Representatives from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) of the United States visited the global headquarters of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) on May 19, 2022. Ted McKinney, NASDA’s Chief Executive Officer, was joined by RJ Karney, Senior Director of Public Policy, and John Goldberg, consultant and partner at The Normandy Group.

“I wish the world could all understand what you do here. This is just fantastic,” said McKinney after seeing the broad range of work conducted at CIMMYT.

NASDA’s tour of CIMMYT’s global headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico, included visits to the museum, the maize and wheat genebanks, the greenhouse, the bioscience complex, the wheat quality laboratory and the experimental station.

In each location, the visitors met with CIMMYT representatives who provided an overview of their research areas. Discussions ranged from the importance of preserving disease resistance in wheat in order to conduct experiments, the process for using DNA to inform breeding programs, and the assessment process for wheat grain. NASDA’s representatives also gained an understanding of how CIMMYT connects experiments with the needs of farmers, ensuring that scientific progress is translated into real-life solutions.

(From left to right) Carolina Sansaloni, a translator, Kevin Pixley, Ted McKinney, RJ Karney and John Goldberg visit CIMMYT’s Wellhausen and Anderson Genetic Resources Center, housing the maize and wheat genebanks. (Photo: Francisco Alarcón/CIMMYT)

Nayelli Hernandez (second from left) explains the process for measuring wheat quality. (Photo: Francisco Alarcón/CIMMYT).

(Left to right) Jelle Van Loon, John Goldberg, Ted McKinney, RJ Karney and Kevin Pixley stand for a group photo next to the Norman Borlaug statue at CIMMYT’s global headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico. (Photo: Francisco Alarcón/CIMMYT)