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Extract from Farm News
According to Joe Byrum, head of Syngenta’s soybean product development, a five-year overhauling how the company’s plant breeders approach new soybean genetics, led in 2014, a saving of $287 million in research development, and in a shorter time frame, than new genetics would have been put forth without the advanced analytics method…
Byrum said advanced analytics gives Syngenta a new way to compete and farmers can have confidence “that the transformation is robust, it will perform…. We’ve integrated the [OR and AA] technologies. This tool is about better analysis of the data, to make better decisions.”
For example, during Syngenta’s presentation, the cross-breeding possibilities within each soybean’s 46,000 genes, is 1.16×10 to the 12th power. That a number with 130 zeros behind it. Byrum said more powerful computers can sift through the data faster and present outcomes more efficiently, than simply planting more seed plots around the world.
Prior to OR and AA, creating a new soybean products through cross-pollination took six years, Byrum said. Now, Syngenta’s process is a fraction of the time, with substantial research savings. Syngenta couched its new processes as the effort to feed a fast-growing world population- 750 million every decade – without hurting the earth’s soils.
Joseph Byrum is an accomplished executive leader, innovator, and cross-domain strategist with a proven track record of success across multiple industries. With a diverse background spanning biotech, finance, and data science, he has earned over 50 patents that have collectively generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Dr. Byrum’s groundbreaking contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the INFORMS Franz Edelman Prize and the ANA Genius Award. His vision of the “intelligent enterprise” blends his scientific expertise with business acumen to help Fortune 500 companies transform their operations through his signature approach: “Unlearn, Transform, Reinvent.” Dr. Byrum earned a PhD in genetics from Iowa State University and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
