Monsanto Canada Announces the Winners of Its Genuity(R) Project-Communities Advanced, Supporting Ontario and Quebec Farm Communities

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Jan. 30, 2012) - The Genuity^® Project - Communities Advanced, named for and funded by Monsanto's Genuity^® brand, has announced the winners in its $25,000 community improvement program that provides financial support to worthy community causes, charities or special projects in Eastern Canada.

Ten (10) successful applicants will each receive $2,500 to share with their favourite charities.

Launched last summer, the pilot program was designed to help fund worthy organizations in farm communities across Ontario and Quebec. The response from rural community groups to Monsanto's first call for Genuity^® Project applicants was outstanding.

"We were very pleased with the number of applications we received," says Bill Lester, corn and soybean trait marketing lead with Monsanto Canada. "In total, over 100 community organizations contacted us. Of course, it was a challenge to narrow down the list to just ten, because they were all worthy causes. There's obviously a need for this kind of support in our farm communities and we are gratified to be able to lend a hand."

The ten winning applicants, listed by organization name followed by the name(s) of the people who submitted the application, are:

With the success of the pilot program in Eastern Canada, Monsanto Canada intends to tweak and expand the program across Canada in 2012 so that farm communities in the Prairie provinces can benefit too. To do so, Monsanto Canada will draw on additional resources available through The Monsanto Fund - the company's corporate philanthropic arm - and manage the program as part of its larger corporate giving activity.

"Monsanto is committed to supporting rural communities and farmers across the country and we are fully invested in the future of the communities that have helped make us successful," said Trish Jordan, public affairs director with Monsanto Canada. "We are always looking for ways to give back and help strengthen communities where our customers and employees live and work. A program like the Genuity^® Project will be a nice complement to our other corporate giving activities and we look forward to introducing a Canada-wide program later this year to support those organizations that make rural communities stronger."

Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is part of the larger global Monsanto family. Monsanto Company is an agricultural company and a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. Learn more about our business and our commitments at www.monsanto.ca.