to capture it.

But there I was, in a large room in New York City, listening to the speech Hugh Grant, the CEO of my company, was giving to this audience of global movers and shakers – hearing the laughter and … Full Article »

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Originally published
November 15, 2010 by Mark Sutherland