The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the registration of two YieldGard insect-protected corn technologies developed by Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON).

The registration for YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology (event MON 863) has been extended through the 2010 growing season and the registration for YieldGard Plus (event MON 863 x MON 810) has been extended through the 2008 growing season.

“Extension of these registrations is great news for America’s corn farmers and assures that they will continue to have access to these valuable seed-based insect-protection technologies,” said Ernesto Fajardo, vice president of Monsanto’s U.S. crop production business.

“Farmers continue to adopt Monsanto’s YieldGard insect-protected corn traits, including our stacked-trait products, on a greater number of acres because of the benefits these technologies provide their farms,” Fajardo said. “These seed-based technologies are providing farmers with a unique way to have consistent insect control under a variety of agronomic conditions, as well as offer them a convenient alternative to reduce their insecticide applications and related input costs on farm.”

About YieldGard Rootworm and YieldGard Plus Corn Technologies

YieldGard Rootworm corn contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a common soil microbe that specifically targets corn rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to naturally protect its roots against the damaging corn rootworm. The corn rootworm has earned the nickname the “billion-dollar bug” as the USDA estimates that this pest causes $1 billion in lost revenue annually to the U.S. corn crop.

YieldGard Plus corn provides growers with in-seed protection, allowing the corn plant to protect itself against the damaging Western and Northern corn rootworm larvae and the European corn borer.

Corn growers first planted Monsanto’s YieldGard Rootworm technology in the United States in 2003, and YieldGard Plus hybrids have been on the market since 2005. Monsanto’s mid-season estimates highlight that corn hybrids containing the company’s YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology were planted on roughly 9-10 million acres of the U.S. corn crop this year.

This extension of the YieldGard Rootworm and YieldGard Plus registrations requires the continuation of key stewardship practices, including the comprehensive insect resistance management (IRM) program for YieldGard family of insect-protected corn technologies.