Monsanto tells investors it's ready to lead ag industry into future

Monsanto Co. told investors at the BMO Capital Markets 10th annual Farm-to-Market Conference on Wednesday in New York City that the company is uniquely qualified to lead the next evolution in agriculture.

President and Chief Operating Officer Brett Begemann said the company is strategically differentiated because it is innovative and shares values with farmers.

“The future of agriculture belongs to those who sustainably steward every field, with precise, integrated solutions to enhance the productivity of every seed on an increasingly static footprint," Begemann said. "Companies with a track record of innovation and with the vision and discipline to execute will succeed in this new space."

Begemann expanded on Monsanto's vision and strategic rationale for a proposed merger with Syngenta and said the opportunity is about creating a new company that would redefine the future of agriculture.

He said leveraging the strengths of the two companies would boost the scope and speed of industry breakthroughs and industry innovation.

“The combined companies also would make delivery of integrated and sustainable solutions more efficient across all of the major technology-driven platforms of breeding, biotechnology, crop protection, microbials and precision agriculture,” Begemann said. “By running R&D pipelines across platforms in parallel, the company could accelerate the development of innovations and have the breadth of perspective to unlock new solutions not yet envisioned.”

Begemann said Monsanto has devoted a great deal of time analyzing the potential in a Syngenta merger deal and is confident it could gain regulatory approval. To do so, Monsanto would divest all of Syngenta’s seed and trait assets, as well as certain overlapping chemical assets.