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Ag tech sprouts in St. Louis

Analysis: Missouri’s largest metro area is building a global hub of innovation and talent.

October 8, 2024

3 Min Read
Helix center biotech incubator
HIGH-TECH CITY: St. Louis continues to provide a home to those entrepreneurs looking to advance agriculture, fast becoming an ag startup’s top choice for talent and location. Courtesy of St. Louis Economic Development Partnership

by Sean Mullins

When Missourians think of St. Louis, they probably often think of baseball, barbecue and the Gateway Arch, but many don’t know how agriculture is critically vital to Missouri’s largest metro area.

Half of the nation's crops and 80% of corn and soybeans are produced within a 500-mile radius of St. Louis. Key industry leaders in agriculture are in the Gateway to the West — including Bayer, Bunge and KWS — and several prominent national producer associations are based in St. Louis, including the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association.

It’s also home to the world’s largest independent plant science research institute, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

Agriculture is a critical economic sector for Missouri — a $94 billion industry with a workforce of more than 456,000 people and 90,000 farms with products shipped via river barge from the St. Louis region to ports across the globe with enough regularity that a 15-mile section of the Mississippi is known as the “Ag Coast of America.”

With agriculture so fundamental to the state, St. Louis has been investing in the future of ag tech to not only benefit Missouri farmers, but also to ensure the city and state continue to be leaders in crop production and national food security.

Help startups thrive

A key investment by St. Louis has been the development of 39 North, a 600-acre ag-focused innovation district that is home to the Danforth Center, the Bio Research and Development Growth Park, the Helix Center Incubator and Bayer Crop Science.

Launched in 2016, the 39 North was formed as a nonprofit in 2023 with dedicated staff to leverage and elevate St. Louis’ unmatched assets: its world-class research institutions, its proximity to farmers, and its vibrant industry presence to create, attract and retain the most promising ag tech innovators in the world. 39 North houses a vibrant, diverse network of scientists, startups and companies, as well as cutting-edge equipment and facilities.

The Helix Center Incubator provides early-stage startups access to more than 33,000 square feet of affordable laboratory and office space. Entrepreneurs find collaboration opportunities with other regional organizations such as the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the Yield Lab, BioSTL and BioGenerator. In 39 North, companies can find the resources and support they need to grow and thrive.

Reach beyond U.S.

St. Louis leaders have also been busy monitoring international developments and engaging with producers, entrepreneurs and investors to share the story of Missouri’s ag strengths.

A new initiative called Cultivar is fostering a dynamic ecosystem between St. Louis and Latin America for a sustainable food future. Recently, a delegation of St. Louis organizations traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, for the World Agri-Tech South America Summit and Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the Aapresid Congress to learn about their regional ag tech innovations and best practices.

In addition to seeking out new technology and innovative ideas, St. Louis leaders showcased St. Louis’ strong capabilities in both ag tech and geospatial technologies and developed new partnerships. The delegation included World Trade Center St. Louis, Danforth Center, BioSTL, Yield Lab, Greater St. Louis, Inc., Taylor Geospatial Institute, T-REX and HabiTerre.

Missouri farmers are critical to producing nutritious food, feed and fuel to people around the world. St. Louis ag industry leaders, startups and researchers are passionate about commercializing innovative solutions that address challenges facing growers and to enable more sustainable agriculture.

Mullins is a director at World Trade Center St. Louis and helps companies in Missouri and the St. Louis region find the tools and training needed to grow their businesses and export their goods.

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