Monsanto & Botanical Garden -- August 5

On Wednesday, August 5, OLLI traveled to St. Louis for a tour of a Monsanto research center and the Missouri Botanical Garden,

Our first stop was the Monsanto Chesterfield Village Research Center, one of the world’s largest facilities devoted to plant biotechnology. The facility includes 250 laboratories, more than 100 plant growth chambers, and two acres of greenhouse space. Top researchers from around the world work at the facility to help achieve sustainable agriculture and to help make possible the vision of abundant food in a healthy environment.

Our tour of the facility began with an overview of the site and the science presentation, followed by a two-hour walking tour of the building. We learned about Monsanto's resources and tools of biotechnology, and how they translate the science into products to benefit farmers, processors and consumers. A few of the topics discussed included insect-protected crops, using Bt technology, and herbicide-tolerant crops, using Roundup Ready technology, and how Monsanto’s R&D pipeline delivers future ag products.

We also visited the greenhouses, growth chambers, laboratories, and got a close look at the gene-gun. Monsanto's expert tour guides also introduced us to the language of biotechnology, the process of gene discovery, and traditional plant breeding techniques.

Following a delicious lunch at Zia's on the Hill, we headed to the Missouri Botanical Garden for a private tour of the city's oasis, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2009. Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark. The Garden offers 79 acres of beautiful horticultural display, including a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, Henry Shaw's original 1850 estate home, and one of the world's largest collections of rare and endangered orchids.