Genomics Happenings in Oregon

It’s not every week that there are two interesting genomics stories in the local press. I recognize that the world of plant genomics is global. We’re engaged with people from around the globe. It’s exciting to see how the fundamental principles of biology and the shared excitement for the possibilities unlocked by advancing sequencing technology create a global community of researchers so passionate about making a difference. But, it’s worth noting that thinking globally, acting locally is a good strategy.

Beer. A fine topic for a Friday… Oregon is home to a thriving craft and home brewing community. Here we like to make our own, drink the local brew, and wax poetic about the finish and aroma of a pint the way a Napa Valley sommelier describes a cabernet. One of the critical ingredients in beer is hops. Oregon happens to be one of the best places in the world to grow hops – sounds like an opportunity!

It is, and a company called Indie Hops is making a push towards developing new varieties of hops at Oregon State. What does this have to do with genomics? With today’s technologies, the $1 Million they’re investing in research can go a really long ways to advancing the breeding process with genetic markers, diagnostic tests, or even sequencing the Humulus genome. That in turn creates new varieties of hops faster, which gives us better beer; everyone is happy!

The other big news of the week is the publication of the Brachypodium genome. This project, led in part by Tood Mockler and others at the Oregon State Center for Genome Resources and Biocomputing, is a major achievement in the world of grass and cereals research. It’s exciting to see such important work being done right up the road. Congratulations to Todd and the hundreds of collaborators around the world on finishing such an important project. Now, go enjoy a Oregon microbrew to celebrate.

Sustainability and genetic technology

As a wrap-up piece for a series on genetic technology in agriculture, the NY Times wrote focused on Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food, an excellent book written by two UC Davis professors; a geneticist wife and an organic farmer husband. I’ve read the book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic of genetic technology in agriculture.

This post at the sustainability website Grist is unsurprisingly skeptical of the concept of sustainability and GMO seeds going hand in hand, I think that the coverage of the book is a positive step for education of the general public about what is a complex scientific topic. This book provides a thorough explanation of the differences between conventional breeding using molecular markers and the techniques of transgenic breeding. If we’re going to have a good public debate about this topic, having some facts as the basis for the debate is critical.

Bringing that debate to the forefront of my local community, Oregon is now in the thick of the discussion. The Oregonian notes that the debate on GMO seeds is now right in our backyard. Oregon has a diverse agricultural industry, from high value specialty crops to rolling fields of wheat. It turns out that this is also a great place to grow seeds – seeds for GM sugar beets. The debate about the technology that enables our agricultural prosperity, is not confined to the corn fields of Iowa and the soybean fields of the South, but is something that everyone needs to consider as we become more attune to the global and local supply chain for our food.

Agricultural Biotech in 2010

You know that you’re in an interesting business when the NY Times is covering the technology you use and Forbes names the leader in your target market as their company of the year. No, this isn’t Web 3.0 and Twitter, but genetic sequencing and marker assisted breeding and Monsanto; the world’s superpower in the seed industry. This is an interesting start to the decade.

In this well written and researched article, the other side of agricultural biotechnology gets some very good press. The technology described is marker assisted breeding – using genetic information to accelerate the tried and true process of crossing and selection to develop new varieties of plants. In an interesting twist of perspectives, Forbes announced that Monsanto is the 2009 company of the year. The title ‘The Planet Versus Monsanto’ is appropriate.

The ‘other side’ of ag-biotech is part of what Floragenex supports. Finding the specific segments of DNA (genetic markers) that can be linked to a specific trait, is now much quicker and easier than ever before. This technology is hitting its stride and heading up the adoption curve, as the cost of getting and applying that information keeps dropping. Projects that took years just a few years ago are being completed in months.

The scale of what Monsanto has and will accomplish in terms of the world’s food supply is astounding.  When you think about the facts of our situation; population going up, arable land holding constant or decreasing, and climate changing, it’s hard to bet against a company that sees those macro economic factors as an opportunity.

While there are many that vilify the corporate giant from St. Louis, I’d also ask those same people to think about what they ate today. Given that Monsanto’s vegetable group is one of the largest vegetable seed producers in the world, the chances are pretty good that something they purchased in the last month, whether it’s fresh broccoli or ethanol in their Prius, can be traced back to Monsanto.

The seed industry is an evolving business that deserves more attention in this country. It’s an important piece of the economy that will get more coverage as we pay more attention to where our food comes from and who profits from our choices as consumers.