October 8, 2004

Monsanto To Sell New Brand Of Soybean
 

Cargill has reached an agreement with Monsanto to process a new variety of soybeans that the company has developed.

The new variety will provide food manufacturers with soybean oil that is low in trans fatty acids.

Monsanto will begin selling its Vistive brand soybeans to farmers for the 2005 growing season. Minnetonka-based Cargill will market Vistive soybean oil and will pay farmers a premium to grow the new variety.

Foods will need to list trans fats on their labels from 2006. Trans fats are blamed for various health problems and are high on the list of ingredients that food companies are trying to reduce.

Cargill says farmers in eighteen Iowa counties will plant about 100-thousand acres with Vistive seed next year.