ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced that its Board of Directors has designated Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, as the date of the next annual meeting of shareowners. Monsanto’s annual meeting will be held at the company’s global R&D headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo. Additional meeting details will be included in the company’s proxy statement, which will be available in December. The record date for Monsanto’s annual meeting of shareowners is Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. About Monsanto Company Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com . Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo , on the company blog, Beyond the Rows® at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed . Additional Information and Where to Find It This communication relates to the proposed merger transaction involving Monsanto Company (“Monsanto”) and Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (“Bayer”). In connection with the proposed merger, Monsanto and Bayer intend to file relevant materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Monsanto has filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement on Schedule 14A and will file and provide to Monsanto stockholders a definitive proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) that will contain important information regarding the proposed merger. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, and is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement or any other document that Monsanto may file with the SEC or send to its stockholders in connection with the proposed merger. STOCKHOLDERS OF MONSANTO ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, INCLUDING THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the documents (when available) free of charge at the SEC’s website, http://www.sec.gov , and Monsanto’s website, www.monsanto.com , and Monsanto stockholders will receive information at an appropriate time on how to obtain transaction-related documents for free from Monsanto. In addition, the documents (when available) may be obtained free of charge by directing a request to Corporate Secretary, Monsanto Company, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63167, or by calling (314) 694-8148. Participants in Solicitation Monsanto, Bayer and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the holders of Monsanto common stock in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Monsanto is set forth in the proxy statement for Monsanto’s 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on December 10, 2015, and in Monsanto’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016, which was filed with the SEC on October 19, 2016. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in respect of the proposed transaction when they become available.