Pedigreed Seed and Growing into a Digital Future

Pedigreed seed and growing into a digital future

Integrations and cloud-based systems provide clear traceability

By Shanyn Silinski, Marketing Manager, 20/20 Seed Labs

Riddell Seed Co. has been with 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. for a long time and has used them as their primary lab for about 15 years.  Since starting 24 years ago, there have been many changes in the business of growing pedigreed seed, including finding ways to manage data and seed lot information.

One of the key changes has been the adoption of the user-friendly lab management system (LMS) from 20/20 Seed Labs. This system lets users pre-enter samples, request tests, view their results, access timelines, download certificates, and gain valuable insights into their seeds.

Riddell Seed Co. has been a witness to the impressive evolution of the Seedtrakr program. This program, which initially was a PC-based system, has now transitioned into a cloud-based one.  This transformation has enabled several integrations with other systems, such as the 20/20 Seed Labs LMS, demonstrating its adaptability to the changing needs of the seed industry.

The concept behind Seedtrakr was to enable pedigreed seed growers to digitally track the processing of seed lots, including managing test results and certifications. Since its humble beginnings in 2015 with an idea, a broken laptop, and a PC-based program, Seedtrakr has evolved into a robust system that reduces data entry and the margin of error, plus it saves time. The user experience makes it easy for growers to use the powerful tools and interface.

Riddell Seed Co. was faced with a challenge: how to integrate data from two independent systems. He approached both 20/20 Seed Labs and Seedtrakr with this issue, asking if they could make that happen for their customers, many of whom use both platforms.

Both 20/20 Seed Labs and Seedtrakr were very responsive to our requests. They both recognized the importance of making the integration happen, not just for us, but for all their customers who use both platforms. This collaborative effort was a crucial step in improving the functionality of the program and allowing for the results from 20/20 to be automatically attached to the seed lot in Seedtrakr.”, explains Riddell.

 Working towards making both systems’ interfaces successful took some time and a lot of coding from both the Seedtrakr and 20/20 Seed Labs teams, but the API is now active and makes it easy for users to move their sample results from the lab into the seed lot inventory system.

For Riddell Seed Co., which has a high lot count with high generation increases for seed, manually managing results was slow and tedious and allowed for data entry errors.  The integration’s automatic nature removes the manual entry error factor, saves time, and improves the user experience.

The automatic link means no saving a separate file or document; everything is in one place, which gives users clear traceability for the crop certificates and lot numbers. Having that move automatically rather than manually ensures data security and accuracy for growers and end users.

This is a market advantage for more than just commercial growers; it also benefits interested consumers who are looking at traceability for safety and environmental stewardship in agriculture.

The required paperwork for pedigreed seeds includes seed processing and storage information, testing and grading results, lot sales and disposal, and royalty filing. Now, it is securely available in Seedtrakr. Because it is not housed in several systems, there is no need to spend time finding and compiling each piece of information. From purchase to end use or disposal, it is all there in one place.

Allows us to satisfy the requirements of seed regulations in one platform. All steps are in one place and tied together, which makes those data points immediately accessible for a seed lot,” says Riddell, “It solves an immediate need in the seed industry to track seed lots, but beyond that, it can work with identity preservation and seed pedigrees for traceability and any end use that needs certified seed.”

Crops can be utilized beyond food, fuel, fibre and other industrial uses. Using this system can help with IP programs that are concerned about purity and require the testing results to validate (gluten-free oat programs). More checks and balances are needed to ensure quality, and lots are clear of contamination, which is important to the industry’s reputation to the public and end users.

The integration helps growers provide the data to meet the regulatory requirements for growing pedigreed seed. They sell certified seed, but they work at all levels of seed production.