Eat, Drink and Be Techy

Eat, Drink and Be Techy

How technology is creating a more sustainable food supply

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

New technology often makes headlines, with topics like health care advances and space exploration claiming the spotlight. But innovation is also essential in providing a safe, sustainable and nutritious food supply. Many advances are happening here in Iowa, an epicenter of farming and food production.

Transforming Corn into Protein

Sometimes ag technology almost seems like magic, especially when it involves beneficial microbes and fermentation. CJ Bio America, located near Fort Dodge, harnesses this powerful biochemistry to make feed-grade amino acids, which nourish hogs and poultry that help supply food across North America and beyond.

Producing this high-quality protein in pork and poultry starts with Iowa-grown corn. After the dextrose from corn is extracted at the Cargill plant near Fort Dodge, the liquid corn sugar is piped next door to CJ Bio America. The dextrose is used in the microbial fermentation process to produce amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

“Mammals don't produce essential amino acids on their own, so they must be supplied through the diet,” says Luke Palmer, director of environmental, social and governance (ESG) at CJ Bio America’s Fort Dodge plant. “The right amino acids allow animals to produce lean muscle mass. This equates to more meat to help feed a growing global population.”

Your body needs 20 different amino acids to function correctly, including nine essential amino acids that must be consumed through the food you eat, such as beef, eggs and dairy. Livestock nutritionists and feed mills include amino acids to create nutritious, balanced diets for hogs, chickens and other livestock.

Producing feed-grade amino acids involves a highly technical, green, sustainable production system at CJ Bio America. In addition, replacing a portion of livestock’s dietary protein with amino acids cuts the amount of nitrogen the animals excrete into the environment, Palmer says. This helps keep nitrogen on fields where it can nourish crops, instead of entering waterways.

“Animal agriculture offers a fantastic way to add value to the corn that Iowa farmers grow. We’re proud to play a role in helping people enjoy a more nutritious diet and a higher quality of life,” he adds.

ISU’s Food-Waste Prevention Research Uses Drone Technology

Along with improving food production, technology can also limit food waste. Scientists in Iowa State University’s (ISU) Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are studying how drones can help control food waste in sweet potato fields, thanks to research funded by a $300,000 two-year grant from the Walmart Foundation.

“Some produce gets left behind in the field due to the way the harvesting takes place,” says Dr. Dirk Maier, referring to the large, mechanized systems used to harvest sweet potatoes in North Carolina.

Maier, ISU Professor Lie Tang and their graduate students are using drones to study the number of sweet potatoes left after harvest.

“There are a lot of perishable crops, including vegetables of all kinds, that are grown in the U.S., and a substantial amount of those are left behind in the field or lost as a result of the supply chain quality checks, spoilage, lack of cooling and so forth,” Maier says. “As food production resources become more expensive and valuable, you like getting as close to 100% off the field as possible. Utilizing what is otherwise left behind controls food waste in general, reduces the carbon footprint and can help lower costs.”

As this project continues, the team will be able to determine how worthwhile it can be to venture back out to fields and collect the produce that has been left behind. “Once we can do this with sweet potatoes, there is no reason we can’t do it with other perishable foods, like tomatoes, lettuce and other high-value crops,” Maier says.

Iowa State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering uses drones to study food waste in sweet potato fields.

Landus Innovation Center

Sometimes food and farming technology advances occur in the heart of the city. Landus, Iowa’s largest farmer-owned grain cooperative, took a big step in 2022 when it opened its Innovation Connector in downtown Des Moines.

“Ag innovation is moving fast,” says Matt Carstens, president and CEO of Landus. “Our Innovation Connector fosters collaboration among farmers, technology companies and consumers to create a more sustainable future.”

Consumers, city leaders and elected officials can see ag technology that’s available to farmers, plus the Innovation Connector allows people to learn more about modern food production.

“One of the most popular companies that people interacted with this past year through the Innovation Connector was Midland Co., a land-based seafood company located in Iowa,” says Mary Bendickson, chief of staff at Landus. “They’re raising sustainable shrimp using innovative, algae-based, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).”

Thanks to RAS, microorganisms capture nutrients and carbon from the air, leaving the water purified and oxygenated through a one-step wastewater treatment system. The nutrient-dense algae can be used to fertilize farmland. It makes this system one of the most sustainable forms of aquaculture today.

In addition, Landus is partnering with Des Moines Water Works, Iowa’s largest drinking water utility, to demonstrate how modern agriculture and improved water quality can coexist. In 2022, the two organizations created “Plots in the Park,” where the public can see corn, soybeans and cover crops planted and grown in Des Moines Water Works Park, a 1,500-acre recreation destination.

“These efforts are all about using technology to support sustainable farming practices,” says Dan Bjorklund, the agronomy and precision ag lead for Landus. “The innovation that’s coming into agriculture is absolutely amazing.”

Landus opened its Innovation Connector in downtown Des Moines in 2022.