Monsanto Supports Efforts to Restore Flooded Farm Land

The Mississippi Delta region suffered through one of the worst floods in recent history this past spring, with up to seven million acres of fertile farmland under water in this highly productive part of the country. In continued efforts by Monsanto to support farmers and rural communities, the company donated $15,000 to the Save the Delta Coalition to help the region rebuild. The donation was part of the Monsanto Pledge Award program.

“Farmers and rural communities were among the hardest hit by the flooding,” said John Raines, Monsanto customer advocacy lead.  “Many of Monsanto’s employees and customers have ties to these communities. Our employees chose Save the Delta Coalition to receive the donation because we wanted to help the residents of these areas get back on their feet.”

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The $15,000 donation was made as part of the Monsanto Pledge Award, which honors Monsanto employees, projects or programs in six categories and gives each winning group the opportunity to direct a $15,000 donation to the nonprofit organization of their choice. The Pledge Award is the highest honor given for contributions towards achieving company values. This group was recognized in the area of Customer Relationships for its wide-spread advocacy effort to share America’s farmers’ stories and to thank them for being so successful in providing for the world. This campaign is supported by two efforts: America’s Farmers Grow America, which advocates on behalf of farmers nationally; and America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, which benefits farmers’ local communities.

“The purpose of the Save the Delta coalition is to ensure Congress and the Administration provide the resources necessary to ensure the communities and families that were affected by the floods can start to rebuild their lives,” said David LaValle, spokesman for the Save the Delta coalition. “This donation will help the coalition keep the pressure on federal decision makers in Washington to do the right thing.”

Rainfall in the Mississippi Valley exceeded 600 to 1,000 percent above the average amount of rainfall in only a two-week time period, causing damage to the levee system and surrounding communities.  It is estimated that the total loss to these communities is more than $2 billion dollars. While the losses were great, it is also estimated that the Mississippi River & Tributaries (MR&T) project prevented more than $108 billion in damages and prevented the cost of even a single human life. Even though the levee system has proven to work, the Corps of Engineers is facing more funding cuts, which means there is no extra money available to repair damage to the levee system. And that could put more farms at risk.

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Without adequate funding, some areas of the levee may not be repaired to the standard in which they were, or some areas may not be repaired at all.  Many in the region worry that without those repairs, the loss could be much greater when the water rises again in the future.

For more information about the Save the Delta coalition visit their website at www.savethedelta.org or on Facebook. More information about Monsanto can be found at www.monsanto.com.  

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