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by Ava Mehrpour on Apr 11, 2018 6:19:56 AM
The agricultural division of the pharmaceutical multinational Bayer opens its first AgTech Hub in the world in West Sacramento, CA and selects Biome Makers for its innovative technology. Biome Makers will have the responsibility to decode the microbial diversity of agricultural soils and promote more productive and sustainable agricultural solutions that contribute to a greater alimentary quality.
Biome Makers, Inc. is the first startup that occupies the CoLaborator Suite, a new agricultural innovation space that Bayer Crop Science has enabled with its R&D center in California. The new facilities offer more than 900 square meters of laboratory space and offices and the possibility of using the cultivation areas and greenhouses of Bayer. The main objective of this space is to bring together the most promising AgroTech startups and allow them to develop innovations that improve agricultural activity and thus sustainability.
The company, founded by the innovators Adrián Ferrero and Alberto Acedo, has been selected for developments achieved in the field of microbiology as applied to agriculture. By combining DNA ultrasequencing technologies and Biome Makers’ very own artificial intelligent systems, the company has enabled the measurement of soil health using the microbiome as a biomarker, responsive to major and minor changes in the environment. Biome Makers’ technology provides a detailed evaluation of the effect of any agricultural practices, fertilizers, stimulants or phytosanitary, as well as diagnosis of deficiencies, pathogens or unique characteristics of the soil functionality for any crop.
Biome Makers leads the change towards sustainability in agriculture and encourages the reduction of pesticide use based on a deeper understanding of the complex microbiome. The vision is to raise awareness about manufacturing and proper use of phytosanitary products to maintain the continuity of the life within the soils, promoting balance of the microorganisms as related to soil health. Biome Makers is committed to the environment and the future of our planet through the management of a sustainable agriculture that allows adequate yields and promises worldwide food security.
So far, the headquarters and laboratory of the company which was previously located in San Francisco has moved its laboratory to West Sacramento upon reaching an agreement with Bayer, a big leap in the expansion of the company.
“We are very excited! for Biome Makers this is a great opportunity that will allow us to expand to other crops the knowledge acquired in the last two years in the field of viticulture, where we have achieved a prominent position.” - Ferrero and Acedo
“We believe that it is absolutely essential to develop collaborations in the field of innovation in agriculture. We are at a truly exciting moment in which new discoveries and technologies are emerging around food and agriculture.” Said Adrian Percy, the Director of Global Research and Development from Bayer Crop Science. “Sacramento county is the perfect place for our CoLaborator to nurture new businesses and allow Bayer to discover new technologies. Greater Sacramento has proven to be an important partner in achieving that goal.”