b'JIM SCHWEIGERT PRESIDENT, GRO ALLIANCE MOLLY CADLE-DAVIDSON @jim_schweigertCHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, ABMjim.schweigert@groalliance.com mollycadle-davidson@abm1st.comGroAlliance.com abm1st.comRemembering SilverWhats Inside That Plants Head?Linings from 2020 THERES ADisney Pixar movie Inside Out that starts with the line delivered by Amy Pohler: Do FOR MANY OF US,2020 was theready for anything! We all chippedyou ever look at someone and wonder, what is most challenging year of our lifetime. in at various times, from completinggoing on inside their head? Lives and jobs were lost, savingsshipping paperwork to supervising aThere is a wonderful component to all living were exhausted and social connec- detasseling crew. The result was anthings called the microbiome, the microbeswhich tions were frayed or broken by theemployee base much more comfort- can be bacteria or fungi, among other microscopic stress and uncertainty of COVID-19. able with uncertain work schedulesorganismsliving in association with humans, But 2020 also forced us to learnand a huge improvement in cross- animals or plants. I have written about the plants and grow. We faced new obstaclestraining. We all learned a lot aboutmicrobiome, or more specifically, the phytobiome, in and were pushed into unfamiliar andwhat each other does and gained asome of my previous columns. uncomfortable situations. We had nodeeper appreciation for everyonesFor all the current research and activity in choice but to face those challengescontributions to seed quality and thethis space, there is a great deal that we still do head-on and adapt. companys success. not understand and therefore a huge amount of As we begin a new year, I want tountapped potential. share some of my silver linings fromIncreased Respect for DiverseBut that doesnt mean all microbes are good. 2020. Opinions There are, of course, some bad actors in there as The increase in personal informa- well and there are plenty of microbes that also are New Conversationstion sharing gave us deeper insightsconsidered pathogens.Strengthened Relationships into what our employees believe,We spend a lot of effort attempting to limit Gro Alliance is a close-knit, family- their priorities and lives outside ofor suppress these bad microbes and have only owned company. But we learnedwork. This insight naturally broughtrecently begun to understand that they are not so much more about each othersto light a wide range of opinionsalways going to cause disease. A lot of basic and family lives in 2020. We juggled workand thoughts on almost every issueapplied research is focused on understanding the responsibilities around disruptionsimaginable. Views that were morefunctioning of all microbes roles in the microbi-in daycare, never-ending changesclosely held were now out in theome, not only the ones that we perceive as good.to school schedules and possibleopen. The response was incredible! Pathogens may be present without causing COVID exposures. These unfamiliarRather than create an atmosphere ofdisease, and microbes characterized as benefi-situations pushed everyone to learndivision, we listened with respect andcial can still fall flat. There has been a technology more about every employee and feelcuriosity. We gained an appreciationrevolution that enables us to detect and identify more comfortable sharing personalfor the diversity of thought withinthe vast microbial populations in the soil, but just challenges and brainstorming solu- the company which facilitated morebecause we can detect them, doesnt mean we yet tions. As a result, we are a strongeropen communication. understand what their role in nature, or agriculture, team with a greater understanding ofDont get me wrong, Im not look- is. One thing we have learned, though, is that the our co-workers lives. ing for a repeat of 2020! However,complete elimination of microbes from the soil our employee response to COVID-19through the use of chemicals or other means is not Greater Comfort withhas been one of the most rewardingbe the answer the plants need. Uncertainty experiences of my career. We wereGood agricultural practices should achieve Nearly every week presented a newall tested in ways we never expectedhealthy microbial balance. If we understand what set of challenges. From coveringand have become a much strongerthis balance is, we can better manage the inputs shifts to rebalancing field scoutingand more united company becauseprescribed for a crop from the seed to the chemis-assignments, our team had to beof it!tries and nutrients. JANUARY 2021SEEDWORLD.COM /31'