Menu Close

Missouri-based Agtech Company Launches New Program to Partner with Farmers

  • August 18, 2021

St. Louis-based agtech company Benson Hill recently launched a new innovation program in which farmers will be early users of its technology. The Food System Innovators (FSI) program is an initiative that partners with farmers in six states to test the company’s technologies in their commercial agriculture operations.

Benson Hill recently hosted participants of the program at its headquarters in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

“They were super real with us, gave us great feedback and really showed up as terrific collaborators and partners, which is exactly what we wanted,” said Benson Hill Co-Founder and CEO Matt Crisp. “There’s a deep desire to have and expand and deepen these mutually beneficial partnerships.”

Benson Hill’s FSI program provides real-time feedback that will help fine-tune the productivity and performance of the company’s CropOS technology platform. Farmers will also have access to the company’s soybean varieties, with the innovation program maximizing the protein content of those seed products.

“Our farmer partners recognize the growing market demand for plant-based food solutions as an opportunity rooted in better seeds,” Crisp said. “They share our vision for a modern and more resilient food system that can deliver high-quality, high-protein, sustainable ingredients to meet this demand while supporting strong farmer ROI.”

The establishment of the new FSI program coincides with Benson Hill’s increased development of plant-based food ingredients. In March, it announced the launch of its ingredients business segment, which is targeting the development of new varieties of the yellow pea, a popular ingredient in many plant-based foods, as well as the production and commercialization of its proprietary soybean varieties.

Missouri is the world leader in agtech, paving the way with innovative technology and research in plant science and animal health that is transforming agriculture. From Bayer’s global Seeds & Traits and North American commercial headquarters in St. Louis, to the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, Missouri’s $88 billion ag industries encompass more than 378,000 jobs across the state.

What Next?