Puerto Rico鈥檚 hot winter days and warm nights have played a key role in the global seed business for more than 30 years. So, the devastation wrought on the U.S. territory by Hurricane Maria in September stretches to the croplands of the Midwest and Great Plains.
Fields in Puerto Rico are used for research, development and/or testing of up to 85 percent of the commercial corn, soybean and other hybrid seeds grown in the U.S., according to the .
From small regional seed producers to multibillion-dollar powerhouse ag players like Monsanto, Bayer and DuPont, companies that strive to improve the quality and consistency of their products or want to verify the purity of their seeds before putting them on the market turn to Puerto Rico. There, one can plant three seasons of corn and soybeans year-round. Sunflower, sorghum and cotton also are grown for research.
The hurricane knocked out power to millions and destroyed water infrastructure. It also tore up plants across the island, washed soil off fields and knocked down fences.
鈥淭he winds were so powerful that they basically devastated and blew off everything that was green,鈥� PRABIA executive director Beatriz Carri贸n says. 鈥淓verything that was standing up. Trees. Everything.鈥�
Some projects were moved quickly to other locations where seed research is done, like Hawaii, Chile and Argentina. Because most of the planting for this winter had not begun yet, Carri贸n says the biotech companies were able to get their operations up and running.
鈥淥ur companies have water and some already have electricity,鈥� she says. 鈥渨e are open for business.鈥� But that doesn鈥檛 mean business is as usual.
Minnesota-based Third Millennium Genetics (3MG) has farms in Puerto Rico to help Midwest seed producers run winter research projects. The plan this year was to have two farms in Puerto Rico, 3MG first science officer Raechel Baumgartner Delgado says.
The company scaled back to just one after the storm wiped out generators, stole the roof off of a building and damaged another. Instead of squeezing more profit from the single farm by growing contract research plants, 3MG is producing watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe.
鈥淥ne of the things we kind of talked about was stopping the fruit and vegetable growing in favor of our customers,鈥� Baumgartner says, 鈥渁nd as we thought about it we realized we couldn't because we needed the food on the island.鈥�
There have been other challenges: Spotty cell service, limited electricity and having to layoff employees when it became clear there would be less work.
鈥淲e kind of operate like family,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd so to have to reduce the number of staff has been difficult.鈥�
Yet, the projects are mostly on schedule, and planting is now underway.
That鈥檚 good news for Les North of MayerSeedline, who leaves his Iowa home each winter to inspect the rows of corn 3MG has planted in Puerto Rico for his company. He looks for anomalies that, if too common, may indicate a problem with a whole batch of seeds.
His trip may be shorter than usual this year because federal emergency responders were occupying all the rooms through the end of the year when he called last month.
鈥淚 hope to be down there probably between Christmas and New Year鈥檚,鈥� he says, though the earliest he could make a reservation was Jan. 2. 鈥淭he hotel doesn鈥檛 have rooms available at this point.鈥�
Still, he expects to be able to verify the quality of his customers鈥� corn seeds in time for them to ship to farmers in the spring.
Purity standards have been around since the 1939 Federal Seed Act, which aimed to protect farmers.
鈥淚t was trying to do away with the situation, 'Let the buyer beware,'" Iowa State seed lab manager Mike Stahr says. 鈥淎nd so the seed companies, if they want to stay in business, they're going to have to keep the farmers happy.鈥�
North estimates between 50 and 70 percent of the seed corn planted in the U.S. has been put through an in-the-ground test 鈥� whether that鈥檚 in Puerto Rico or other places. Though lab testing has become more sophisticated over the decades, Stahr says there鈥檚 no substitute for growing out the plant.
鈥淭here's value in doing both,鈥� Stahr says. 鈥淭here's certain characteristics we can't see in the lab.鈥�
Liliana Sanchez Cortes runs Puerto Rican operations for seed giant Syngenta. She rode out the hurricane in her home in Ponce, but quickly went back to work assessing the damage.
鈥淢y boss asked the question immediately, 鈥楢re you going to be able to run the season?鈥� And I explain, yeah, this is my work plan and this is how I need your support.鈥�
The company gave its employees generators, water and ice 鈥� necessities on a tropical island where nearly two months after the hurricane more than 60 percent of residents are still without electricity and nearly 20 percent don鈥檛 have safe drinking water, according to from the International Medical Corps.
Sanchez says she鈥檚 gotten the support she asked for, but things are tough for the 45 full-time workers. Three lost their homes and some are still without functioning cooking stoves.
Plus, she鈥檚 struggling to find the 500 seasonal workers Syngenta needs for the winter because thousands of people have fled the island.
鈥淲e are trying to look for the people that usually come to work for us,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd they are not in the island anymore.鈥�
Seed companies remain committed to Puerto Rico because its climate and location make it an accessible and practical place to work during the winter. That鈥檚 something even Hurricane Maria couldn鈥檛 strip away.
This story originally aired on NPR's All Things Considered. Listen to the audio version .
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