As I am handed the reins of the executive director position of the Seed Innovation Protection Alliance (SIPA) for 2021, I think back to Aesop’s Fable about the goose that laid the golden egg. As you may recall, the farmer was blessed daily with a golden egg from this one particular goose. This was very lucrative for the farmer except (s)he wondered that there must be gold inside this hen. Lo and behold to the farmer’s surprise, after killing the hen, it was just like any other.
As the new executive director, I am charged by our members to remind us all about the value of innovation in the U.S. seed industry. Regardless of whether it is protected by trademarks, patents, Plant Variety Protection certificates, or trade secrets, there are an army of individuals tirelessly inventing, testing new ideas brought to farms as new seed innovations that provides “value” to farmers, dealers as well as breeders and developers.
While not always as evident as it may seem, these innovations are introduced in better genetics bred to stand up to targeted climatic conditions, with tolerance and resistance to yield and quality robbing weeds, insects and diseases. Many innovations involve protecting live seed from early stresses via genetics, seed coats and treatments. Other innovations produce an improved quality trait such as healthier oils, more nutritional varieties, tailored vegetable fruit shape, size and taste that consumers value or improved shelf life that reduces food waste in the supply chain. Then there is the sector working to significantly increase production of vegetables in greenhouse settings being more efficient with land, water and sunlight! There are very targeted breeding efforts to address the specific needs for each crop within this segment. And of course, let us not forget the impact of a growing number of mouths to feed in a world experiencing climatic change. Regardless of your personal persuasion, there are more people to feed with limited resources in a setting where weather patterns are changing. Water stress is everywhere and breeders and researchers are tirelessly looking for innovations that will help growers withstand the wide swing in weather patterns impacting quality and yield.
If you look closely, it’s an exciting time in agriculture! As innovators, we view these challenges as opportunities. Some of the recent advancements in breeding techniques such as molecular markers, genomic mapping, precision editing techniques are allowing breeders and researchers to surgically breed better crops! Mother Nature never rests and will continue to throw a curve balls to anyone trying to change things against her wishes. This is why we see survival resistance show up in all pests. We must stay in front of this if we are to feed a hungry planet in a more sustainable, productive manner. Today’s research and development effort doesn’t come free or fast. It takes approximately $1-7 million to develop a new variety and over 6-10 years with conventional breeding. For a trait conferring agronomic/quality improvements, it costs approximately $140 million over 10-14 years to bring to market!
As we look at stewarding our agricultural land we must also steward our agricultural innovations so that we can continue to feed a hungry planet with a bountiful harvest that is nutritious and with improved eating qualities (i.e. flavorful craft beers and sweeter and milder tasting vegetables enjoyed by kids). When you buy and use new seed from authorized dealers/retailers and use it to grow a single crop, you are benefiting from the “goose’s daily golden egg”. Don’t take shortcuts and kill the goose. The more we value innovations, the more we will benefit from their improvements.
