Monsanto Funds Groups to Reduce Ag Runoff
8 December 2008 The Nature Conservancy, the Iowa Soybean Association, and Delta Wildlife will work with farmers to remove nutrients and sediment from agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River Basin, while the National Audubon Society will work with residents to find ways of improving wildlife habitat and the quality of water entering the Mississippi River. Crop producers will be directly involved in the projects of all the groups, and findings from all projects will be shared with them on a regular basis.
“Our goal is to use science – research and data – to systematically develop and implement a suite of management techniques that help production agriculture measurably improve stewardship while maintaining or increasing profitability,” said Roger Wolf, director of environmental programs at the Iowa Soybean Association.
Bobby Carson, who chairs the Delta Wildlife Board of Directors, said, “While significant environmental benefits will certainly accrue from this project, it will also nurture a more sustainable and profitable future for agriculture.”
Monsanto has been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as being a “potentially responsible party” for 56 contaminated Superfund sites in the United States. The company is now working to develop nitrogen-use efficiency technologies and crop products that yield more on each acre of land. Earlier this year, the company announced its commitment to develop by 2030, seeds that can double crop yields and reduce by one-third the amount of key resources, such as nitrogen and water, required to grow crops.
Monsanto and its conservation partners, along with grower associations including the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association also announced today that they will be forming a Mississippi River Farm Nutrient Working Group. Additional information on this group will be announced next spring.
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