Exhibit 99.1

Contacts:         Ball Corporation              ConAgra Grocery Products Company
                  Scott McCarty                 Kay Carpenter
                  Broomfield, CO                Fullerton, Calif.
                  (303) 460-2103                (714) 680-1144


         Ball, ConAgra Grocery Products Agree to Form Strategic Alliance

     BROOMFIELD,  Colo. Feb. 24, 2000 -- Ball Corporation [NYSE:BLL] and ConAgra
Grocery Products Company, a unit of ConAgra,  Inc. [NYSE: CAG],  announced today
that they have signed a definitive  agreement  to form a strategic  alliance for
the  manufacture  and  supply  of metal  food  containers  for  ConAgra  Grocery
Products.
         Under the alliance, the two companies will form a joint venture company
called Ball Western Can Company to acquire and operate  certain  ConAgra Grocery
Products  can  manufacturing  assets  in  California.  Additionally,  Ball  will
purchase  certain can  manufacturing  assets now employed in the ConAgra Grocery
Products  plant in Newport,  Tenn.,  and relocate them to an existing Ball plant
near  Knoxville,  Tenn. The new joint venture  company and Ball then will supply
metal food cans and ends under long-term agreements to ConAgra Grocery Products,
whose requirements are currently about one billion cans and ends per year.

     Ball and ConAgra Grocery  Products said they expect to have the transaction
finalized by the end of March. ConAgra Grocery Products Company manufactures and
markets such  well-known  brand names as Hunt's  tomato  products;  Wesson oils;
Orville  Redenbacher's  Popping Corn;  Swiss Miss  puddings and cocoas;  Knott's
jams,  jellies and preserves;  Peter Pan Peanut Butter;  Rosarita Mexican Foods;
Van Camp's Beans; and Healthy Choice soup and pasta sauce to name a few. ConAgra
Grocery  Products  is an  operating  company of  ConAgra,  Inc.,  a $25  billion
multi-national company that is the world's second largest food conglomerate.

     Ball  Corporation  produces  rigid  metal and plastic  packaging  products,
primarily for foods and beverages, and supplies aerospace and other technologies
to  government  and  commercial  customers.   The company reported 1999 sales of
$3.6 billion.

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