Monsanto Announces Recipients of "Excellence Awards"

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITOR:

Monsanto Announces Recipients of "Excellence Awards"

MISSOURI, ST. LOUIS, May. 10 -/E-Wire/-- Six Monsanto teams have been awarded top honors in Monsanto Company's tenth annual environmental, safety, health and sustainable development awards program. The program, called The Monsanto Excellence Awards, recognizes teams and individuals for their contributions.

The awards are for a range of activities and projects that took place during 2000 as part of Monsanto Company operations.

-- A team from Monsanto sites in Luling, La., Muscatine, Iowa, and Zarate, Argentina worked to develop new ways of manufacturing Roundup that saves billions of BTUs of energy and 145 million gallons of fresh water every year. -- Monsanto people in the Cerrados region of northern Brazil have worked with the Nature Conservancy, an international NGO committed to conservation, to adapt a no-till pasture renovation system to the region to help reverse the downward spiral of soil loss and poverty. -- A Monsanto team worked to provide free access to the company's basic research into the rice genome to the International Rice Genome Sequence Project (IRGSP). Monsanto's action is expected to save the organization significant resources as it works to sequence the entire rice genome. -- Several of Monsanto seeds sites worldwide have made outstanding progress toward safer operations in the traditionally dangerous occupation of farming. The sites have achieved safety certification through internationally recognized safety management systems. -- The introduction by Monsanto of a sunflower hybrid seed in Inner Mongolia has improved yields by 30 percent and helped turn around the agricultural economy in that region of China. -- In the state of Bahia, Brazil, in the cities of Camacari and Dias D'Avila, a program by people at a Monsanto has provided treatment for intestinal parasites, supplemental vitamin A and iron, and general health education for approximately 10,000 children and their families.

The company has provided $120,000 so that each of the award winning teams can donate $20,000 to non-profit organizations.

Hendrik Verfaillie, Monsanto president and chief executive officer said, "I believe these projects represent the best of a field of very good projects undertaken by Monsanto people in the year 2000. We're very proud of the commitment Monsanto people have to their jobs, the environment, the safety and health of people and the future of the planet."

The awards continue the company's tradition of identifying and recognizing the people and projects that are helping to improve the lives of people and helping to preserve the environment. The tradition was begun in 1992 with the first awards being conferred as part of the Monsanto Pledge. They represent the highest honor the company can bestow on Monsanto individuals, teams or facilities in the areas of environment, safety, health and sustainable development.

A field of 188 projects was considered, with award recipients being chosen from a group of 20 finalists.

Note to editors: Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

http://www.monsanto.com

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************