On the Move

One of the highlights of my experience at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences so far has been my tour of Monsanto's Moblie Technology Unit (MTU).

I had heard of the MTU but had never been inside. It was really neat to learn about some of the technologies the company is trying out and some of the new methods its researchers are using to test seeds.

A little bit about the MTU...

The 18-wheeler has traveled to more farms than many people will visit in their entire lives, according to Monsanto's website. It has reached out to more than 8,000 farmers, ag youth and others as far north as South Dakota and as far south as Florida. The educators who take participants on tours of the unit follow the motto, "Our Science. Your Success."

As I watched the video and listened to the MTU educators, I couldn't help but think how beneficial the MTU is not only to growers, but to consumers also. The general public who might not have a direct link to the farm would benefit from seeing this facility.

This is a breakdown of what I believe growers and consumers can get from touring the MTU:

Growers:

Like I said before, the MTU follows the theme, "Our Science. Your Success." Monsanto is trying to explain to farmers the latest technologies it is using to produce higher-quality seed, and in turn, help farmers achieve higher yields.

• The MTU shows the growers the time and money it takes to develop the products they use on their farms.


• The MTU allows growers to see the entire pipeline process and the robotic tools and machines that are making the pipeline process more efficient.
  
• The MTU gives farmers something to look forward to, such as the production of drought-tolerant corn and cotton.

Consumers:

Consumers see the end result of the technologies, and unfortunately as I have found in working in communications, many people simply don't care about the tireless efforts that go into the food they eat. However, I have noticed that people are starting to pay more attention to eating healthier and more natural foods.

• The MTU shows how the technologies that are going into the seed are making healthier end products for the consumer.
  
• The MTU introduces products that places such as fast food restaurants are using to make food healthier. This includes the Vistive low-linolenic soybeans that can reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids in processed soybean oil. This oil can be used in frying and making various foods.

I would definitely recommend the MTU tour to anyone. Like the trailer shows, farmers really do feed, fuel and clothe the world!

A video and explanation of the MTU can be found here.