Corn growers can save on insurance with Monsanto’s crops

Corn growers in four states, including Illinois, next year will be eligible for average discounts of 14 percent on their crop insurance, if they plant seeds with a trio of biotech traits from Creve Coeur-based Monsanto Co.

The discounts — which will save growers an average of more than $2 per acre  on revenue assurance policies — come under a pilot program announced Thursday by the Risk Management Agency of the Department of Agriculture. It  also is available to farmers in Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, and may be expanded if initial results are good.

Growers with non-irrigated fields can qualify by planting at least 75 percent of their corn acres with Monsanto’s  YieldGard Plus with Roundup Ready Corn 2 or YieldGard VT Triple technologies. These genetic modifications boost yield by protecting corn from harmful pests and applications of glyphosate herbicide, according to data gathered by Monsanto over three years and submitted to the USDA.

Interested growers can contact their local crop insurance representatives for details.