2Blades receives congressional funding to advance corn mycotoxin research

Date:04-08-2024

2Blades will receive up to $1,000,000 in funding from Congress to further its research on mycotoxigenic fungi in corn at the University of Minnesota – St. Paul. The funding is part of the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) FY2024 spending package that was approved by Congress in March.  

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) played a pivotal role in advocating for these funds during the budget process, underscoring her commitment to supporting research aimed at addressing the threats posed by crop diseases to our global food systems.

″We are deeply grateful for the support from Congress, particularly Congresswoman McCollum’s office, for recognizing the importance of our work in advancing agricultural productivity,″ said Diana Horvath, President and Co-Founder of 2Blades. ″With this funding, we can enhance our Corn Mycotoxin Mitigation Initiative and move closer to achieving our objective of delivering effective solutions against mycotoxins in the U.S. and across the globe.″

2Blades is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing and delivering genetic resistance to the major unmanaged pests and diseases of major crops. With this funding, 2Blades will be able to enhance its research initiatives at the University of Minnesota – St. Paul, including applying its proprietary technology platforms and resources to identify novel resistance genes against Fusarium and Aspergillus, two of the most significant mycotoxin-producing fungi.

Corn plant infected with Fusarium	Corn plants in the lab

The funding from Congress highlights the critical role that governments can play in addressing global challenges such as food security and sustainable agriculture. By investing in research and development efforts focused on combating crop diseases, policymakers are laying the groundwork for a more resilient and productive agricultural sector at a time when public investment in agricultural research and development is at its lowest level since 1970.