Organizations complete regulatory authorizations for SmartStax corn

US and Canadian farmers will soon enjoy greater whole farm corn yield advantages of a new corn seed trait combination that will provide the most comprehensive insect and weed control and allow farmers to significantly reduce their refuge.

These benefits will be realized through SmartStax, a cross licensing agreement and research and development collaboration signed in 2007 between Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences LLC.

SmartStax, an all-in-one corn trait platform, received registration from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulatory authorization from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and remains on track for a 2010 commercial launch.

It combines each company's corn traits to provide farmers the absolute broadest spectrum of above- and below-ground protection available against insects and weeds versus any product in the market today.

SmartStax features a combination of insect control traits that significantly reduces the risk of resistance for both above- and below-ground pests.

As a result, farmers can enjoy a reduction of the typical structured farm refuge from 20% to 5% for SmartStax in the US Corn Belt and Canada and from 50% to 20% of the US Cotton Belt.

The companies say the new corn seed technology is expected to be offered to farmers on 3 million- to 4-million-plus acres in its first year of availability.