Senator Klobuchar with 2Blades scientists and University of Minnesota leaders
Senator Klobuchar speaking on importance of investing in Ag research
2Blades scientist Mengying Wang discusses mycotoxigenic fungi in corn with Senator Klobuchar
ST. PAUL , MN, UNITED STATES, August 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — 2Blades welcomed U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar to its lab at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus during her recent visit to emphasize the importance of sustained federal investment in agricultural research.
The visit follows the recent passage of the FY26 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which includes $1,000,000 in new funding for the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory. Of this amount, $500,000 will support the Lab’s ongoing partnership with 2Blades to develop novel resistance against toxigenic fungi, a serious threat to crop yields and food safety. As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senator Klobuchar has been a leading voice for American agriculture.
The additional funding to 2Blades comes at a pivotal moment for U.S. agriculture. Crop diseases and pests continue to threaten harvests, endanger farmers’ livelihoods, and impact the broader U.S. economy. “We are grateful to Senator Klobuchar for recognizing the vital role agricultural R&D funding plays in supporting American farmers, especially those in Minnesota who have faced rising incidences of crop diseases due to increasingly variable summer weather,” said Diana Horvath, 2Blades President and Co-Founder.
2Blades is dedicated to advancing plant science innovations that help farmers protect their harvest against the most devastating and intractable diseases and pests. Its research lab at the University of Minnesota- St. Paul focuses on developing corn plants that are more resilient against fungi, particularly Fusarium and Aspergillus species, that produce harmful chemicals such as vomitoxins and aflatoxins. These fungal pathogens cause yield and quality losses, costing U.S. farmers over $3 Billion each year and posing significant health risks for humans and animals.
In recent years, U.S. farmers have faced a surge in vomitoxin contamination as plants endure more frequent environmental stressors:
• 2023 drought conditions across the Midwest led to widespread contamination in corn, leading to high grain elevator rejection rates in Minnesota.
• 2024 excessive rainfall triggered severe Fusarium head blight infections in wheat, degrading grain quality, elevating vomitoxin levels, and causing substantial income losses for growers.
This allocation complements prior funding for 2Blades’ work, including $1 million from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) in 2024, as well as additional support from industry leaders Bayer and Mars, Inc. USDA-ARS has provided ongoing funding for the project since 2023.
Present during Senator Klobuchar’s visit were Josiah Mutuku (2Blades Group Leader), Wilson Paine (2Blades Director of External Affairs), Shahryar Kianian (Cereal Disease Laboratory Research Leader), and Shannon Schlecht (Executive Director, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute), and Brian Buhr (Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota).
***
About 2Blades
2Blades is a non-profit, agbiotech company dedicated to preventing pre-harvest crop losses by advancing cutting-edge scientific discoveries into demonstrated resilience in the field. With its unique dual-market business model, 2Blades supports both commercial and smallholder farmers by bridging public and private sector resources to maximize the success and accessibility of agricultural innovations. Over the past 20 years, 2Blades has achieved effective resistance against some of the most devastating and intractable pathogens of soybean, potato, wheat, corn, and other crops.
2Blades is headquartered in Evanston, IL, with research labs in Norwich, UK and St. Paul, MN.
Wilson Paine
2Blades
+1 865-803-8650
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
