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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1796)	3/23/1999 3:11:00 PM
From: Dan Spillane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

I checked out soy planting recommendations for one of the mid-southern states (Missisippi). From the schedule I saw, it seems that the purchase and/or planting might already be underway. Farther south, this will be even more the case. Also, soy is a crop which can be planted earlier than some others, according to some reports. This is anecdotal, but just last weekend I was in southern Canada, and I noticed something was already growing in the fields. Perhaps a cover, but maybe some crop (hard to tell what a seedling is). Moreover, the USDA is a big part of planting plans, and farmers follow those recommendations. And the farmers freely choose the varieties which put money in their pocket. For quite some time, there has been problems with corn exports since the EU didn't approve...but that hasn't change planting plans (the recent story about exports on the business wire has been discussed for quite some time by farmers -- it isn't a new story). Another thing to consider is a lot of the US crop ends up as domestic feed anyway, since we are such meat-eaters. And when Asia recovers, they will return to being heavier meat-eaters. So as I see it, grain exports are an issue, aren't something new...and are part of a much bigger picture. That picture is most influenced by the USDA. The bottom line is there is little incentive for farmers to change planting plans for this season, especially considering plans are already in place. A farmer is not going to risk a loss in productivity when farm prices are already so low -- it is the only way to make money at all. Finally, there is the issue of seed supply. Since a large portion of the crop is already GM, the major seed companies have already produced the seeds needed (seeds don't appear out of thin air). There isn't actually a way for farmers to plant quantities of non-GM varieties at this point. If everyone tried, the price of the seeds would go way up and no one would buy them anyway...or the US farm economy would be destroyed (this is what Greenpeace hopes for -- a new major goal for them is to "transform world agriculture" -- according to them, and they will stop at nothing to get there, including lying and sabotage). But this doesn't change the fact that groups like Greenpeace will try and damage US farming. If not this season, the next.

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1796)	3/24/1999 12:33:00 PM
From: Professor Dotcomm	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2539

Dan is certainly the expert on the subject being discussed. On brokers I'm not so sure. Edward Jones has been around since the 1870's and has offices all over the US (and a few, I believe, in Canada). However Edward Jones is principally a retail investor house and prefers small towns or non city center sites. Actually, its research is pretty sound and it is a risk aversive firm and, as far as I know, does not provide corporate banking services or underwrites IPOs. (Perhaps that is why its research is sound and risk aversive!) Dotcomm