b'He believes that too much focus on patents and other propri-etary protections is ultimately going to make the industry more vulnerable, especially as farmers face climate change and other challenging growing conditions.As agriculture is changing, there has to be new develop-The loss of genetic diversityment. Intellectual property rights in relation to germplasm are great for business because they provide a profit mechanism and makes all agricultural systemsare a boom for the companies that own the seed, but they stifle innovation because of a limited pool of genetic backgrounds, far more vulnerable.Block says. He points to agricultural crises throughout the years as evi-Jeffrey Block dence to why governments and organizations must continue to prioritize seed bank funding.The loss of genetic diversity makes all agricultural systems far more vulnerable, he says, referencing stories of mono-crop failures such as the potato famine and the heavily-used Cavendish banana variety. Breeders need accessible genetic resources to find novel traits such as new sources of disease resistance, Block says. From Specialty Seeds to Global ImpactPreserving and using diverse germplasm also allows for unique success stories. They care about taste, color and texture. If you dont includeThere are dozens of OPVs kept alive by hobby breeders, people in the process, if you dont improve the crop togetherseed saving communities and farmers who improve them over with them, then the rate of adoption is limited. People wont wanttime for smaller projects such as whiskey production or specialty it, he says.grits and things like that, Bohn says.For example, in Uganda, several organizations are promot- The success of using Kitale Synthetic II in Illinois has also ing orange corn, which is more nutritious. But people love whiteshown that breeders can find success in serving those niche corn. Thats what they eat, and the whiter the better, Mujjabimarkets.laughs. So yes, you can introduce something new and nutri- These Kitale-based varieties are significant for the African tious, but if you dont take into account the cultural connectionsdiaspora, but this type of waxy white corn can also be used for people have to their food, adoption will be very limited. other purposes, Ugarte says. Many other cultures want access Bohn says this is where public breeding research truly shines,to a variety like this, and it could add to the variety of hybrid rather than competing with big companies who spend millions ofofferings that farmers might consider producing. dollars on research. Block agrees that crop breeding for niche markets offers "We are not developing hybrids for conventional producers ininteresting and important opportunities.Illinois, Iowa, or Indiana, but for organic farmers in the Midwest,Small breeders and independent farmers who are innovating who are typically not served by the larger breeding companies,are really helping a whole group of people who otherwise would Bohn says.be left out. A big company wouldnt have touched this, Block In fact, he recognizes the concern that with the high selectionsays.intensity in yellow dent corn, breeders might run out of geneticAnd thats part of why the Kasooli Party was so exciting. variation, especially when working under the constraints ofIts rare that a chance find can serve a specialty community todays trend toward proprietary hybrids. and provide solutions that could impact larger-scale production. Jeffrey Block, organic seed division manager at Gro Alliance,Kitale-based varieties may bridge the gap from historic improve-LLC, works with seed companies throughout the industry as anments in Africa to advances in organic breeding here in the expert on corn and soybean seed production. Hes seen a signifi- Midwest. cant shift away from public germplasm-based breeding.With continuing research, Bohn believes its possible that In the last decade or two, the pendulum has really swungthe program could help increase yields and decrease inputs in toward intellectual property rights, and we need to swing backorganic corn production.some to the open pollinated side of things, Block says. WeWe are so close to developing some other really good varie-need to invest in public seed breeding and seed banks to maketies for farmer consideration, Bohn says. And this white corn? sure those genetic resources are available. Its really good.SW30/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2026'