St. Louis, Missouri
May 4,  2001

Monsanto Company, in line with the New Monsanto Pledge, today announced its intent to donate a single Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) genetic marker to the United Soybean Board's Technology Utilization Center. This donation is expected to build upon the group's ongoing work on the Better Bean Initiative program.

Monsanto announced the donation at a recent United Soybean Board checkoff-funded composition workshop held in St. Louis. The workshop included 22 research academics involved in the Better Bean Initiative. The primary focus of the workshop was to review key research focus areas and results. These results are critical to producing the Better Bean varieties in the 2005 timeframe.

"Monsanto is pleased to support the United Soybean Board and their goal to develop the highest quality soybean for soy producers,'' said Robb Fraley, Chief Technology Officer for Monsanto.

"We believe strongly in the checkoff-funded Better Bean Initiative and believe this marker will quickly accelerate the program's commitment to bring new value to the American grower.''

Scientists often use genetic markers as a flag to identify the specific location of a genetic trait on a chromosome. By flagging the desired trait, plant breeders can breed plants more efficiently and more accurately.

This donation is expected to benefit the Better Bean Initiative because the marker identifies the low palmitic fatty acid within the soybean genome. This marker is expected to quickly accelerate the Better Bean Initiative's goal of developing a high yielding soybean variety that produces soybeans significantly lower in saturated fat. The development of this variety will allow an already healthy product, soybean oil, to become even healthier because it reduces the level of fat in soybean oil. The low palmitic marker was identified by researchers through the use of genomics.

Representatives of both the United Soybean Board and Monsanto believe this donation will allow plant breeders to more accurately and more efficiently select for the low saturate trait.

"The United Soybean Board appreciates Monsanto's donation of the low palmitic marker to the Technology Utilization Center in support of the Better Bean Initiative,'' said Don Latham, chairman of the Better Bean Initiative advisory panel and immediate past chairman of the United Soybean Board. "The low palmitic marker is a significant contribution to the BBI that can lead to the development of varieties that are more profitable for U.S. soybean farmers.''

The mission of the check-off funded Better Bean Initiative is expected to step up the development and availability of soybean seed with enhanced composition traits. The United Soybean Board has been working with public and private sector industry partners from the food, feed and seed industries to leverage resources and determine the most efficient way to bring these new soybean products to market. The development of soybean seed with enhanced traits will better position U.S. soybeans to meet the needs of oil and protein end-users and improve the economic value for U.S. soybean farmers. The Better Bean Initiative also helps U.S. soybean farmers match and outpace increased competition from other soybean-producing countries, as well as other protein and vegetable oil sources.

The Technology Utilization Center (TUC) is a virtual center, created as a tool of the Better Bean Initiative, to access, combine and provide new traits for commodity soybeans. It provides a way to bring together the public and private sectors to help achieve the overall BBI goals.

"This announcement is a great example of the progress that can be made when private and public sectors work together for the benefit of farmers,'' said Carl Casale, vice president and general manager for Monsanto's North American agriculture business. 

"As outlined in the New Monsanto Pledge, we are committed to bring the knowledge and advantages of all forms of agriculture to help improve food security and to protect the environment. We believe this donation will aid in that process.''

Today's announcement is the latest action by the company to implement the New Monsanto Pledge. The New Monsanto Pledge is a series of commitments that describe the company's policies for the products developed through biotechnology. 

Hendrik Verfaillie, the company's president and chief executive officer, announced the pledge last November, committing the company to dialogue with interested parties; transparency with information and regulation; respect for religious, cultural and ethical concerns; sharing of knowledge and technology; and benefits for growers and the environment.

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com. For more information on the United Soybean Board and the soybean checkoff, visit www.unitedsoybean.org .  

Company news release
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