Analysis: Missouri's largest metro area is building a global hub of innovation and talent.

When Missourians think of St. Louis, they probably often think of baseball, barbecue and the Gateway Arch, but many don’t know how agriculture is critically vital to Missouri’s largest metro area.

Half of the nation's crops and 80% of corn and soybeans are produced within a 500-mile radius of St. Louis. Key industry leaders in agriculture are in the Gateway to the West — including Bayer, Bunge and KWS — and several prominent national producer associations are based in St. Louis, including the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association.

It’s also home to the world’s largest independent plant science research institute, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.