Monsanto, Friend or Enemy!

[SASKFARMER3]

Just had time to read my Western Producer this morning and found the Article Canola ,Soy get GM upgrade.
Monsanto is going to put a gene in that helps canola use Nitrogen Better. Hm the professor they bought out from Edmonton.
This would finally give Canola a heads up if they don't increase TUA or Seed Cost. 10 - 20% above conv hybrids.
But as I read further the problem that I see.
They are taking our Canola genes (weren't they Canadian) and putting the oil trait in Soybeans. So American farmers (Monsanto is American) will have access to our markets.
Does any one else feel the Sword going into their gut.
Japan will fold like a bad card player.
Could this be the end of the Cinderella Crop.
So all you Monsanto supporters maybe start asking Questions.
Give farmers a little yield benefit of 4 bushels an acre but screw them on Seed TUA etc so real profit is less than a bushel an acre. But then give competition (American Farmers) your market.
Just a morning thought looks to me like Canola will be a 6.00 crop in a few years thanks to MONSANTO!

[freewheat]

I hear ye Sask. If we were still growing westar (heaven forbid!) canola would be 17 bucks all the time. We finally see a year where a squeeze on production (unwanted mind you) creates high prices, and the next thing we want is to further increase yields? I say let the consumers pay. Finally.
We must get over our obsession with yield and go for the net return....

[northfarmer]

i feel your frustration on the margin squeeze, but frankly i cannot see stopping the technologial advances that we not only see in gm tech or other production areas, on the GM front Bayer is working on multiple trait canola including glyhosate tolerance, ditto for Dupont Pioneer,syngeta, and do you think the Chinese are sitting on their hands.....plus last i checked Bayer and Monsanto are publicly traded companies, if you think they stand to make so much money i would suggest buying their stock, for me I will stick to farmland and fertilizer and seed for it for now and ride this wave

[SASKFARMER3]

North and Free I sort of agree with both of you yes advances are great but this obsession with 15 million ton crop by our own Canola Growers Association Gets me. They keep pushing the Canola crop in Southern Sask and three in 10 years these guys get a crop like the northern Areas. This year they didn't.
Yes the Advances of Fert performance gene will help out. When they say 10-20 its probably really 5-10 but that being said it would be helpful since Canola is a huge user of Nitrogen compared to our competitor Soybeans.
You have to remember I was one of Monsanto's original Subjects in the Great GMO experiment. So yes I have a lot of experience with them. But one thing is certain any thing they do is for Monsanto's benefit not Farmers. Just enough so you don't hang your self attitude.
Shortages happen but also making a buck growing a crop has to happen and the only way the companies can take their share is to try to increase production.
But back to main part of the story in the Beginning the US wouldn't embrace GMO so Canada got gene mutation in Canola then Monsanto pushed and Finally the US opened up to the Idea after seeing how good it did in Canada.
Is the same going to Happen again Getting our Oil Gene in Soybeans just Monsanto's way to help the US farmer again on the Back of Canadian farmers. But the Carrot this time is the Higher yields with Nitrogen Gene.
Just asking!

[jensend]

the problem with these technological advances is that it puts more market power into fewer and fewer hands. if monsanto has all the technology they will hire grain farmers and their land to produce the product and download all production risk onto the farmer. when a good production year does come about you will assume the price risk as well.

[boarderbloke]

SASK, thanks for passing those tidbits along, it's great to keep on top of all that's going on. But monsanto will use what they want if it's not under patent, it truly is a shame that they'll use that gene and profit from it, after Canadian gov't and Canadian growers developed it, be it, in the lab or in the field ! I think they'll sell the technology not to help US growers, but to fill their pockets once again, ya, maybe a guy should buy some of their stock now, while the CAN$ is so high !

[wd9]

SK3 they are producing a soy with Low Lin Mid Oleic Low sat. While these characteristics are in canola or can also be selected in canola, the exact genes re not the same and are not 'stole' from canola. The profile is the same. Even if 'Canola' was patented, it would have long run out making it public anyway. Patented material can also be used for research to create new patentable products freely so even if it was patented today, it wouldn't stop progress.

Soy has the oil as a byproduct and whereas canola has the meal as a byproduct. The Japanese buyers know canola, have for years and do not buy strictly on the promises of LLMOLS of the new Visitive.

Canola does have some large challenges ahead in terms of its uniqueness in the marketplace. One of the best defences is to have enough critical mass of supply to keep buyers interested and secure the crop will be around without going to the trouble of label changes on foods. Canola would not be $17 per bushel if we grew Westar, we would have no customers at this point as we would only get laughed at with the volume produced. Canola today at 9 mmt is still less than 2% of the veg oil market. Hardly influential and hardly able to extract the premium suggested.

This is a volume business, and Canada needs volume to not only satisfy the proposed building of the new crush plant capacity, but also new profiles, new markets, and if ethanol and the cowboys don't completely mess up renewable fuels - a biodiesel industry.

We as farmers determine the success and failure of companies like Monsanto. Vote with your wallet whether you want them in business. Buy their shares if you think the company make good profit. But also, as new ideas come forward, I would hope we have access to those technologies to decide if they work on our farm.

Monsanto, friend or enemy? I'd say either a supplier or nothing. This is business and no-one is your friend.