2008 New Ventures
As the organization looked down the road and saw shrinking export markets for certified seed, it made every effort to leverage the biotechnology trend that created it. The Puerto Rico farm and its nursery and seed production activities were promoted as an ideal site for trait introgression, version testing, and seed increase. The farm hosted donor and recipient materials as a bridge between trait developers and their licensees. No more did the two parties need to share genetics or demand stewardship requirements of the other directly.
Marketed as Global Seed Solutions, the effort to gain more trait introgression customers across more corps demonstrated Illinois Crop’s unique position in the industry and its ability to bring together trait developers and breeding programs. While the endeavor did not survive the decade, it solidified the farm’s role as a third-party platform for soybean trait introgression. Its demise was due to numerous factors, such as the resistance to biotechnology and the quasi-public role of the farm in stark contrast to the proprietary nature of the business. Eventually, the Global Seed Solutions brand was shelved along with service marks such as TrueTraitSM and GeneTrueSM testing and auditing services (2003). The age of the unique had arrived: unique management strategies, unique marketing plans, and unique relationships that seemed to consolidate an already consolidated industry.
