In a presentation today, Monsanto Company's (NYSE: MON) Executive Vice President Carl Casale will discuss how the company's focus on agriculture is expected to build on its established leadership position and lead to additional growth opportunities in the coming years. Casale's remarks will be part of the keynote address at the first Agriculture and Protein Conference sponsored by Harris Nesbitt.

Casale's presentation will discuss how Monsanto's seed and trait technologies have set the standard for innovation in the ag sector and worked to preserve the inherent yield potential of a farmer's crop. He will also highlight how Monsanto is focused on driving a new generation of yield improvements for farmers and how those improvements will help shape its leadership position into the next decade.

"Today, the agriculture sector is faced with several challenges," Casale said. "It is being asked to meet the increased food and feed needs of the global marketplace with a finite number of acres, while also supporting the needs of expanding end-use markets, like corn-based ethanol.

"Monsanto believes these challenges can be addressed through seed-based offerings, and a key way to support this begins with preserving a crop's inherent yield potential and then looking at ways to unlock that potential even further," Casale said.

Monsanto's seeds and traits business is leveraging the capabilities of biotechnology and breeding to protect the inherent yield potential of a seed for farmers, Casale noted.

"Farmers are increasingly turning to our seed and trait technologies because they provide a new way for farmers to get more out of a single seed. This approach has created a unique value proposition for farmers and shareowners alike."

Casale believes that the company's ability to provide stacked-trait offerings as well as enhanced next-generation technologies will be key growth drivers for Monsanto. He believes these next-generation technologies will also define the entry point for industry participation heading into the next decade.

"In a dynamic market, industry leaders are defined by their ability to innovate," Casale said. "The qualities that define a leader today merely represent the ability to participate in our sector tomorrow.

"Over the last five years, Monsanto has focused on stacking our trait technologies so farmers can get more benefit out of each seed and, ultimately, more yield out of each acre," Casale said. "In the coming years, farmers will not only demand stacked products but they will require that these products are enhanced -- offering them a wider spectrum of insect control, greater flexibility in controlling weeds, supplying a novel approach to address food and feed demands, or providing a unique way to combat agronomic issues like drought."

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.