AOSCA’s Excellence in Innovation recipient talks working inside certification and regulatory systems that are evolving alongside changes in seed technology, ownership and on-farm decision-making.
Brad Stancil’s role connects regulatory programs with seed certification, putting him in a position where fieldwork, compliance and logistics intersect every day. He manages inspectors who handle both fertilizer and seed responsibilities, a structure that reflects how tightly those systems are linked in practice.
“The AOSCA member agency in South Carolina is housed within Clemson University, a unique model when compared to other seed certification agencies in the United States,” he says. “At Clemson, seed certification is a University ran program within Clemson’s regulatory services framework. Our inspectors are seed certification inspectors as well as fertilizer regulatory inspectors, and I manage both programs, in which requires us to be adaptive with so much going on.”
That focus on efficiency comes from watching where systems break down in real time. Rather than changing the work itself, much of his effort has gone into reducing the number of steps it takes to get that work done.
Simplifying Systems Without Changing the Work
That approach led Stancil to develop a new inspection entry system. That work earned Stancil the 2025 Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) Excellence in Innovation award. Inspectors reshaped the tool based on how they actually used it, rather than the original design.
“Unlike the industry, seed certification programs are limited by funding when trying to launch new technologies. Our system was a combination of several custom software systems, with no uniformity among them,” Stancil says. “Inspectors were navigating multiple systems just to complete routine tasks. There was several logins, like VPN, databases, and complicated forms,” he says. “With the launch of the new program, my inspectors complete a very simple web form, which automatically uploads into our system, as well as emails the seed growers results from the inspection.”
Before that change, inspectors were navigating multiple systems just to complete routine tasks.
Adapting to Changes in Seed Technology
As seed technology has advanced, Stancil says certification programs have had to adjust, particularly as more traits move into private systems.
“I think the biggest gap is with seed technology and the lack of public breeders. Certification has diminished as more breeding has become private.,” he says. “The private companies have chosen not to use seed certification as part of their seed production systems.”
That shift has changed how certification fits into the broader system.
“One of the major challenges we face is providing education to companies about all the programs we provide that will give them third-party oversight.” he says. “It may not be traditional certification, but programs like QA, IP and service inspections can be tailored to fit any need in the industry. At the end of the day, all programs ensure that farmers are getting what they pay for.”
Tracking Seed from Production to Use
One area where certification continues to play a defined role is traceability. Stancil points to the ability to track seed from origin through planting as a key function that remains relevant.
“I think that we provide a great opportunity to breeders by being able to track seed from variety release as breeder seed to wherever it is planted,” he says. “That gives great value to protect a breeders intellectual property and provides an avenue of royalty collection.”
In South Carolina, vegetatively propagated turfgrass is a major part of the certification program.
“We have a lot of acres certified turf grass, about 7,000 acres now,” he says. “We can always keep track of what’s going on with a variety.”
The Role of Certification Programs
Stancil says certification programs are designed to support consistency, even if they are sometimes viewed as barriers.
“I think sometimes there is a belief that as regulatory agents we make things more difficult, but we are here to level the playing field for businesses and here to protect consumers and add value to products with certified tags,” he says.
That role is tied to verification and identity.
“We know where it came from. We know what it is. We know that it is this variety… and it has a tag on it,” he says. “If you meet those thresholds, then you really have a good product.”
Future adaptations in Seed Certification
Over the past 20 years, Stancil has seen certification shift from a rigid system to one that is more responsive to industry needs.
“When I first started, the system was quite rigid, however systems that lack flexibility can become obsolete” he says. “Now, discussions center around maintaining quality standards for seed production while allowing for incorporation of the latest science an industry demands”.
He believes that shift is shaping how certification will continue to evolve in the future. “I think that being adaptable now is the big key. Being able to provide a service that somebody needs is valuable,” he says.
