Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Dr. Nadia Shakoor recently sat down with Fox 2 meteorologist John Fuller on KPLR to talk about how research and technology are helping farmers to keep pace with growing food demand and unpredictable weather.

At the center of the conversation? The PheNode system — a field-based sensor platform developed with Agrela Ecosystems that continuously monitors rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind, soil moisture, and more. All of that data can be analyzed and modeled to help farmers understand crop stress and make better decisions in real time.

Big news: Derek Rapp is joining the Danforth Center as our new Chief Operating Officer.

For many of you, Derek needs no introduction. A St. Louis native, longtime civic leader, and friend of this institution, Derek served as chair of our Friends Committee from 2008 to 2010 and considered our founding chair, the late Dr. William H. Danforth, a mentor. He has been part of this community for a long time.

He also brings an extraordinary record of leadership: as president and CEO of JDRF International, as the founder and CEO of a life sciences startup, and as a senior executive at Monsanto. He joins us from RiverVest Venture Partners, where he has been investing in the next generation of life sciences innovation.

We are excited to welcome Derek to the Danforth Center and look forward to what we will build together.

Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd has been announced as a speaker at the 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, Oct. 20–22 in Des Moines. He'll be joined by Danforth Center Board Director Cary Fowler, the 2024 World Food Prize Laureate.

The Borlaug Dialogue is one of the most influential annual gatherings in global food security, convening scientists, policymakers, farmers, business leaders and innovators to translate urgency into action. This year's theme, Before Hunger Wins, marks the 40th anniversary of the World Food Prize.

Giles was named a 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation. His participation alongside Dr. Fowler reflects the Danforth Center's role in the global conversation on food security.

"Forty years after the World Food Prize was established, hunger remains one of the most urgent and solvable problems we face." — Giles Oldroyd