b'Data Without ErrorFor Geoff Graham, Corteva vice president, seed product develop-ment, the pace of progress hinges on precision.We started collecting drone imagery back in 2012, before there were even regulations to fly them, so we did special training with our pilots, he says. This past year alone, we captured 80 to 100 mil-lion images across plots and experi-ments. The goal of so much data was simple: reduce error. Because if you have error in your system, youre making bad decisions. Scott Schulz, Corteva U.S. SeedJim Robinson will assume the CEO The sheer scale of that dataLicensing and Distribution Leadrole at Rob-See-Co in early 2026collection is staggeringandPHOTO: JAMI MILNEits changed the way research is done. Those millions of images are no longer just snapshots; theyre part of a living database that helps breeders predict how a seed will perform in different environments before it ever reaches a farmers hands.That focus on refining data quality has fundamentally reshaped how Corteva moves from concept to commercial product.With the addition of genetic prediction tools, we have increased the accuracy in our early-stage pipeline, four to five-fold whichGeoff Graham, Corteva ViceWendy Srnic, Corteva Vice allows us to bring better productsPresident, Seed ProductPresident, Biotechnologyto the market faster, Graham says.DevelopmentThis leap in efficiency means farmers receive products that aredent, biotechnology, sees the nexting for new pests or pathogens to not only delivered quickly but arefrontier not just in creating traitsthreaten yield, researchers can now also tested and tailored for reliabilitybut in combining them. While AIanticipate problems and design in real-world conditions. accelerates discovery, its greatestplants ready to withstand them.By removing uncertainty, breed- impact is in enabling more precise,Were finally able to enhance ing programs gain both speed andreliable solutions for growers andwhat nature already does. confidenceand that opens newsupporting resilient agriculture. Everything were creating exists opportunities for collaboration.For years, growers had tosomewhere in the natural world. More importantly, it ensures thatchoose between strong roots orWere just helping it get to the field farmers see the benefit of preci- disease protectionrarely both,faster and more reliably.sion long before the seed arrives inshe says. Now, with gene editing,Srnic believes artificial intelli-the bag. As data quality improves,we can will be able to bring thosegence is accelerating that work at a collaboration across teams and dis- genes together much faster. Its likerate no one expected.ciplines ensures every advancementgiving growers baseline insurance inEverything that you hear about is grounded in real-world impact forthe seed itself. going on in terms of AI and compu-growers. Her teams work in trait discov- tational biology is just helping bring ery and gene editing underscoresthese innovations to life faster, so its From Traits to Teamwork how science has evolved from reac- an exciting time, she says.Wendy Srnic, Cortevas vice presi- tive to proactive. Instead of wait- The integration of AI into biol-DECEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /9'