100% replant assistance will be offered, regardless of initial brand

Growers who plant Stoneville® cottonseed can expect excellent early-season vigor and rapid stand establishment.  That means fewer replants and higher yield potential.

Monsanto is announcing an introductory replant protection program called the "Stoneville Quick Start Advantage."  Monsanto will provide growers with 100 percent seed replant assistance when they replant cotton acres to a Stoneville cottonseed variety, regardless of the initial brand or variety planted.

The program will be offered to cotton producers in the Mid-South and Southeast United States.  Stoneville is also developing a replant protection program for Texas cotton producers that will be announced at a later date.

When replanting, growers estimate that they typically experience a 16% yield loss on replanted cotton acres.1  Stoneville varieties, however, require less replanting than competitive brands, according to Kyle Maple, U.S. Cotton Marketing Manager for Monsanto.

Proven Track Record

"Stoneville has a proven record of delivering strong emergence and early seedling vigor," Maple said. "This year, we have an excellent supply of Stoneville products in a wide range of maturities. By selecting the right germplasm for the right acres, cotton producers can be confident that they can start strong and finish strong with Stoneville products."

Although other cottonseed companies offer replant assistance, the "Stoneville Quick Start Advantage" is believed to be the only program of its kind that provides 100 percent replant assistance regardless of the initial cotton brand planted. That is, no matter what cotton brand a grower planted, even a competitor's product, Monsanto will provide free Stoneville cottonseed, for the same growing season, if the grower needs to replant.

States included in the introductory program include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. 

Stoneville has long been recognized for high-yielding cotton, and in recent years the brand has also embarked on an aggressive breeding program to significantly enhance fiber quality.  Stoneville will feature an enhanced product lineup for 2006, including new varieties stacked with both Bollgard II®, offering broad-spectrum worm control, and Roundup Ready® Flex cotton technology, providing a wider application window for effective weed control.

For offer conditions and other information about participating in the replant protection program, growers can contact their Monsanto sales representative.

1  Survey of 168 cotton growers by Marketing Horizons, St. Louis, MO

Roundup Ready Flex cotton has full regulatory clearance in the United States, but as of January 2006 does not have full import approval in all export markets.  Processed fractions from Roundup Ready Flex cotton, including linters, oil, meal, cottonseed and gin trash, must be used and consumed domestically, and must not be exported without all necessary approvals in the importing country.   Roundup brand agricultural herbicides are available to growers for the expanded applications tolerated by Roundup Ready Flex cotton for its impending commercial launch.  Growers should be sure that the glyphosate product used in these applications over Roundup Ready Flex cotton has been tested for that use so as to reduce the risk of leaf damage.  See the Roundup Ready Flex Technical Use Guide for details.

Always read and follow pesticide label directions. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® agricultural herbicides. Roundup agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not glyphosate tolerant.  

Stoneville® is a trademark of Stoneville Pedigreed Seed Co.   Roundup®, Roundup Ready® and Bollgard II® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2006 Monsanto Company.