Monsanto's Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete™ received US EPA registration

U.S. farmers in the Corn Belt now have a new single-bag option for managing above-ground pests. Monsanto's Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete™ has received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), completing federal regulatory authorization in the United States.

Commercialization is pending individual state authorizations and notifications, as required.

Monsanto was the first in the industry to offer farmers a single-bag refuge solution with Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete™, and this approval adds another single-bag product to the Genuity reduced-refuge family of products.

Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete is a blend of 95 percent Genuity VT Double PRO and 5 percent refuge (non-Bt) seed, delivering the lowest refuge in the corn-growing area for above-ground insect protection. The single-bag solution of Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete helps farmers simplify the planting process while delivering peace of mind for refuge compliance.

"Based on farmer feedback, Monsanto continues to move toward single-bag refuge options making corn production and refuge compliance synonymous," said Brett Begemann, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. "Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete offers the simplest, most convenient refuge implementation option available to farmers needing above-ground protection for pests. We expect demand for the product to be high. In 2012, this product will be offered by Monsanto brands and licensees across the corn-growing area, providing farmers the broadest choices in the industry."

Farmers who do not experience corn rootworm pressure have chosen to plant Genuity VT Double PRO corn hybrids with a structured 5 percent refuge. Introduced in the 2010 season, the technology was the first dual mode-of-action product for above-ground pest protection that allowed farmers to lower their refuge in the corn-growing area from the standard 20 percent. The reduced refuge enables farmers to protect more of their fields from pest damage that reduces yield. Genuity VT Double PRO corn hybrids provide protection from the European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, fall armyworm and corn earworm, while offering tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides.