14 GERMINATION.CA JULY 2019 THE FUTURE IS now for farm-to-table traceability thanks to a pilot project that used blockchain technology to follow locally produced Certified soybean seed through produc- tion and processing, ending with freshly packed tofu hit- ting grocery store shelves. The pilot was supported by an investment from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (now the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program) and through additional support from Grain Farmers of Ontario. A partnership between the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) and Grain Discovery, it represents the first time block- chain has been used in the seed industry — something that CSGA’s managing director of certification and tech- nology services Doug Miller believes is going to change the seed sector forever. Miller is completing his MBA in business at the University of Guelph and his thesis centres around the use of blockchain in the seed industry. He was heavily involved in the pilot project from start to finish. “We wanted something we could put in people’s hands that was tactile, that they could interact with and say, ‘This looks just like a normal app,’ but behind the scenes is the blockchain technology that has a lot of potential to bring next-level traceability to market and really funda- mentally change things,” Miller says. “It’s been eye-opening to say the least. This is not a technology that should be feared, but one that should be embraced — and people are now able to see that.” The pilot created an end-to-end solution to track Identity Preserved (IP) soybeans throughout the value A pilot project that followed soybeans from seed to the kitchen table shows how blockchain might be used to enhance seed and all of agriculture. Marc Zienkiewicz TRACEABILITY? WILL BLOCKCHAIN BOLSTER