Growing Biotech
Syngenta Seeds draws on a rich Minnesota history to sow the seeds for new opportunities. Regional director David Morgan shares his thoughts about the company's past, present and future.
Q: Syngenta Global is true to its name, with offices around the world, and headquarters in Switzerland. Why is the seeds operation in Minnesota?
• We've had a long history here through heritage companies, actually, that came together to form Syngenta. Companies like Northrup King & Co., which now come under our brand as NK Seeds, means we've been here for more than 125 years. Currently, we have facilities and seed production locations in the state with over 400 employees here. Minnesota is central to our seeds business.
Q: Who are your competitors? Perhaps Monsanto, for example?
• Syngenta is involved in three lines of business: materials that users utilize to control pests; seeds and biotechnology; and lawn and garden. So if you go to a place like Home Depot for your composting materials, you would see our products and those of our competitors in that space. If you're a farmer looking for seeds, then you'd consider us a competitor to companies like Monsanto and Pioneer.
Q: What makes Syngenta Seeds unique?
I'd say it's unique because it's based on breakthrough technology, and that it's broad in general. Competitors have strength in certain areas, but no one does everything that we do, and no other company has the strong global presence that we have in the industry.
Q: What challenges does the company face?
• We've got to keep helping agriculture become more productive, and we need to support demand for agriculture using our science. Most people know that demand for foodstuffs is increasing relentlessly, and we want to help growers become more productive to meet that demand, and to keep food plentiful and reasonably priced. The challenge is how do you keep pace with that demand? So far we're happy with our success rate, but there's a lot more to be done. Our scientists know the burden they bear. Another challenge is that we know that people have different views on what agriculture should be like going into the future. We work to find harmony.
Q: How do you find harmony with those who believe agriculture should be less of a big business and more about smaller farms, organics and that type of approach?
• The United States government has always been very supportive of science and technology and its role in making a positive contribution to agriculture, and we hope that can be maintained. At the same time, we understand that some people have different views, and as a European company, we know what it's like to be in a country where there isn't a level of governmental support. We do think there can be harmony and co-existence of different farming systems. To feed everyone, the world will need to have production agriculture, but we're respectful of the fact that some consumers choose organic produce because they believe in a different system. I think it would be a mistake to rely on one system alone, and I also think we need to talk more about how these systems can work together to make sure everyone gets fed, and food prices are kept at reasonable levels.
Q: What do you see for Syngenta Seeds' future?
• In the near term, we're turning our attention to different challenges that growers will confront. It may be hard to believe after the Minnesota spring we've had, but right now we're worried about water. One of the biggest challenges is how to keep production high on crops in a world where water becomes more scarce. We have our scientists working on that, on producing more crops from each drop of water that's available. We're excited about tackling those types of issues.
