Vectran technology, robotic arms, and a video featuring National Football League legend Kurt Warner aren’t the typical images that come to mind when one thinks about agriculture.
Building awareness about innovation in agriculture is part of what Monsanto Co. has in mind when it takes its 53-foot-long Mobile Technology Unit (MTU) on the road. The MTU focuses on educating students, consumers, media, and others about the technologies Monsanto is developing to help U.S. growers double their yields by 2030 to meet the rising global demands for food, feed, and fuel.
The one-of-a-kind agricultural exhibit on wheels paid its first visit April 7 to a major urban market: Washington DC. Area 4-H youth and government staffers were among those who tour the MTU to learn about the agriculture company’s breeding and biotechnology efforts.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to bring the MTU to Washington DC, and share with USDA and government staffers some of the cutting-edge advances in agriculture that will help farmers produce more while at the same time conserve precious natural resources,” said Kevin Holloway, Monsanto’s vice president of U.S. Commercial Strategy and Operations.
MTU tours highlight some of the new corn, cotton, and soybean technologies in Monsanto’s robust pipeline and provide a teachable opportunity to tell about the amazing advances under way in U.S. agriculture, according to Holloway.
“We appreciate the interest level participants show when they tour the MTU and welcome the chance to engage in conversation about our new technologies and how they support our commitment to sustainable agriculture,” Holloway said. “Many are surprised to learn, for example, that we have an Omega-3 soybean in development, or that we are developing seed technologies, such as our Genuity SmartStax corn, that will enable farmers to reduce their pesticide use.”
Click here to view a short, time-elapsed video showing the 18-wheeler as it is being built.
