Monsanto Named Company of the Year and What it Really Means

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Monsanto has been named the company of the year by Forbes magazine for the January 2010 issue.  Monsanto is recognized for outstanding innovation in its field and as a result healthy performance on wall street.

For me Monsanto is one of those hot button topics that sends off flares and fireworks for all sides of the issues at hand.  Ask farmers, urbanites, media or activists and they will have some form of opinion on Monsanto, good or bad.

I would like to congratulate Monsanto but I believe that Monsanto getting recognized is really a positive statement for agriculture.  Agriculture is definitely on the map now in comparison to the back room it used to occupy in the media and general dinner discussions.  Because food has become such a mainstream topic, the general interest in farming has skyrocketed.  Monsanto winning this award is just as much about agriculture finally getting to tell its story as Monsanto creating valued products and returns for shareholders.  Monsanto has done a phenomenal job of creating value for farmers and shareholders while at the same time having to defend its success against stiff criticism from activists.

Trish Jordan: What Does the Award Mean to Monsanto

As Trish mentions in the piece, Monsanto is committed to yield improvements and at the same time working on sustainable issues like environmental stewardship and carbon footprint reduction on the farm.

With agriculture being in a higher profile position, agriculturalists must communicate the message even more so than before.    “Telling our story” should be the slogan for agriculture in 2010.  We are off to a great start with the Forbes article and we need to continue the momentum throughout the year.  The media in 2009 showed agriculture in a negative light on numerous occasions and now we must respond actively to ensure the mainstream understand what is happening in corporate agriculture and on the farm.  In reality we are providing food to the world and that should not be looked down upon by the noisy elitist activists.

For Forbes magazine to showcase the accomplishments of Monsanto is a real step in the right direction for agriculture.  For many years, agriculture has been pining for someone to hear the story and realize we exist while all the attention was paid to other industries.  With the massive interest in food, agriculture is benefiting and it is up to the industry to tell the right story.

A special thank you to Forbes magazine for writing a balanced piece and congratulations to Monsanto for the honour of “company of the year.”

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