36 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA SEPTEMBER 2026 SUPPORTED BY: ENDORSED BY: RETAIL STRATEGY Connecting those systems could improve inventory management, logistics and customer service while helping retail ers anticipate issues before they become problems. Still, Griffin cautions that digital transformation should never come at the expense of relationships. “The goal isn’t to remove the retailer from the process,” he says. “It’s to remove the repetitive work, so retailers spend more time helping farmers make better decisions.” What Success Could Look Like If the industry succeeds, the biggest improvements may feel surprisingly ordi nary. Retailers wouldn’t repeatedly create customer records. Farmers wouldn’t repeatedly update contact information. Instead, each customer would maintain one trusted profile that could work across participating stewardship and licensing programs. Hyra envisions exactly that. “I’d like to see a point where we get Scan the QR code to watch our full-length webinar on this very topic! WHAT A UNIFIED SEED PLATFORM WOULD NEED TO GET RIGHT A single platform would only reduce frustration if it is simpler, more trusted and more useful than the systems it replaces. Success would require six things: One customer identity: Retailers and farmers should not have to recreate the same customer record for every agreement. A permanent grower identifier could connect participating programs while allowing users to keep their own information current. One familiar entry point: Stewardship agreements, Variety Use Agreements, royalty programs and future compliance requirements should be accessible through one login and a consistent interface. Less duplicate data entry: Information already supplied for one program should not have to be manually entered again for another. Reducing repetition would save time and lower the risk of inconsistent records. Clear data governance: Users need to know who owns the information, who can access it, how it can be used and who is responsible when a record is incomplete or incorrect. Visible value for farmers: The platform cannot feel like another reporting obligation. Farmers must see a direct benefit through fewer forms, easier signatures, accurate records, automatic reminders or clearer transaction status. Support for relationships, not replacement of them: Technology should remove repetitive administration so retailers can spend more time providing agronomic advice, planning and customer service. The platform should strengthen the retailer-farmer relationship rather than turn seed into an impersonal transaction. THE TEST: The platform succeeds when retailers and farmers stop thinking about the platform itself. They log in once, complete the required task and return to the work that creates real value. where the customer sees enough value in accessing technology that they are the ones keeping their account current.” He even imagines a single grower identifier. “Working from one grower number, for lack of a better term, that just identi fies them rather than by a phone number or address or email.” The benefits extend well beyond convenience. Accuracy improves when everyone works from the same informa tion. Industry Must Lead When asked who should take the first step toward building such a platform, the panel’s answer was unanimous. Industry. “This is not something that can be driven by government,” Hyra says. “This is something that has to be driven by industry.” He noted that both the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Agreement and the VUA platform were themselves created through industry collaboration. “Even competitors can get together and work together for the good of the industry.” Van Burck agrees, but warns that standing still carries its own risks. “If we, as an industry, don’t do it, the government will do it for us.” For him, collaboration isn’t simply desirable — it’s necessary. “Our industry is in shift right now,” he says. “We have to put our differences aside to work together.”
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