Monsanto Offers No-Frills RoundUp

WINNIPEG - Jan 5/06 - SNS -- Monsanto Canada says its new Roundup formulation will offer western Canadian growers a lower priced version of the herbicide, but without the guarantees attached to the company's premier version.

Roundup Transorb HC is a 540 gram per litre formulation that provides growers with the expected high performance of Roundup brand herbicides at a manufacturers suggested retail price of CDN $2.99 per acre for preseed control of annual weeds (based on a 0.33 litre per acre application rate).

The new product was introduced to the western Canadian retail distribution network in mid-December and will be offered at a manufacturers suggested retail price of $8.97 per litre ($5.98 per 360 gram equivalent litre).

"Roundup Transorb HC is in direct response to customer feedback," explained Randy Barker, Roundup marketing manager for Western Canada. "Our customers were asking for a Roundup brand herbicide with a lower price and they told us they were willing to forego the many guarantees and programs that come with Roundup WeatherMAX in order to get it."

Roundup Transorb HC comes with Transorb Technology and offers exceptional performance, outperforming imitator products and other generic glyphosate options tested in 2005 Monsanto (field/greenhouse) trials. Growers who choose Roundup Transorb HC will get proven performance and crop safety on Roundup Ready crops and a 60-minute Rainfastness guarantee.

The new product will also be fully supported by, and available at, local western Canadian retail outlets. It will not, however, be eligible for Roundup Ready RiskShare or the 30-minute Rainfastness guarantee, which are exclusive to Roundup WeatherMAX - Monsanto's premier performance product.

The Roundup Transorb HC formulation has many of the attributes of the old Roundup Transorb brand but it now comes in a High Concentration (HC) formula. This allows growers to cover more acres per litre handled which is a benefit in terms of time and efficiency on the farm. The HC formulation is only offered by Monsanto and is available in Roundup WeatherMAX, Roundup Transorb HC and Renegade HC.

"Roundup Transorb HC will provide an opportunity for generic users of glyphosate to consider the use of a quality Roundup brand herbicide at a great price, without worrying about performance, quality or availability," said Barker. "There are no rebates, memberships or paperwork hassle. We are delivering what our customers have asked for - straightforward, great value up front."