INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Just before the Indiana State Fair, BioCrossroads issued an 80-page report hailing the state for being poised to become a global crossroads for food and agricultural innovation.

The study, based on two years of research and interviews, incorporates such diverse elements as biotechnology, plant science, bioinformatics, information technology, food science and safety systems, animal health and nutrition, cropping systems and satellite technologies.

David Johnson, president and CEO of BioCrossroads, cited Dow AgroSciences, Elanco and Purdue University as remarkable resources for the state’s food and agriculture industry, which employs 19 percent of the state’s workforce, contributes $16 billion to the Gross State Products and exports $3.4 billion in products from 62,000 farms and 14.8 million acres.

 Indianapolis-based BioCrossroads describes itself as a catalyst for life sciences ideas, providing funding, launching new businesses or products or partnering with research institutions, global companies, philanthropic organizations and government.

The report salutes Indiana as a national laboratory for health care reform, a destination for venture investment, a leader in economic cluster development, a success story for public-private partnerships and a model for inter-regional collaborations.

In 2004, BioCrossroads issued its first review of Indiana agriculture, in which it recommended the establishment of a central authority to drive economic development in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors. Gov. Mitch Daniels and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman followed up by establishing the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

The same report found that five clusters – wood, grains, canning, pork and beef and baking – accounted for 84 percent of the state’s agricultural economy.

This was followed by strategic priorities that increased the competitiveness of Indiana’s hardwood products, maximized the state’s advantage in bioenergy, revitalized pork production, participated in global and national policy issues, improved ag regulatory issues, identified diversified production models and incubated innovative food products using Indiana agricultural commodities to support nutritious and healthy diets.

This year’s report notes there are nearly one billion people in the world without access to a safe and adequate food supply, with 20 percent of the world’s population living on less than $1.25 per day. The global population is projected to grow by nearly 30 percent, an estimated 2.3 billion more people to feed, between now and 2050.

The report contains statistics on Indiana’s advancement in all its agricultural sectors and showcases Indiana’s diversified agribusiness research and innovation leaders.

These include AgReliant Genetics, Westfield; AquaSpy, Indianapolis; Beck’s, Atlanta; Bell Aquaculture, Albany; Cook Animal Health, W. Lafayette; Equipment Technologies, Mooresville; Fair Oaks Farm, Fair Oaks; Farbest Foods, Huntingburg; Iotron Industries, Columbia City; JBS United, Sheridan; Maple Leaf Farms, Milford; Midwest Poultry Services, Mentone; Nestle, Anderson; Red Gold, Orestes; Remington Sees, Remington; Rose Acre Farms, Seymour; Weaver Popcorn, Noblesville; and  Whiteshire Hamroc, Albion.

A complete copy of the report is available at www.biocrossroads.com