Stories
A Legacy of Leadership: John & Ginny Rowe Invest in the Future
For John and Ginny Rowe, philanthropy is both a joy and a responsibility. Twenty-year members of the Danforth Society, and 15-year members of the William H. Danforth Legacy Society, the Rowes have made supporting the Danforth Center part of their life’s work. John spent 35 years in banking before serving as CEO of Bethesda Health Group, which provides…
Read More“Cactus Corn” and an $18 Check: How a 7-Year-Old Reminded Us Why We Do Plant Science
On September 8, 2025, a small envelope arrived at the Danforth Center with a big message inside. Tucked beside a check for $18—carefully written from her mother’s account—was a note in irregular printing: “My name is August Oberdieck. I’m seven years old. I saw Dr. Fowler speak the other night and I would like to…
Read MoreThe Bellwether Foundation: Leading the Way in Plant Science Innovation
With a mission to enhance quality of life in St. Louis through bold, future-focused philanthropy, The Bellwether Foundation has become a catalytic force in plant science innovation at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The Foundation’s visionary support has powered critical advances in phenotyping—a field that uses imaging and AI to observe how plants grow,…
Read MoreJJK FAN Students Dig into Plant Science with the Baxter Lab
Earlier this year, 50 students from the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) got to trade their usual schoolwork for microscopes and handfuls of soil thanks to a six-week program led by our Baxter Lab. The program, called Baxter Lab’s Atomic Numbers, provided the fifth-through-eighth grade students the chance to practice…
Read MoreBuilding Capacity: Advanced Training to Improve Teff Productivity
Long before he became a plant biologist studying crop improvement at the Danforth Center, Ibsa Merga was learning about agriculture as a child growing up on his family’s farm in the countryside of Ethiopia. Farming is the backbone of the local community there, and Merga spent his early years working with the plants his family…
Read MoreGhana Achieves Milestone: Celebrating PBR Cowpea Expansion
In July 2024, Ghana marked a significant advancement in agricultural biotechnology with the commercial release of its first genetically modified crop: the pod borer resistant (PBR) cowpea. The Danforth Center Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI) has played a pivotal role in the crop’s approval and dissemination. This development promises to enhance food security and improve the…
Read MoreFirst William T. Kemper Fellowship Awarded
ST. LOUIS, MO – January 15, 2025– The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced the establishment of a new William T. Kemper Fellowship to support outstanding PhD students whose research demonstrates great promise for advancing plant science. The fellowship was endowed by the Kemper Foundation. “We’re delighted to work with our long-time partners at the Danforth…
Read MoreCultivating Solutions: Dennis and Matt Plummer’s Shared Family Passion for Plant Science
Dennis, an agtech investor and co-founder of CoverCress Inc., first became aware of the Danforth Center through the Ag Innovation Showcase. Having spent 29 years at Monsanto, Dennis was inspired by what he heard: “Here’s the Danforth Center solving really big problems that private industry wasn’t,” recalls Dennis. His passion for agriculture stems from his upbringing…
Read MoreYouth learn about using plant science to tackle climate change and urban food security at AgTech Corn Camp
Imagine spending your summer learning about plant science and the cutting-edge technologies like robotics and drones that are used to better understand one of the world’s most important crops—corn! That’s exactly what 19 middle school and high school youth from both rural and urban communities in Illinois did at the third annual AgTech Corn Camp—a…
Read MoreServant-Leadership: How Jerry Steiner Strives to Help People, Plants, and Planet
Jerry Steiner has led a long and distinguished career in agriculture—and in giving back. As an ag economics major at the University of Wisconsin, he was president of his ag fraternity. In his role as Monsanto’s executive vice president of sustainability and corporate affairs, he championed the virus-resistant cassava for Africa project. When he co-founded…
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