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 [...]
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 for Sustainable Squash & Supporting Growers
Bill Johnson is a breeder with Seminis, the Monsanto global vegetable seeds brand for open field crops. He breeds squash for key vegetable markets around the globe. Bill explains the importance of breeding squash to meet different cultural expectations and shares his lifelong passion for squash, which equals the passion he sees from vegetable growers who are committed to producing the best possible products.
Video: Producing More Peppers Sustainably
Bill McCarthy, is a breeder with Seminis, the Monsanto global vegetable seeds brand for open field crops. He breeds a variety of peppers, including mini-peppers. Bill talks about the various benefits peppers offer to consumers and his commitment to helping make vegetable growers more productive by delivering sustainable products that are more robust and require fewer pesticides to thrive.
Video: Sustainable Tomato Breeding Helps Meet Demand
James Frantz is a tomato breeder. He gives us some background on the popularity of the tomato and how this popularity makes for challenging opportunities to help tomato growers meet constant demand by providing them the agriculture tools to grow consistent, sustainable products across various season and geographies. Disease resistance is one of those important sustainable agriculture tools.
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.
There and Back Again
Thoughts from Saltire Foundation intern Kitty, at the end of her 8-week internship at Monsanto’s global headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, on what she gained, and what she’s taking back to Scotland with her.
The Leaving of St Louis
After an eight-week internship at Monsanto’s global headquarters, Rory–an intern from Scotland’s Saltire Foundation–reflects on the life-changing experience.
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.
Producing More Vegetables in Peru
A huge challenge for today’s agriculture is producing more, using less resources. And at Monsanto, we are working hard to do our part. Our employees in Peru are an incredible example of this. The team at Monsanto’s Homefarm ICA vegetable seed production site looked at their entire site and through agronomic and production changes were able to increase vegetable yields almost 1,000 percent.
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.
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Why I’m in Davos
By Jerry Steiner, Executive Vice President Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Monsanto Company In just the last two years, farmers have gained a voice at the World Economic Forum. This year, their voice is growing thanks to a project called the New Vision for Agriculture. It’s one of the reasons why I’m excited about attending Davos [...]
Solving Our Water Woes
Monsanto Intern, Whittney, dicusses the dilemmas facing agriculture today when it comes to water usage and conservation.
Customer Ops to Defending Our Crops
Monsanto’s Whitney Sparks talks about her experience with agriculture. Getting to know the farmer first hand has opened her eyes to the importance of Monsanto products for the farmer.
Reasons Why We Do Need GM Foods: The World is Bigger Than Your House
Monsanto holds together a group of extraordinary people from all over the world who work extra time and devote their life to help make a better world for everybody, including you.
Agent Orange and Monsanto
Agent Orange seems to be the conversation stopper for any discussion about biotechnology. The U.S. government directed seven companies – including Monsanto, which was then primarily a chemical company – to manufacture Agent Orange. At the time, Monsanto was a chemical company and now Monsanto is entirely focused on agriculture.
Does Going Green Always Mean Organic?
When planning a green wedding or just trying to live more sustainability there are more options that just organic products.
