Farmers to Gain Access to Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 Xtend(TM) Soybeans in 2016

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Feb. 3, 2016) - Monsanto Company today announced its intent to commercialize dicamba-tolerant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ™ soybeans in Canada in time for the 2016 growing season, after the company received import approval from China's Ministry of Agriculture.

"After a decade of development, we are pleased to bring Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans to Canadian growers," said Cornie Thiessen, trait and licensing lead, Monsanto Canada. "The elite germplasm in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans, combined with the added flexibility to manage tough to control weeds, provides Canadian growers with a groundbreaking and valuable tool in their efforts to produce the best crop possible."

Weeds represent a key pest to farming operations around the world and limit crops of much-needed nutrients, sunlight and access to available water resources. Providing additional tools that can help improve efficiencies on farm and support farmers in bringing more food to harvest for consumers are an important part of Monsanto's focus.

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans are the industry's first biotech-stacked trait in soybeans to combine the proven yield potential of the Genuity® Roundup Ready2 Yield® soybean trait, along with tolerance to both glyphosate and dicamba. They are part of the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System which is designed to provide farmers with improved overall weed control, including resistant weeds; residual control for up to 14 days; application flexibility before, at and after planting; and higher yield potential.

Field trial results and large scale farmer demonstration trials have shown that the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ Crop System is an effective and sustainable weed management tool for tough-to-control and glyphosate-resistant weeds. The dicamba trait will be stacked with the current Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean trait technology, which offers farmers the highest yield opportunity with more beans per pod and more bushels per acre.

To complement the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean trait launch in Canada, Monsanto is also launching XtendiMax™ herbicide with VaporGrip™ Technology, a low-volatility liquid dicamba formulation developed for use in the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System. In the United States, the use of dicamba herbicide over the top of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans remains in late stage of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) review and is not currently approved by the EPA.

"Managing glyphosate-resistant weeds in soybeans is a growing challenge for many Canadian farmers, particularly in Eastern Canada and they have been looking forward to this important new tool," said Dan Wright, trait launch lead with Monsanto Canada. "The ability to use dicamba, in addition to glyphosate, provides multiple modes of action on every acre and is important to promote long-term sustainability on the farm."

In Canada, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans are expected to be available in more than 30 varieties, covering the key soybean growing regions of Southwest Ontario; Eastern Ontario and Quebec; and Western Canada. Growers who have not yet placed pre-orders for Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybean seed may still have that opportunity pending available supply and should check with their local seed retailer.

For more information, farmers can contact their seed dealer or visit www.genuitytraits.ca

About Monsanto Canada

Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is part of the larger global Monsanto Company. Monsanto is an agricultural company committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce a variety of seeds ranging from fruits and vegetables to key crops - such as corn, soybeans, canola and cotton - that help farmers produce abundant and nutritious food. We work to find sustainable agriculture solutions that help farmers conserve natural resources, use data to improve farming practices, use water and other important resources more efficiently, and protect their crops from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges.

To learn more about Monsanto, please visit: www.monsanto.ca or follow us on Twitter @MonsantoCda.