At the NAFB Summer Agribusiness Dinner at the Danforth Plant Science Center, Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Danforth Center Vice President of Public and Government Affairs Karla Roeber about the center, itself.
The center, in Olivette, Missouri, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) independent plant research institute. “We do basic research about how to make plants yield more with less impact on the environment,” Roeber explained. “Dr. Danforth, our founder, knew that the most important way to help farmers increase a sustainable food supply was to get the technology from the laboratory out into the field.”
To do that, the Danforth Center hires entrepreneurial scientists who focus on the goal that Roeber outlined above, and in the process, they create new companies and jobs in their regions.
The Danforth Center greenhouses, each composed of about 50,000 square feet of usable area, are not only used by in-house researchers, but are also made available to local companies for their own research and development. “This helps early-stage startups to have high-quality, research-grade greenhouses to do their proof of concepts so they can take that data to the venture capitalists and say, ‘I had this done at the world’s largest plant science institute.’ So, they can raise money to continue to grow their businesses to bring products to the field.”
The center features 100 Plant Growth Chambers where the environment can be controlled to simulate drought conditions, daylight cycles, carbon cycles, humidity, temperature, and more. “Those are in high demand by companies and researchers alike,” Roeber said.
Another focus of the Danforth Center is Food Security Crops, which are non-row crops such as cowpeas, cassava, and teff. “These crops are typically grown in Sub-Saharan Africa and certain parts of Asia. We do receive a lot of funding and support for those from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and from the USAID to help farmers in those areas of the world,” she explained.
Since it first opened 25 years ago, the Danforth Center has continued to expand. Soon, they plan to add additional greenhouse ranges due to the high demand for them.
Another big change is the need for a new Danforth Center President as the current one, Jim Carrington, who has served in that position for 13 years, recently announced his intent to step down. The center has launched an international search for his replacement.
