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Welcome to 'bio-world'Date posted: April 19, 2005More of tomorrow's farmers will grow energy, health supplements and industrial additives, as agriculture taps a tidal wave of new life science potential. Ron Kehrig of Ag-West Bio Inc. plays tour guide for Land and Science. Flax, wheat and other common crops have been around for centuries and a staple of Prairie agriculture for more than 80 years, yet scientists are analyzing the grains with renewed zeal, as though examining new plant life from a forgotten corner of the world. "All crops are being explored with fresh eyes," says Ron Kehrig, Vice President of Bioproducts and Bioprocesses at Ag-West Bio Inc., a Saskatoon-based organization devoted to industry development in life sciences. "Life sciences have experienced tremendous growth in the past quarter century, expanding the role of agriculture in our lives to include not only food and feed but industrial, energy, health and nutritional products. We're just beginning to explore this potential." The life science industry, through rapid and diverse growth, has advanced to overcome its fragmented beginnings, explains Kehrig. Today, it has connected in a powerful network with agriculture emerging at the hub of the wheel. "The life sciences potential in agriculture is exploding, and Western Canada has an opportunity to play an important role," he says. "The Prairies are already home to a vibrant and growing bio-products industry, with companies commercially involved in or developing technologies relating to a wide range of activities." Development taking offKehrig discussed the concepts of bioproducts and bioprocesses, and what they mean for Prairie agriculture, at the recent Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG) annual meeting in Winnipeg. Already, there are many examples of innovative bioproducts and bioprocesses being developed in Western Canada today, he says. Examples include:
"These are just a few examples among many," says Kehrig. "It's all about creating and capturing value from biological systems in a sustainable manner. It's about using our renewable resources, our knowledge of genetic systems and metabolic pathways, and applying innovation and technology to that." Many people from many areas are involved in development, he says. "Product safety, quality and potential health benefits concerns the agricultural researcher, the producer, the natural health products company, food manufacturers, and consumers. Environmentally friendly bio-based technologies provide added value for producers, as well as provide 'green' solutions. Biological pathways, both natural and engineered, are being harvested for novel bio-products and processes. New quality attributes in crops are directed toward specific new markets in both human and animal nutrition, as well as industrial applications." Energy needs a major driverA major driving force in the bio-world is the push to find alternatives to oil and gas, he says. Today, 90 percent of fuels, chemicals and plastics are derived from oil and gas ñ a non-renewable resource with reserves shrinking every year ñ and in North America, the average person uses 25 barrels of oil annually. The International Energy Agency estimates the world will be at about 50 percent of its current oil and gas capacity by 2020. At the same time, energy needs are expected to double by 2050. "Bio-energy offers a renewable oil and gas alternative that couldn't come at a better time," says Kehrig. "There's really an issue about energy and standard of living across the world. As many have pointed out, the only renewable and enduring source of energy we have is plants." Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
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Livestock industry tackles new era in animal welfare 