Monsanto Canada Donates $60K in Crop Inputs to Canadian Foodgrains Bank Growing Project Program

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - May 1, 2012) - Rural community growing projects planting and harvesting a crop for donation to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank will benefit from $60,000 in donated farm inputs as a result of Monsanto Canada's annual commitment to the Winnipeg-based food and development agency.

Community growing projects are a unique way for people to contribute grain and other agricultural commodities to help people who are hungry around the world. A typical project involves a group of people working together to farm a common plot of land. After harvest, the production is donated to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank for use in overseas food aid and agricultural development projects managed by its 15-member agencies.

"As a company 100 per cent focused on agriculture, we look for opportunities to give back to rural communities and rural residents through our corporate giving program," said Trish Jordan, public affairs director with Monsanto Canada. "The focus of our philanthropic work is to strengthen rural communities and improve lives. The Foodgrains Bank program and its supporters certainly are doing that and we appreciate the opportunity to be involved in such worthwhile and much needed work."

Working cooperatively with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Monsanto Canada area sales managers and their teams in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, went through the list of established and new growing projects provided by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and were able to coordinate access to Genuity^® Roundup Ready^® technology, Roundup^® brand agricultural herbicides, DEKALB^® seed and other Monsanto products for use in 86 different community growing projects. A total of 31 projects are being supported in Ontario, with the remaining 55 projects covering the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

By accessing available product donated by Monsanto Canada, these community growing projects are able to reduce their total input costs and hopefully pass along a larger donation of grain and cash to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

"Support from Monsanto Canada is an important part of our effort to end global hunger," said John Longhurst, who directs communications and marketing for the Foodgrains Bank. "By helping the growing projects reduce input costs, they enable farmers to provide more money for people who don't have enough to eat."

Last year, the Foodgrains Bank approved 116 projects worth $44 million in 36 countries to help over two million people. That included over $15 million for Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, three countries struck by last year's severe food shortage in East Africa. This year, the Foodgrains Bank is committing an additional $3.1 million of aid to those countries, along with $6.7 million for countries in the Sahel region of Africa where a food crisis is looming.

In addition to supporting the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Monsanto Canada's corporate giving program supports charitable or not-for-profit groups with a focus on science and agricultural education; agricultural awareness; leadership and development opportunities for rural youth; and farm safety.

About Monsanto Canada

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.

About Canadian Foodgrains Bank

Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger by supporting international programs to meet immediate food needs, reduce malnutrition, and achieve sustainable food security; influencing improvements in national and international policies that contribute to ending global hunger; and Increasing and deepening the engagement of Canadians in efforts to end global hunger. To learn more about the Canadian Foodgrains Bank visit www.foodgrainsbank.ca.