Center aims to redefine seed sorting, improve germination and boost profitability.
Gro Alliance recently announced the opening of a cutting-edge Vegetable Seed Improvement Center in Davis, California. This facility is the only one in the Western Hemisphere equipped with Seed-X’s AI-powered seed improvement technology. By leveraging advanced imaging and machine learning, the center enhances seed germination, purity, physical quality and more.
At the heart of this innovation is Seed-X’s revolutionary GeNee
technology, which enables clients to improve seed lot quality, minimize unsold inventory, optimize production, and drive profitability.
“The future of seed improvement is now in Davis,” said Jim Schweigert, Gro Alliance president. “And this is just step one. Our future work with Seed-X will see this technology achieve improved speed and capabilities which have the potential to completely change the definition and structure of a seed cleaning and sizing facility while greatly reducing lower quality seed.”
Industry Leaders at the Helm
The Davis location will be led by Industry veteran Meck Slagle will lead the Davis location. Slagle brings experience at Gingko Bioworks and Bayer. As the vegetable seed improvement lead, she will serve as the primary contact for seed companies using the facility. Joining her is Khushi Chawda, a UC Davis student and 2024 National Association of Plant Breeders Borlaug Scholar, who will be the market development intern.
This initiative highlights Gro Alliance’s dedication to innovation and collaboration, a strategy Schweigert emphasizes as crucial to overcoming industry challenges.
“One of the big stumbling blocks to growth that many companies face is their geographic reach, which is often limited by their production location. It’s something we struggled with too, until we fundamentally changed our mindset,” Schweigert explained in a November Seedworld.com column.
“We started to build a set of grower and partner relationships,” he continued in the column. “Our expertise is in seed production, nursery services and logistical procedures and practices. If we could bundle that expertise and extend our geography by coordinating with companies and farmers closer to the clients’ needs, we could essentially be in two places at once.”
Gro Alliance’s innovative approach, paired with the groundbreaking technology at the Davis center, represents a new era of seed improvement. The collaboration with Seed-X marks a significant step toward redefining seed cleaning and sizing, improving seed quality, and enhancing industry-wide efficiency.
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