U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent celebrated the opening of the Genome Mapping Facility at the University of Missouri-Columbia at today’s ribbon cutting.

“Investing time and money in the life sciences is not just about investing in institutions, it is about investing in our students, our faculty, our health, jobs, our economy, our future, and our power to solve real problems of real people,” said Senator Bond. “Biotechnology is bringing hope to those in the developing world by providing crops that are more tolerant of drought and more resistant to insects and weeds. Your work here on the soybean genome will further our knowledge in this area and help our farmers to be more productive and the crops that they grow to be healthier.”

“The University of Missouri is a leader in agriculture science and technology,” said Sen. Talent, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “The research conducted here on soybeans is vital for the continued improvement of the crop. Additionally, the federal funds invested in this project will bring benefits to our state's economy and to producer's bottom line. The research we do today is a vital step in creating the new products that will sustain the agriculture and food industry of tomorrow.”

Bond and Talent joined Congressman Kenny Hulshof, University and agriculture officials at today’s ribbon cutting. The Senators praised the opening of the Genome Mapping Facility, which is an expansion of the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology (NCSB). The new facility will allow NCSB scientists to play a national leadership role in mapping of the soybean genome and to develop improved soybean varieties to keep Missouri farmers on the cutting edge.

As strong supporters of NCSB’s vision Bond and Talent have secured federal funds for the NCSB building and research programs. The Genome Mapping Facility also benefited from a more than $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Bond and Talent praised the University of Missouri for its commitment and leadership in the life sciences. The Senators have worked with scientists, producers, academic and business leaders across the state in efforts to make Missouri a biotechnology corridor.

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Today the Missouri Soybean Association (MSA) applauded the opening of the Soybean Genome Mapping Facility, an expansion of the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology (NCSB) at the University of Missouri (MU) in Columbia, Mo. NCSB scientists play a national leadership role in developing improved soybean varieties to keep U.S. producers competitive in the marketplace.

“This facility is instrumental in helping Missouri soybean producers develop improved soybean varieties,” said Dale R. Ludwig, MSA executive director/CEO. “Through funding supported by U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent, Missouri remains ahead of the class in life science research.”

Renovations supported by Bond and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources gave $2 million toward the crop genomics laboratories in the Agriculture Building. Also, a National Science Foundation grant and matching funds program provided more than $1 million for genome mapping equipment.

The University of Missouri-Columbia was recently designated by U.S. Congress as the site for the NCSB. Its foundation was the Center for Soybean Genomics and Biotechnology, previously formed at MU in support of interdisciplinary research on the genomic structure and function of soybean genes. The ultimate goal of the NCSB is to provide innovative molecular approaches that can be applied toward soybean improvement.

The NCSB is a collaborative program among scientists at MU, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Plant Genetics Unit in Columbia and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Mo. There are currently more than 25 researchers working together from diverse fields including agronomy, microbiology and plant pathology, biochemistry, animal science, food science, molecular biology and agricultural economics.

In addition to receiving the NCSB support, scientists working in the center continue to be highly competitive for other funding from a variety of sources, including the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, federal agencies and private industry.

Strategically located in the heart of the nation, the NCSB aims to foster research partnerships with institutions in the Midwestern and Southern states, regions where soybeans are a major crop. Research within the NCSB focuses on major problems that affect soybean production and use. The Center also provides educational opportunities for students and outreach services to producers, public agencies and consumers.