Winnipeg, Manitoba
February 16, 2007
With farmers across the
country preparing for spring planting,
Monsanto Canada is once
gearing up to support the Canadian Foodgrains Bank by donating
up to $100,000 in farm inputs to farmer volunteers participating
in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank's 2007 community growing project
program.
Monsanto Canada field representatives will work with local
project coordinators to provide no-fee Roundup Ready(R)
technology, Roundup(R) brand agricultural herbicides, DEKALB(R)
seed and other Monsanto products to the more than 200 Canadian
Foodgrains Bank growing projects in Western and Eastern Canada.
Farmer volunteers who manage the growing projects within their
community will have between now and March 19th to submit their
requests for product through their local Monsanto
representative. Once all the requests have been received and
catalogued, Monsanto representatives will enter them into their
system and then get back to the local growing projects with
confirmation of their request and details regarding where and
when they can pick up their product. All requests will be
entered during the week of March 19-23, 2007.
"This is an extremely popular program across the country and
growers tend to use all the donated product they can get their
hands on," said Trish Jordan, public affairs director with
Monsanto Canada. "We are generally over-subscribed well before
the start of the planting season but we do our best to try and
share what we have with as many projects that are interested."
Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing projects typically involve
farmers and other supporters in rural communities coming
together to grow a crop that will be donated to the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank. Once harvested, the proceeds from crops grown
on community growing projects are donated to the Winnipeg-based
aid agency for use in its food programming activities overseas.
Last year, more than 80 Canadian Foodgrains Bank growing
projects took advantage of the Monsanto product offer in order
to reduce their input costs and pass along a larger donation to
the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. To learn more about the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank visit www.foodgrainsbank.ca.
"We appreciate Monsanto's support of our community growing
projects," says Jim Cornelius, executive director of Canadian
Foodgrains Bank. "Local volunteers are grateful to receive
donations such as this one, because it allows them to donate
more of the profit from their crops toward the work of ending
hunger."
In addition to supporting the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Monsanto
Canada's corporate giving program supports associations or
programs with a focus on science and agricultural education;
agricultural awareness; leadership and development opportunities
for rural youth; and farm safety. More than $500,000 annually is
provided to charitable and community groups across the country
through Monsanto Canada's corporate giving program. For
information on Monsanto Canada's corporate giving program visit
www.monsanto.ca. |
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