Monsanto welcomes new freedom of choice for WA farmers
On the 25th of January Monsanto welcomed the decision by the WA government that allows farmers to grow GM canola in Western Australia.

2009 National Variety Trial (NVT) results confirm Roundup Ready out performs triazine tolerant varieties
On Friday 22 January; The GRDC released the 2009 National Variety Trial results from 15 herbicide tolerant canola sites across Australia.

Hot Topic: Facts about agriculture and sustainability
In the developed world, fewer people are employed in agriculture than at any point in history. Today, this means that very few people possess first-hand knowledge of farming. The following facts and figures provide a glimpse of the challenge facing farmers to produce more, while conserving more resources and helping to improve people's lives.

Curtin University of Technology
Evaluation of the environmental and economic impact of Roundup Ready® canola

Cotton Choices™ - Product Guide 2009/10
This season we have introduced the Cotton Choices program. Cotton Choices is designed to reward growers of Bollgard II® with Roundup Ready Flex® by enabling them to select from one of three choices.

Trials demonstrate Roundup Ready® canola delivers exceptional weed control and higher yields
Monsanto contracted an independent research provider to investigate the weed control and yield potential of the three different herbicide tolerant canola systems available in Australia (Roundup Ready®, Clearfield® and triazine tolerant).

Roundup Ready® canola on roadsides
In all cropping systems, it is a common occurrence for unwanted crop plants (volunteers) to germinate on roadsides or other non-cropping areas. Typically however, these volunteers do not become a major weed pest and Roundup Ready canola volunteers are no exception.

Biotech Stewardship - Protecting the Science Within
Monsanto is committed to the sustainability of the Australian cotton industry. An important part of what we do, and who we are, is the responsible and ethical management of our game-changing products. Stewardship, as this is often referred to, maximises the benefits and minimises any risks associated with the use of our products.

Glyphosate Resistance
Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide used widely in Australia and around the world and is a valued component of modern agricultural farming systems. For this reason the development of resistance to glyphosate poses a serious threat to the long term viability of Australian farming systems.

2009 Australian Cotton Industry Awards
The 2009 Australian Cotton Industry Awards were held on Wednesday 12th of August at the Crossing Theatre in Narrabri. Throughout the evening the significant achievements of the cotton industry's growers, researchers, young achievers, and other key individuals were showcased and celebrated.

Hot Issue: World Summit on Food Security
Between now and 2050, the world's population will rise by a third but demand for agricultural goods will rise by 70% and demand for meat will double, mostly as a result of rising wealth in poor and middle-income countries.

Monsanto looks to the future with wheat acquisition
On July 14, Monsanto announced the acquisition of WestBred LLC, a Montana-based company that specializes in wheat germplasm. This investment will bolster the future growth of our seeds and traits platform, allowing more farmers to benefit from our experience in drought, disease and pest-tolerance innovations.

Growing Interest in Dryland Cotton
There is renewed interest in dryland cotton from growers and industry this season. On the back of some good dryland cotton yields in 2008/09 many growers have made cotton their main choice this year.

Managing Cash Flow with Cotton Choices™
To be successful in cropping you need to plan well and ensure you get the timing right. Unfortunately, in agriculture there are many environmental factors out of our control, so leading growers usually focus on things that are within their control.

New Cotton Variety - Sicot 71BRF
Since its release in 2004/05 Sicot 71BR has been an integral part of the Australian cotton system. A combination of consistently high yields, broad regional adaptability and technology traits has seen it become the most popular cotton variety grown in Australia. With the initial release of Sicot 71BRF through the CSD Members Ballot system last season, it is now timely to look at the performance.

Storage, handling and marketing of Roundup Ready canola
Farmers in NSW and Victoria are embracing Roundup Ready canola, demonstrated by the four fold increase in the area planted from last year. Over 40,000ha has been planted with an expected 50,000 tonnes of canola to be harvested starting in November. This year, growers will see a big difference in the way their harvested crop will be handled.

Roundup Ready Canola - Excellent weed control
I write this having today visited 6 of the 17 commercial Roundup Ready® canola crops that are being grown in Western Australia as part of a commercial trial of GM canola in 2009. Across these crops the thing that has struck me is the high level of weed control that has been achieved in the Roundup Ready canola system.

Roundup Ready canola Field Days
During August farmers have had the opportunity to see the Roundup Ready canola system at field days hosted by Monsanto and Nufarm throughout Western Australia, NSW and Victoria.

Hot Issue - Review of Food Labeling Laws
In October 2008, the Australian and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council announced a comprehensive review of food labelling, with the terms of reference for the review determined in May 2009, but as yet not made publicly available. Anti-GM activists have indicated that they will use the review to argue for changes to the current GM food labelling regime.

Community Focus: BCG Expo
On July 2nd, 2009 Monsanto participated in the 14th BCG Grains Research Expo. The BCG expo was a great success, the community benefits enormously from the science and knowledge that was presented at the event. It gives farmers direct access to the most up-to-date technologies available in Australia.

There's more choice with Cotton Choices™
For the 2009/10 cotton season, we have introduced the Cotton Choices program. After consultation with growers and industry it was clear that we needed to create a program that gave growers choice and an opportunity to add more value to their business.

Growing More with Less: View from the field with Tom Breen
As the majority of the Australian cotton industry continues to battle with limited access to irrigation water, we are looking at ways to assist growers be more sustainable by producing more cotton, with less water.

2009 Australian Cotton Trade Show & Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association Charity Dinner
On Tuesday the 27th and Wednesday the 28th of May, we were one of the many exhibitors at the biannual Australian Cotton Trade Show. The tradeshow was an impressive gathering of growers and suppliers in the cotton industry.

GM Canola in WA
The WA Government granted an exemption to the moratorium to allow a small scale demonstration of GM canola to be grown in WA in 2009. This is an update of the activities so far.

Unleashing the power of Roundup Ready® herbicide
Robust weed control has always been crucial to growing a successful canola crop. Roundup Ready® canola is no different.