NGCA, Benson Hill Biosystems Partner to Develop New Corn Hybrids
The National Corn Growers Association and Benson Hill Biosystems have formed a partnership for the breeding and development of new corn hybrids.
The venture will utilize CropOS – a platform integrated with cloud biology technology to bring forward next level genomics through combining genomic data and expert knowledge from both public and private sources to isolate which plants will produce certain sought-after traits even before being planted, saving generations of testing. Using machine learning, the system becomes more predictive with each data set and as more biologists use the system.
The NCGA, whose mission is to “create and increase opportunities for corn growers,” states that consolidation within corn genetics – leaving development of new varieties to a small number of large companies that have the funds to back large R&D programs– has limited the commercialization of new corn breeds and agricultural advancement. Benson Hill’s CropOS technology can level the playing field – giving any size organization the ability to innovate on the same scale.
.png)