Page 8 - Biotech Career Guide

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biotech revolution
More food, made more
nutritious with safer
and cleaner methods
of production — that’s
what innovations and
transformations from
biotechnology promise
to deliver to the ways
we grow, raise, process,
and distribute food in
the agriculture industry.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
Microbes for Better Crops
Many farmers use synthetic fertilizers and manure,
which can harm the environment with excessive
use. To address this, Pivot Bio developed Pivot Bio
PROVEN, a fertilization technology that uses microbes
to enhance crop yields. The technology delivers nitro-
gen directly to plants, reducing the need for chemical
fertilizers. Pivot Bio PROVEN increases corn yields by
up to 10 bushels per acre while reducing green-
house gas emissions by up to 40 percent.
This technology is a game-changer for
farmers seeking to reduce their
dependence on chemical
fertilizers and improve
their farming
practices.
Bee Vaccine
Bees play a crucial role play in pollinating crops. But honeybee populations have
taken a big hit due in part to an aggressive and deadly bacterial infection called
American foulbrood, which can wipe out entire hives. Fortunately, Dalan Animal
Health, a biotech company in Geor-
gia has just developed a vaccine for
honeybees — the first for any insect
— to combat the infection. The vac-
cine is added to a sugar feed given
to queen bees and is then passed
along to their offspring. Scientists
hope to stop all kinds of other nasty
viruses and pests with this technol-
ogy. Good riddance!
Healthier
Livestock
Livestock farming has al-
ways faced problems with
diseases and nasty parasites that
can make the animals sick and affect
the quality of the meat they pro-
duce. Biotechnology has a solution
in the form of vaccines engineered
to protect against these diseases
and parasites, which means health-
ier animals and safer meat for us.
Scientists are now using gene
therapies to breed animals that can
naturally resist these health risks.
That means we won’t need to use as
many vaccines and antibiotics in livestock
farming, which is better for the environ-
ment and the animals’ well-being. This
advancement in biotechnology has the po-
tential to transform the livestock industry,
making it more sustainable and better for
both animal welfare and human health.