Growing up in Erie, Pa., Brian Sundberg, corn inventory quality coordinator at AgReliant Genetics, says he didn’t have a traditional agriculture background. It wasn’t until his time at Penn State University while taking an introductory engineering course on agricultural equipment that he became fascinated with agriculture. After that course, his path was set, and he changed his major to pursue a degree in agricultural engineering.
“After college, I moved to central Iowa to work for a seed corn production site where I scheduled production and oversaw the quality from field to final package,” Sundberg says. “There, I developed a passion for the supply chain and quality processes of seed corn production and jumped at the opportunity to join AgReliant Genetics.”
While falling into the corn side of things was actually based on luck, Sundberg says there’s a reason he’s stuck with hybrid seed corn production.
“It’s a fast-paced industry, and you never stop learning about the crop,” he says.
Often, Sundberg says he’s asked by friends and family how he feels not being in a “traditional” engineering role.
“I tell them although I don’t have ‘engineer’ in my job title, I am using those engineer skills every day,” he says. “Working in corn supply chain involves constantly trying to problem solve to better serve the customer. It’s asking: ‘How can we get the grower what they ordered, how they ordered and when they need it?'”
His role, Sundberg says, allows him to be a life-long learner, which is a personal goal he can accomplish every day.
In the future, Sundberg says the importance of “big data” and data analytics is something he’s keeping his eye out on.
“It seems like every year more traits are being introduced with newer, better genetics, improved seed treatments and more customers planting specialty corn hybrids to meet the needs of a unique grain market,” he says. “We must know where these trends are heading to meet the needs and better serve the customer.”
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