US: Partnership grooms tomorrow’s ag leaders

As a proud University of Missouri alumnus, I’m excited about Monsanto’s partnership with the university on a new program supporting future scientists and researchers in developing their leadership and communications skills.

Continuing scientific advances are important to us in so many fields — medicine, communications, travel, energy and manufacturing — just to name a few. They’re very important in the field of agriculture, as well, as Monsanto and others work together to solve big challenges like feeding a growing population, managing precious natural resources and dealing with climate change. Agriculture is at the nexus of all of those challenges.

By 2050, the global population is expected to be more than 9.6 billion. That’s like adding two Chinas to today’s population. To feed everyone at that point, experts say we have to double food production. We will have to do that even though climate change is leading to shifting weather and agricultural patterns. Plus, we can’t make more of the natural resources — like land and water — that are so important to growing food. Great minds are working together to try to meet these tough challenges.

Click here to read the completer article at www.columbiatribune.com.