Farmers may benefit from Monsanto and Harvard research

Apr 28, 2016

Joint announcement made about protein science breakthrough

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

New research done by Monsanto and Harvard University may help farmers in the fight against insects and disease.

Using PACE (phage-assisted continuous evolution), researchers generated new insect control traits for crops and showed the ability to enhance proteins to deliver specific benefits to plants, or target plant pests.

The findings, published in Nature, show how protein science can be used in agriculture; Monsanto said farmers could benefit from the results.

Monsanto

“Farmers are continually challenged by effects of a changing climate, including increased insect pressure, disease and weed infestations,” Monsanto said in a release. “A broad-range of agriculture solutions are critical to help farmers address and manage these on-farm challenges in a sustainable way.”

Executives say the results can impact more than just the agriculture industry.

“Scientific breakthroughs like PACE technology are key to continue bringing solutions to farmers to help them get more out of every acre,” Tom Adams, VP of Biotechnology for Monsanto said in a press release.

Isaac T. Kohlberg, Harvard’s Senior Associate Provost and Chief Technology Development Officer said the PACE technology could “evolve tailor-made therapies for human disease.”

In its release, Monsanto said scientific breakthroughs will be critical to helping farmers find sustainable solutions and increase yields.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.