D2K ANALYSES HELPS CROP SCIENTISTS AND FARMERS.

Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON), St. Louis, reinforced its commitment to help create value for U.S. producers and the agriculture industry by transferring its complete Precision Agriculture database to the University of Illinois. This donation is expected to build upon ongoing work in Precision Agriculture and greatly accelerate the fundamental understanding of key agronomic conditions and their relationship to each other.

The University of Illinois will make the Precision Ag database available via the Internet to other U.S.-based ag institutions and their researchers at http://www.farmopt.org.

"When a farmer turns to the University of Illinois for crop recommendations, our specialists usually offer up very general responses. But what we'd like to do is give very specific recommendations down to conditions at field level or even lower. This Monsanto dataset is an important research tool to help us develop very precise recommendations that help farmers become more profitable and even better stewards of the land," said Robert Easter, dean of the U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Scientists with the Automated Learning Group (ALG) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) will use an innovative data-mining tool called Data to Knowledge (D2K) on the Precision Agriculture database. D2K is a visual programming environment used to create data analysis applications and conduct data analysis. Results of D2K analyses can include descriptive statistics or visualizations of a predictive model. Using D2K, crop scientists and farmers will be able to better understand and explain relationships between factors such as soil temperature, moisture levels, and growth over time. This kind of information is crucial to developing better agricultural practices.

"Research that leads to better practices in the field requires not only collecting large amounts of data, but also extracting specific information and insights from that data," said Dan Reed, director of NCSA.

"Our D2K tools offer many ways for scientists to analyze and understand complex relationships and develop better predictive models. For crop scientists, it gives them a way to turn data into knowledge that can speed innovation," said Reed.

Monsanto officials noted that sharing this information with the U of I should ultimately provide a greater understanding of the interaction among key agronomic factors, likely benefiting crop yield, grain quality, and the environment.

"It is our hope that this donation will give a critical jump-start to public research in this key area of agronomy, resulting in immediate and long-term benefits for the environment, grower profitability and grain quality and yield," said Robb Fraley, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Monsanto.

"Monsanto is very pleased that the U of I will be sharing this information publicly," said Fraley. "We hope that this data will lead to many discoveries that enhance the country's agriculture productivity."

Monsanto's Precision Agriculture database was developed in corn as part of an internal research program in the late 1990's. It was focused on examining the fundamental linkages among environmental and soil factors, grower inputs, corn yield, and grain quality and was designed to interpret the vast amount of complex data generated by modern technologies, including remote sensing, yield monitors, and geographic information systems.

"Precision Agriculture will someday soon allow a grower the ability to place seed and chemical inputs in precise locations in order to improve grain yield, grain quality, and reduce off-site environmental impacts," said Illinois corn grower Leon Corzine, a National Corn Growers Association board member. "This information will substantially boost the American grower's competitiveness among international counterparts."

Today's technology sharing announcement is the latest action to implement the Monsanto Pledge and demonstrates the company's commitment to share knowledge and technology with public institutions to advance science and understanding, improve agriculture and the environment. This announcement builds upon prior support for cotton, soybean and corn producers and serves as another example of the company's commitment to bolster innovation in the industry.

Cotton -- In August 2002, Monsanto announced that it was transferring important cotton technology to Cotton Incorporated, the company funded by American cotton growers and importers, to increase demand for and profitability of cotton. This transfer is expected to boost Cotton Incorporated's goal of enhancing the fiber quality of cotton.

Soybean -- In 2001 and 2002, Monsanto made three separate transfers of important genetic information to the checkoff funded Better Bean Initiative through the United Soybean Board. These announcements are expected to accelerate the development of soybeans with improved oils and more protein for consumers world-wide while improving the economic value for U.S. soybean farmers.

Corn -- In November 2001, Monsanto's bioenergy team placed the first U.S. corporate order for the industry's first full-size pickup trucks that run on E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Today, Monsanto field personnel are driving 100 General Motors E85 Chevrolet Silverado pick-ups. These vehicles will eventually account for the majority of Monsanto's fleet, and help build the market for E85 fuel derived from the U.S. corn crop.

Monsanto announced earlier this year that, as part of its bioenergy initiative, it is establishing a research team to identify high-yielding commercial corn hybrids for the ethanol industry. These hybrids are expected to improve ethanol yields per bushel and plant process efficiencies.

The mission of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois is to enhance the quality of life of rural and urban people through teaching, research, and outreach programs focused on human activity, food, fiber, and natural resource systems.

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

For more information, call 314/694-4452 or visit http://www.farmopt.org or http://www.monsanto.com.