THE [X]CUBE LABS REPORT

from Future Farmer Nov/Dec 2021

ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION

what is grown to the end seller. This is essential to get more margin back to the farmer, and build sustainable supply chains.”

Let farmers keep their data.

Part of returning value to farmers is by putting data back in their hands and integrating identity preservation as part of the supply chain.

“The only way to ensure that the various tools and technologies in agtech can work together is to put the farmer at the center of the system,” Bowen said. “In ensuring that farmers have control over their data, we are creating an opportunity to actually unlock real value through cooperative efforts that handle farm data to the benefit of farmers in the same way that today's coops process and market commodities"

It’s worth noting that even with farmercentered data management, a few challenges still remain in order to have complete traceability and identity preservation. One of them is the logistics of actually keeping one farmer’s product separated from another’s.

“I can think about how we’re tracking everything and storing the data, but I struggle to think about how we are literally segregating grain,” Bowen said. “If we can do that, I think there’s an interesting opportunity to take the next step. Technically, physically, logistically we can do it. Economically, it has to make sense for all the players.”

In the Seed to Feed project, we are using Waypath to track and trace the growth, soil quality, and nutrient profile of the soybeans. The goal is to have complete identity preservation documentation for the harvest that can then be used to increase the value of the product.

Quality over quantity.

The larger movement in ag—and a foundational part of the Seed to Feed campaign—is valuing quality over quantity. It’s no longer about how high your yield or how big your harvest; it must be about the quality of your products.

“For the past 30 years, ag has been focused on how to maximize volume—and we’ve hit very high yields,” Stanislaw said. “Now, we’re looking at how to maximize the function or nutrition of a crop while keeping those yields. And, in turn, how to verify that and make it profitable for the farmer.”

This, too, is an integral part of Genesis Feed Technologies’ platform, the Nutritional Value Calculator (NVC). With the NVC, ingredient buyers are able to see the nutrient profile of a product—right now, with the focus on soybeans. The ultimate vision is for farmers to use the NVC to list their premium products, using data management and even Blockchain to verify the premium nutrient profile, and allow them to charge a higher value for their product.

“Increased visibility on metrics that matter will help players throughout the chain to increase profitability,” Peter Schott, CEO and co-founder of Genesis Feed Technologies said. “The NVC is starting to play an important part in that process, and we are thrilled about the future for everyone involved.”

A bright future

When it comes to transforming the ag industry supply chain, there is work to be done. However, with partners like those in the Seed to Feed campaign, such as AgriDigital’s innovative work utilizing new technology, and forward-thinking partnerships and investments like those we’re seeing with AgLaunch, the future is bright for the ag industry supply chain. Together, we’re building a future that’s better for farmers, consumers, and the ag industry as a whole.

Follow along with the Seed to Feed project at seedtofeed.info (including live trail cam updates from the field!)

About Seed to Feed: Seed to Feed is a first-of-its-kind supply chain and traceability project by Genesis Feed Technologies and nine global partners. The project, hosted at the Grand Farm near Fargo, North Dakota, tracks the life of a soybean from seeds planted in the soil, all the way to being consumed by an animal. In the process, the project educates viewers about each step of the supply chain; while bringing up questions and possibilities for how the ag industry can make it better and bring more value to farmers.