Patriot Renewable Fuels plant opening features Monsanto MTU

November 3, 2008

BY Bryan Sims

Web exclusive posted Nov. 17, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. CST

St. Louis, Mo.-based Monsanto Co. appeared at the grand opening of Patriot Renewable Fuels' 100 MMgy ethanol plant in Annawan, Ill., on Nov. 4-6 and showcased its Mobile Technology Unit (MTU) to the public and media.

Patriot Renewable Fuels hosted tours of its plant and Monsanto hosted a hands-on exhibit in its MTU. The 53-foot long, 1,000-square-foot MTU features interactive displays along with the company's latest advances in seed breeding, biotechnology and new product development designed to help farmers and ethanol producers alike be successful. As a company focused solely on agriculture, Monsanto invests nearly $2 million a day in new product research and development, according to Monsanto spokesman Darren Wallis.

"The reason why we spent the money to create the MTU is because the general public or the farmer, when they experience one of our tours to see our technology and the research we're doing, they get very excited about it," Wallis said. "It kind of brings an experiment to reality."

By showcasing Monsanto's technology through the MTU, farmers and ethanol producers are able to personally connect with the company and put a face with what they use in their fields and production plants without ever traveling to Monsanto's Chesterfield, Mo., research facility, he added.

The MTU has already accumulated thousands of miles having made appearances at more than 30 events and reaching out to more than 8,000 farmers, agriculture youth and others as far north as South Dakota and as far south to Florida.

"Most of the attendees who went through the exhibit had some nice comments about it afterwards," said Gene Griffith, president of Patriot Renewable Fuels. "Everyone felt like they learned something and was impressed with the amount of research and technology put into growing different varieties of corn."

In addition to the MTU, representatives from the Illinois Corn Growers Association, American Lung Association, General Motors Corp. and the Henry County Farm Bureau participated in the grand opening event.

To learn more about Monsanto, visit www.monsanto.com/default.asp. To learn more about Patriot Renewable Fuels, visit www.patriotrenewablefuels.com/.

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