There is no better time or place to be involved in the biosciences industry than in Iowa right now. Nowhere in the world will you find the combination of natural resources, agricultural expertise, research infrastructure and startup momentum that we are seeing in the Cultivation Corridor. The most exciting part? We’ve just started to unlock the full potential. 

Some of the most established names in agriculture have recently unveiled expansion or investment plans in Iowa, including John Deere, Kent Corp., ADM, Tyson and more. We’ve attracted new investment from growing companies and global innovators, such as the Michael Foods plant in Norwalk and the Incotec Innovation Center in Urbandale.

Entrepreneurs and tech developers are collaborating with established industry leaders, progressive farmers and top-notch researchers in our fast-evolving accelerator and incubator ecosystem, including Iowa AgriTech Accelerator, ISU’s Start-Up Factory and the Ag Startup Engine. In fact, FarrPro, a member of the 2017 Iowa AgriTech Accelerator inaugural class, recently completed its seed investment funding round. 

Perhaps the most visible example of bioscience growth is the rapid expansion of the Iowa State University Research Park. With more than 220 acres and 550,000 square feet of current building space, the park is dedicated to incubating new ventures and supporting the growth of Iowa-based companies.  

We should be proud of Iowa’s leadership position as predictive agriculture continues to grow. Combined, the Deere-ISG headquarters in Urbandale and a new Granular office in Johnston will bring over 400 new IT jobs to the Corridor.

To support technology and manufacturing efforts, we need to expand Iowa’s skilled and diverse workforce. Projects like Future Ready Iowa have built a strong road map that we must all be ready to engage in. And, we must constantly break through barriers of “how it has always been done” and move quickly to adapt to a global marketplace. 

Combining Iowa’s rich agricultural heritage with an entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take on new challenges means we remain the obvious choice for biosciences in all sectors of agriculture to thrive.