Innovation in California Agricultural Biotechnology Poised to Transform Food Security, National Security
Leading companies at the nexus of agriculture and biotech in California’s Central Valley are paving the way to a more resilient national food supply.
3, December 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Modesto, California – Today, NSCEB Vice Chair Michelle Rozo and Commissioner Dov Zakheim kicked-off a multi-day trip through California’s Central Valley for the twelfth stop on the Commission’s Biotech Across America Roadshow.
Commissioners met with local industry and academic leaders in Merced and Modesto to learn more about the region’s role in biotechnology innovation, agriculture, and national security.
“Our farmers, ranchers, and growers are natural innovators, always looking for ways to do more with less, and biotech is key to delivering those results for them,” said NSCEB Vice Chair Michelle Rozo. “As we saw today, biotech can help farmers get more ‘crop out of their crops’, for example by converting unused biomass into a revenue-generating opportunity. These biotech solutions are ready but need targeted federal action so farmers can deploy them at scale.”
“Biotechnology is changing the way we defend, heal, build, and nourish our nation,” said NSCEB Commissioner Dov Zakheim. “Today’s visit in Merced and Modesto made clear that California’s Central Valley is a critical contributor to our food security and biotechnology leadership, and therefore to our national security.”
“We were honored to host the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and to showcase how BEAM Circular and our partners are building the foundations of a vibrant bioeconomy right here in California’s San Joaquin Valley,” said Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular. “The Commission’s report reinforces the importance of developing secure, sustainable biomanufacturing capabilities in regions like ours—where innovation, workforce, and community are aligned not only to create good jobs and strong rural economies, but also to position the United States for global leadership and competitiveness in critical biotechnology advancement.”
“We are excited to be at the forefront of innovation in an area of growing national importance,” said Dr. Joshua Viers, Associate Vice Chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Merced. “There is no better place than the northern San Joaquin Valley to connect the nation’s food producers with world-class bioengineering expertise and to demonstrate how advanced technologies can strengthen both our economy and our food systems.”
“For companies like Caribou BioFuels, the Commission’s work highlights the real on-the-ground needs of the emerging bioeconomy—clearer pathways for scale-up, stronger regional infrastructure, and a workforce ready to support advanced biomanufacturing,” said Caribou BioFuels CEO Kieran Mitchell. “The NCSEB report affirms that regions across the country, like the North San Joaquin Valley of California, can become a proving ground for biotech innovation when industry, government, and research partners move forward together.”
“VOLT exists to connect people with high-quality training and in-demand careers, and the Commission’s recommendations reinforce how essential this work is to the growing emerging biotechnologies,” said Eric Neuenfeldt, Executive Director of VOLT Institute. “By aligning industry needs with hands-on technical education, we’re building the workforce foundation and creating accelerated pathways into industry that will allow California to compete and thrive in this next generation of biomanufacturing, and we’re proud to serve as a model for the types of programs needed across the nation.”
Event details:
Commissioners began the day on the University of California, Merced campus for presentations from local industry leaders and a discussion on the state of biotechnology in the Central Valley. Commissioners then joined UC Merced faculty members to tour several labs focused on breakthroughs in biotechnology, agriculture, environment, and resilience.
To conclude events in Merced, Commissioners were joined by a group of local growers, agriculture industry association leaders, and state officials to discuss how emerging biotechnologies can further position agriculture in the Central Valley for the future and how California is supporting innovation at this important intersection.
The second half of the day was spent in Modesto where Commissioners explored the role of the regional biotech industry in advancing innovation across multiple industry verticals, including agriculture. They heard from local biotech business leaders at BEAM Circular, a nonprofit organization supporting California’s circular bioeconomy, before heading to VOLT Institute, a hands-on manufacturing training center. The day finished with a tour of Caribou Biofuels, a company making a cutting-edge tool designed to convert biomass into fuel.
Event participants included:
- BEAM Circular
- California Dairy Campaign
- California Department of Food and Agriculture
- California Farm Bureau
- California Forward
- Caribou BioFuels
- Divert
- Gemperle Orchards
- Gener8tor
- Mango Materials
- Modesto Junior College
- Oleo
- Optimized Foods
- Office of U.S. Representative Adam Gray
- Office of U.S. Representative Ro Khanna
- Office of U.S. Representative Tom McClintock
- Office of U.S. Senator Adam Schiff
- Stanislaus County
- VOLT Institute
- University of California, Merced
Biotech Across America Roadshow: The Commission is hitting the road to highlight biotechnology across America, including the companies, academic institutions, workforce development programs, and policy initiatives that are driving the future for this rapidly growing industry. Commissioners will continue learning about the work being done across this vibrant ecosystem while engaging on the key findings and recommendations from the Commission’s recent report to Congress.
About NSCEB: The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is a time-limited, high-impact legislative branch advisory entity whose purpose is to advance and secure biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and associated technologies for U.S. national security and to prepare the United States for the bioindustrial revolution. The Commission published a comprehensive report in April 2025, including recommendations for action by Congress and the federal government. The bipartisan Commission is composed of Congressionally-appointed Commissioners with members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as experts from industry, academia, and government. For more information about the Commission and to view the report, visit: biotech.senate.gov.
Contacts:
NSCEB: press@biotech.senate.gov
