March 1, 2019

Benson Hill Bioscience, and California Hemp Corporation, a tech-driven genetic company focused on the hemp seed market, have announced a sponsored research agreement with the laboratory of Dr. Edward Charles Brummer at the University of California, Davis.

Founded in 2012 in response to the global need to produce more food from existing arable acreage with limited inputs, Benson Hill employs cloud biology – the joining of cloud computing, big data analytics, and plant biology – to help advance the genetics of crops at a much faster pace and at a lower cost than traditional methods.

Through its revolutionary computational platform CropOS™ and suite of breeding and genome editing tools, Benson Hill empowers organizations of all sizes along the agri-food value chain through advanced seed innovation and leveraging the natural genetic diversity of plants.

In September of last year, Benson Hill closed on a $60 million Series C led by GV, and including Activant Capital and Tao Capital Partners, as well as existing investors Alexandria Venture Investments, Fall Line Capital, iSelect Fund, Lewis & Clark Ventures, Mercury Fund, Prelude Ventures, and S2G Ventures.

At the time, Andy Wheeler, general partner at GV. said, “With its data-driven approach to crop improvement, Benson Hill has significant potential to impact the next wave of productivity gains across food and agriculture.”

Now, Benson Hill will be turning its CropOS™ capabilities to industrial hemp. The research program at UC Davis will center upon improving the breeding of cultivars of Cannabis sativa for the desired traits of high cannabidiol (CBD) content, low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, and the ability to thrive in the environmental and soil conditions of Central California and similar regions.

Ultimately, this multi-year program is expected to produce a wide portfolio of commercial field-grown hemp varieties for use in the production of health and wellness products.

“We’re gratified and excited to be leading this project,” said Dr. Brummer of UC, Davis. “It will be among the first significant hemp breeding program of its kind, for what may be the most important crop in a generation. It will also be our first use of groundbreaking breeding technology, which we believe has the potential to become the standard for the next generation of breeding professionals.”

The role of Benson Hill Biosystems’ computational platform Breed, powered byCropOS™, will be to employ predictive analytics to quickly identify and select desirable quality traits – giving the team greater precision and efficiency in breeding compared to traditional multi-generational field trials.

“Hemp is a versatile crop that has not been fully optimized for industrial food and fiber uses,” said Matt Crisp, CEO and co-founder of Benson Hill Biosystems. “The data analytics and machine learning capabilities of CropOS will tap the rich genetic diversity within this natural resource to develop improved varieties for use in nutritional and wellness products.”

Untold Potential for U.S. Farmers

Through hemp’s removal from the list of controlled substances and the legalization of its production by the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp now has the power to transform from what was once a boutique activity since 1937 when the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 made the possession of cannabis and hemp illegal, into a business that has the potential to generate revenues of more than $20 billion per year by 2020.

Because of this legislation in place for decades, Lisa D. Hurst, of Dirt-to-Dinner.com explains in her piece, Hemp, an Opportunity for American Farmers, published by GAI News in January of this year, that the U.S. has had to import hemp textiles from China; hemp seed from Canada; and industrial products from Europe. Now, with clearance in the Farm Bill, American farmers can participate in this market.

Since its legalization, industrial hemp has become one of the fastest growing categories in the natural food segment, with hemp seed-based foods accounting for the majority of hemp-based foods market during 2017, according to a recent release.

Highly resilient, able to thrive in a range of conditions, naturally resistant to most pests, and since it grows in such highly concentrated spacing it naturally combats weeds. Hemp is so useful and sustainable, that its cultivation was mandatory for the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. And before the 20th century, it was a key resource in the production of everything from ship’s sails to the paper on which the Declaration of Independence was drafted.

Today, it’s the health benefits of hemp that are at the forefront of its growing popularity. Rich in Omega-3 and Omega-5 fatty acids, hemp is a high-fiber, complete protein. It provides all ten essential amino acids with no enzyme inhibitors, making it highly digestible, and is also high in vitamin E, iron, and naturally-occuring vitamins and minerals.

“Clinical studies have demonstrated many benefits of hemp including the treatment of pain, insomnia, anxiety and seizure disorders,” said Patricia A. Hurford MD, MS Spine, Orthopedics And Rehabilitation (S.O.A.R.). “As a physician, I realize that understanding the genetic diversity of the hemp crop will help us cultivate plants that can improve the health and wellness of my patients.”

Other partnerships and tie-ins recently executed by Benson Hill include a partnership with AB InBev to develop improved and more sustainable strains of barley; a partnership with Mars Inc. to improve the resilience and productivity  of the cacao tree; and a partnership with Beck’s to co-develop the first photosynthetic efficiency trait.

-Lynda Kiernan