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                                                        EXHIBIT 24.1
                     POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

That each person whose signature appears below, as a Director or Officer
of Monsanto Company (the "Company"), a Delaware corporation with its
general offices in the County of St. Louis, Missouri, does hereby make,
constitute and appoint R. WILLIAM IDE III, BARBARA L. BLACKFORD, SONYA
M. DAVIS or JANET L. HORGAN, or any one of them acting alone, his or her
true and lawful attorneys, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to execute and sign the Annual Report on Form 10-K and the
following registration statements: (i) any registration statement under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), covering the
issuance of debt securities, (ii) any registration statement on Form S-8
covering the registration of additional securities of the Company to be
issued under the Monsanto Shared Success Stock Option Plan, the Monsanto
Company ERISA Parity Savings and Investment Plan, the Monsanto Savings
and Investment Plan or the Monsanto Management Incentive Plan of 1996,
in each case as approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, (iii)
any registration statement on Form S-8 covering the registration of
securities of the Company to be issued under the DEKALB Genetics
Corporation Savings and Investment Plan, the Delta and Pine Land Company
Savings Plan or any new or existing stock-based incentive plans of the
Company or any subsidiary; (iv) any registration statement filed
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, and (v) any amendment  or post-
effective amendment to any registration statement previously filed by
the Company, and any and all Amendments to any of the foregoing, and
documents in connection therewith, all to be filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission under the Act or the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, giving and granting unto said attorneys full power and
authority to do and perform such actions as fully as they might have
done or could do if personally present and executing any of said
documents.

Dated and effective as of the 26th of February, 1999.


/s/ Robert B. Shapiro                      /s/ Philip Leder             
--------------------------------           --------------------------------
Robert B. Shapiro, Director and            Philip Leder, Director
  Principal Executive Officer


/s/ Robert M. Heyssel                      /s/ Jacobus F.M. Peters 
--------------------------------           --------------------------------
Robert M. Heyssel, Director                Jacobus F. M. Peters, Director


/s/ Michael Kantor                         /s/ John S. Reed             
--------------------------------           --------------------------------
Michael Kantor, Director                   John S. Reed, Director


/s/ Gwendolyn S. King                      /s/ John E. Robson      
--------------------------------           -------------------------------- 
Gwendolyn S. King, Director                John E. Robson, Director 


/s/ William D. Ruckelshaus                 /s/ Gary L. Crittenden       
--------------------------------           -------------------------------- 
William D. Ruckelshaus, Director           Gary L. Crittenden, Principal
                                           Financial Officer


/s/ Richard B. Clark            
-------------------------------- 
Richard B. Clark, Principal 
  Accounting Officer