b'PROTECTING INNOVATIONSeed Companies:How to Leverage your Strengths?NOV 7TH, 2022 I woke up early to catchage or seed treatments, growers need to know they the lunar eclipse around 5:19 AM. As I sat outsideare working with companies that continually invest watching the lunar eclipse develop, I noticed anotherin future seed innovations. Todays seed companies strobe light moving right to left just under the develop- invest approximately 15% of revenues into new seed ing eclipse. It was the ISS traversing the night sky andinnovationsvegetable companies are more in the I marveled at the opportunity to see both natures and20-30% with the more diverse crop portfolios. Plant mankinds work of art. breeders and agronomic service teams work together It made me reflect on how far seed innovations haveto achieve lofty goals such as 2-3% year-over-year yield ELOY CORONA come since 10,000 BC with emmer wheat. All the selec- gains in elite varieties which contain all the maturity is the executivetive breeding of various crops up until 1900 dependedgroups, trait offerings, agronomic packages and seed director of the Seedon phenotypic expertise by plant breeders looking fortreatments that fit the the diversity of environments.Innovation andthat best cultivar when cross breeding entered fol-Protection Alliancelowed by hybrid breeding and mutational breeding. As (SIPA). our knowledge expanded into the genome, we learned more about what controls what which took us to places we could only imagine. At todays knowledge pace, plant breeders can identify specific genes for a specificLet us so live that when we come to die even function and mark them molecular markers and then surgically edit individual base pairs or amino acids the undertaker will be sorry.Wow! This has sped up the rate of seed innovations Mark Twainfaster than growers can understand the how.As seed companies, your partnership with growers and their farming needs enable you to make prescrip-tive recommendations based on your portfolio offer-ings, growers objectives, soil profile, environmental conditions and timing. This is not an easy task particu- Seed companies come in many shapes and sizes, larly when you dont know many of these variables thatwith breeding programs or licensing genetics and can affect the crops yield potential. It would seem thattrait offerings. Your company culture determines a KEY ADVANTAGE should be growers trust!Withouthow well your salespeople are focused on unmet trust you may only be guessing at what their objectivescustomer needs and providing tailored solutions to may be. meet that growers goals. No doubt our seed busi-A seed companys relationship with a grower is a keyness is a relationship business, but it is moving at a to EARNING and RETAINING a growers business. Thismuch faster pace due to all the technological progress means investing in PEOPLE that are customer focused,being made with new breeding techniques like gene solution-minded and always learning. Learning aboutediting. Growers seek out unbiased information to people, their goals, your portfolio and how to providemake informed decisions.Be the seed company that holistic solutions that go beyond your specific prod- provides that type of information via the growers uct offerings. Each seed company should be moldedpreferred method of information gathering whether around a company culture that can spur on successvia sales calls, unbiased yield plots, online searches and throughout the organization. more importantly unsolicited 3rd party recommenda-Interactions with growers should always be positivetions from other growers!and forward-looking about the investment made intoAlways end a sales call with Did I meet your expec-the next generation of seed innovations. Whether itstations? You may be surprised!Trust is a key advan-next years genetics, the trait offering, agronomic pack- tagebuild upon it!SW70/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2023'