FIRST in its class: SSGA uses third-party field trials for assurance

Everyone loves a good mystery.

When farmers plant – and end users buy – soybeans, they don’t want a mystery. They want to know exactly what they’re going to get.

That’s where Farmers’ Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST) comes in.

As a third-party company, FIRST provides unbiased comparisons of seed genetics, improving yield and profitability for corn and soybean growers. FIRST tests seed products in 15 states and uses field managers and their independent businesses to identify, plant and harvest over 500 tests across over 300 locations.

“One of our strongest selling points is that we are strictly independent and unbiased; we’re not associated with any seed companies or private entities,” said Mark Querna, southern Minnesota FIRST manager. “We also set ourselves apart by our data turnaround. Within 48 hours of harvesting a site, the information will be on our website and available to anyone around the world.”

FIRST is a vital piece of solving mysteries for Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s (SSGA) member companies by supplying SSGA with the necessary tools to carry out their mission.

SSGA is focused on the production, processing and shipping of U.S. Identity Preserved field crops. The organization works to facilitate the supply and sale of specialty crops needed to fulfill the market on behalf of its members. Without accurate and pertinent data, this facilitation becomes difficult.

“One of the things that SSGA feels they’re missing right now is that data set of field trials of specialty soybean varieties,” said Scott Sinner, sales and supply at SB&B Foods. “If we can provide our member companies the opportunity to submit varieties to put in these trials to gain that data set, we hope that it will translate into additional acres and additional supply for all of our member companies.”

Historically, the trial data available regarding specialty soybeans has been limited. Keith Schrader, who grows corn and soybeans near Nerstrand, Minn., was a strong proponent of expanding FIRST trials to include specialty soybeans.

“Keith is the one who kept pressuring me to include food grade beans in the trials,” said Querna. “I also had a strong interest in providing more of this data because I was an organic farmer from 2004 to 2019.”

The database that FIRST provides benefits everyone on the food chain – from farmers all the way to end users. Schrader participates in FIRST trials to ensure that the varieties he grows on his farm have the traits he’s seeking.

“We wanted to be able to use the results from the FIRST trials to look at cross sections and see what worked well,” said Schrader, who is a past SSGA director. “On the customer side, it’s important to show what the yield is, along with protein, oil, sugars and amino acids, which proves to the customer what kind of product they’re getting, especially on new varieties that are being used in the FIRST trials.”

Out of all the trial work Schrader could participate in, FIRST was an easy choice.

“Information is key to our industry. Other than state commodity groups, FIRST is the only organization that I’m aware of that does independent trial work,” Schrader said. “Their protocols don’t vary from state to state or county to county – everything follows the same protocol – so it’s really easy to follow on a nationwide basis.”

Along with growers, FIRST proves to be invaluable to processors.

“As a processor, we go to the end user first and find the genetics that work for their food product. Then, we bring it back and start looking at agronomic traits and making sure those traits fulfill the needs of the farmer. We can’t do that without the partnership that we have with FIRST,” said Sinner, who also sits on SSGA’s agronomy action team. “The third party, unbiased testing on all of these genetics allows us to show the farmers that these genetics absolutely perform and they’re going to work on their farms.”

As the specialty soybean trial data portfolio expands, FIRST will continue to rely on growers to drive the research.

“FIRST is nothing without our farmer hosts,” said Ed Dahle, central Minnesota FIRST manager.

True to their mission, FIRST’s comparisons of innovative seed genetics provide growers, processors and end users with the information they seek, so that choosing a variety doesn’t turn into solving a mystery.

“It’s making sure that we have all of the tools in the toolbox to be able to provide the farmer what they need as well as what the customer needs,” Sinner said.