Harvest is in full swing across the United States. What a season of contrasts- extreme drought in wheat country, and bumper yields in parts of the Corn Belt. At AgriDigital, a harvest we're tracking with particular interest is the journey of some very special soybeans in Fargo, North Dakota.
This season we have been partnering with Genesis Feed Technologies and an extraordinary range of tech companies (full list) on the Seed to Feed pilot tracing premium soybeans from the farmer who plants and harvests the bean, through to the farmer buying that premium bean as feed. Intrigued? On the new AgriDigital podcast I speak with Peter Schott, CEO and co-founder of Genesis Feed Tech about how his experience growing up on a farm was the seed (pun intended) for this work.
With all the demand and buzz for premium grains and for animals raised to specific standards, this partnership came together to first test if the right technologies exist to trace premium ingredients through the supply chain, so we can then explore if this traceability results in a payoff for the farmer.
Our role in this project is with the farmer - tracking the beans from the field at harvest, along their journey. This data, along with data from our partners, is feeding into Geora's blockchain platform to move down the supply chain.
The beans are being harvested and we have learned that yes, the technology is there to collect and track data from farmer to farmer. As Peter Schott puts it, with the right mix of technology and industry commitment, we are at a tipping point for traceability. Goal #1 of the project accomplished! Building on the 2021 season, up next for this project is expanding the scope to more research and locations.
The next question is how can this data be of value for the industry, and for the farmer? Peter at Genesis Feed Tech predicts in the next couple years there are major changes coming in how premium crops are valued and traded. The payoff for the farmer? Verdict is still out -and alongside our Seed to Feed partners, we're focused in on ensuring this critical piece.
For AgriDigital, we're proud to be on the frontlines with our peers building the connections for sustainable supply chains. Alongside Seed to Feed we are piloting new ways for the farmer, and supply chain as a whole, to benefit from traceability. Check out our work with Geora and a global malting company, and watch this space as we unveil more exciting work.
We're always curious to explore how else we can collaborate to build sustainable supply chains from the farmer forward - please get in touch with me if you have ideas to explore.
And if you are a farmer, whether your harvest is in full swing in North America, or about to kick off Down Under- happy harvesting!
