June 17, 2009
Monsanto opens Water Utilisation Learning Centre
Water is a vital element in food production, and in response, Monsanto has established the Water Utilisation Learning Centre in Gothenburg, Nebraska, to study water efficiency in crop production.
The US$6 million Water Utilisation Learning Centre is the first of its kind in agriculture, and is designed to study cropping systems comprised of world class genetics, agronomic practices and biotech traits including water-use efficiency technologies such as drought-tolerant cropping systems.
The centre will help Monsanto advance research to help improve farmers' productivity in the Western Great Plains while gaining a better understanding of water use by crops. More than 80 cropping and irrigation demonstrations are featured at the 155-acre farm and learning centre.
"Water is a major factor in agriculture production," said Robb Fraley, Monsanto Chief Technology Officer. "In any given year, 10 million to 13 million acres of farmland planted to corn in the United States may be affected by at least moderate drought, and every crop acre faces some degree of water stress at some point in the growing season."
In addition to crop and irrigation demonstrations, the facility includes three conference rooms that will be equipped with state-of-the-art videoconferencing capabilities. The centre will be hardwired to eventually conduct virtual tours of robotics and seed analytics facilities in remote locations such as Monsanto's breeding facility in Ankeny, Iowa, or the company's Chesterfield, Mo., research facility, for example. The site also includes a 20,000 square foot breeding station and a smaller building to dry corn.
Gothenburg Learning Centre Lead Chandler Mazour said Monsanto selected the site because of its location in the transition zone from dryland acres to irrigated acres on the western High Plains, adding that Monsanto needs that diversity to determine how to use future technologies in adding value to crops.
The Gothenburg Water Utilisation Learning Centre is open during the summer for tours. Farmers can schedule a tour of the facility by contacting their local seed company representative.
