October 2, 2001 -- Monsanto Company has received renewed registration for its Bollgard (Bt) cotton from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The registration extends the
commercial license to sell Bollgard cotton an additional five years, but also continues key stewardship practices, including existing insect resistance management (IRM)
plans.

The EPA originally approved Bollgard cotton in 1995, prior to its commercial
launch in 1996. During that time, Bollgard cotton was planted on over 20 million acres in
the United States. According to the EPA, there has been no evidence of bollworm or other pests developing resistance to Bt cotton.

Monsanto research highlighting six years of comparison trials across the
Cotton Belt have shown that Bollgard cotton provides an average yield
advantage of 7 percent compared to cotton without protection, says Randy Deaton, head of Monsanto's global cotton business.

"The average net income advantage for the Bollgard acre versus the
non-Bollgard acre during this six-year period was $44.70," Deaton says.
"For a grower with 300 acres of cotton, that's well over $10,000 per year."

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, farmers
have used two million fewer pounds of insecticides since the introduction of
Bt cotton. Growers of conventional cotton were forced to spray on average two and
one-half more insecticide applications per acre than growers of Bollgard cotton did during the same time period.

EPA has extended its decision on Bt corn, including Monsanto's
YieldGard corn, to allow the public additional time to review recently
published scientific studies that demonstrate no harm to monarch
butterflies. A decision is expected in about two weeks.