8 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2026 “Technology like that has just been absolutely game changing for us,” she says. “It has been worth every penny, and then some, because we’re having cleaner fields. Cleaner fields lead to better stands and better yield.” The reason she values the technology is straightforward. “That’s a real-life example of the type of breeding and innova tion that makes a difference on the ground to the farmer that I feel good investing in, because I can see that return.” That return-on-investment mindset influences nearly every decision farmers make. While researchers may focus on genetic gain, new breed ing tools or emerging technologies, growers ultimately evaluate whether those innovations help improve the economics of the operation. For wheat producers, that challenge has become increasingly difficult. “We’ve had several years back-to-back where the rising cost of inputs has just outpaced the sales price for the commodity,” Kress says. Against that backdrop, innovations that improve efficiency become especially valuable. “(We want) anything that is going to help us with climate change. If that’s more drought-tolerant wheat, if it’s wheat that has natural abilities to resist wet environments or pressure from a fungus or any of the diseases or insects,” she says. “Ultimately, it’s always going to come back to what is going to help us pro duce more wheat with less input.” The message for the seed industry is clear. Farmers appre ciate innovation, but they do not adopt technology simply because it is new. They adopt it when it solves a meaningful problem and delivers measurable value. The Customer Beyond the Farm Gate Rebekah Modery spends more time talking directly with con sumers than many farmers ever will. Her family’s operation, Alstede Farms in Chester, New Jersey, grows roughly 250 fruit and vegetable crops across 800 acres. Through farm stores, farmers markets and a 600-member CSA program, customers buy produce directly from the people who grow it. That relationship gives Modery a unique perspective on con sumer attitudes. Some customers ask whether products are organic. Others ask whether they contain genetically modified ingredients. Most, she says, are asking a much simpler question. “The real heart behind their question is just, is it safe?” Modery says. “That’s all anybody is caring about.” For seed companies, that perspective is worth considering. Farmers may be the direct customer, but consumers increas ingly influence which products succeed, which technologies gain acceptance and which production practices are embraced by the marketplace. Kress sees the same dynamic from the perspective of a com modity grower. “The seed dealer, or the developer, sees me as the customer,” she says. “It’s kind of funny, because I look to the elevator that buys my wheat as my end customer, because ultimately that’s who I need to keep happy, and that’s who writes my check. But it for all of us trickles all the way down to the person who eats and what they think of that product.” That reality shapes how growers think about innovation. Kress believes advancements in wheat breeding must deliver value not only to farmers but also to consumers who increasingly want to understand how their food is produced. “I think we have seen that the consumer is far more interested in what they are eating than they have been prior,” she says. “If we can bring them in on some of this, the new traits or technol ogy, I think there will be a lot more buy-in.” Modery agrees. Although her customers currently show little interest in genetically modified or gene-edited products, she sees those technologies as important tools for agriculture’s future. “We only have a finite amount of land, and it’s actually shrink ing, and the population is growing,” she says. “We need to be able to still feed those people on the same land we’re using now.” At the same time, she recognizes that technology adoption often depends on public understanding. “I find that consumers trust the medical field when there’s a new scientific discovery,” Modery says. “For some reason, in agriculture, that’s not the same sentiment.” For growers, innovation does not end with scientific success. It must also earn public trust. Managing Uncertainty If there was one theme that united growers across crops, geog raphies and production systems, it was uncertainty. For Modery, labor remains one of the biggest challenges facing her operation. The farm relies on both H-2A agricultural workers and H-2B seasonal employees. This year, uncertainty surrounding visa approvals left the business struggling to plan for the season ahead. “Imagine planning your whole year of your business not knowing if you’ll have the 45 workers that we apply for,” she says. The operation eventually received workers, but not on the timeline it expected. “We were supposed to have 16 workers on February 18, and 13 of them didn’t get here till March 18,” Modery says. “We lost an entire month of 13 guys worth of work.” For a specialty crop operation, that kind of delay has real consequences. Crops still need to be planted, maintained and harvested on schedule, regardless of workforce challenges. Weather presents another challenge. A spring freeze can erase months of work in a matter of hours. To reduce that risk, the farm has invested heavily in frost- protection equipment, irrigation systems and production tech nologies designed to improve resilience. “We’ve been constantly investing, constantly searching for new technology, new varieties of crops that are more drought resistant or more disease tolerant,” Modery says. Thousands of miles away, Saskatchewan farmer Lesley Kelly described a similar reality.
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