6  / SEEDWORLD.COM  SEPTEMBER 2026
agriculture. While conversations throughout the seed industry 
often focus on gene editing, artificial intelligence, predictive 
breeding and the next generation of technologies, her priorities 
are more practical.
“Ultimately on the farm it’s always going to come back to 
what is going to help us produce more wheat with less input,” 
she says.
That answer surfaced repeatedly in conversations with grow­
ers from across North America at the 2026 Bayer ICS meeting.
Whether they farmed wheat in Idaho, fruits and vegeta­
bles in New Jersey, corn and soybeans in Missouri or canola in 
Saskatchewan, growers described a future shaped less by a 
single breakthrough technology than by a growing list of uncer­
tainties. Labor shortages, weather volatility, rising costs, market 
pressures, consumer expectations and questions about whether 
the next generation will return to the farm all ranked high on 
their list of concerns.
Innovation matters, they say. But only when it helps solve 
those problems.
For seed companies, that distinction may be one of the most 
important lessons growers have to offer. Farmers are not looking 
for innovation for innovation’s sake. They are looking for tools 
that help them manage risk, remain profitable and create oppor­
tunities for the next generation.
Innovation Has to Earn Its Place on the Farm
For growers, the value of innovation is rarely measured by the 
sophistication of the technology behind it.
It is measured by outcomes. Can it improve yield? Can it 
reduce inputs? Can it solve a problem 
that costs time or money?
Kress points to weed-control 
technology in wheat as one 
example of innovation that 
delivered tangible value.
Who Is the 
Seed Industry 
Innovating For?
Farmers say the next breakthrough 
matters, but only if it helps them manage 
uncertainty, stay profitable and create a 
future for the next generation. 
By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. Editor
JAMIE KRESS FARMS in a place where uncertainty is part 
of the job description.
On her family’s dryland operation in southeast Idaho, annual 
rainfall typically ranges from 12 to 16 inches. Wheat, canola, saf­
flower, mustard and pulse crops depend entirely on moisture 
that may or may not arrive when it’s needed. Some years bring 
relief. Others bring drought.
As both a grower and president of 
the National Association of Wheat 
Growers, Kress spends plenty of 
time thinking about the future of 
From left to right: Rebekah Modery helps lead Alstede Farms in Chester, New Jersey, where direct relationships with consumers shape her 
perspective on food production, public trust and agricultural innovation. Lisa Hill, a Missouri farmer, shared her perspective on the evolving 
needs of producers and the role innovation can play in helping farms remain profitable and resilient. Jamie Kress farms a dryland operation 
in southeast Idaho and serves as president of the National Association of Wheat Growers. She says seed innovation delivers the most value 
when it helps farmers produce more with fewer inputs. Saskatchewan farmer Lesley Kelly says uncertainty around markets, trade, policy 
and input costs remains one of agriculture’s greatest challenges, underscoring the need for innovations that reduce risk.

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.