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by Robynne M. Anderson January/February 2004 Sowing seed in the ground seems a long way from the gas pumps that fuel your car, but all races begin in the starting block and there are a lot of companies moving beyond the field to a finish line at consumers' hands. A new wave of seed varieties developed for specific end uses is proving that good plant breeding makes a difference in outcome, and seed corn varieties for ethanol production are just one example.
Delivering specific products can occur in several ways, and the industry is now developing a whole new language around value-enhanced products and identity-preserved grains. Rapidly, identity preserved is coming to mean the logistics practice around contracting production with specific farmers; cleaning out each piece of machinery meticulously to ensure the seed is sown, harvested, and stored separately; and then careful handling practices to make sure it gets to market with extremely high levels of purity. These extra efforts involve time and costs that must be rewarded with strong returns, and there are excellent examples of booming markets in these areas.
Pioneer launched its IndustrySelect Program this fall by identifying nearly 200 corn varieties that are suited to specific markets. These varieties are serving needs for: Pioneer has identified varieties that meet such specific needs and is helping growers identify marketing opportunities within their local commerce area. "Sometimes the difference in hybrid selection may come down to which product is in demand at the closest grain outlet and offers the greatest overall return based on total value per acre," says Sanders. Monsanto has also launched a program working with major processors including Cargill, CHS and the South Dakota Soy Processors to offer products that meet their specific needs. Avoiding the extra costs of full identity preservation, these varieties are marketed to growers generally within a 75-mile radius of processing facilities in order to ease transportation and handling requirements. The soybean varieties are generally differentiated based on the amount of oil in the seed or the amount of protein. Some food characteristics are also promoted, although Dion McBay, Monsanto's U.S. soybean marketing manager, believes there will be more food-use specific traits developed and introduced in the future. In addition, the company offers corn varieties targeted for the ethanol business. Cargill's participation in the trait-specific business includes an oat variety provided to Quaker Oats Company, barleys geared to specific maltsters' needs, and Snowbird wheat targeted at the Asian noodle market. It also owns Cargill Specialty Oils, which develops designer oils for food processing clients. Working from seed varieties, the company uses full identity-preservation techniques to deliver canola seed to a crushing plant and to separately prepare oils with unique traits for clients. The company has worked hard to develop a strong rapport with end users, explains Gary Galbraith of Cargill's Canadian operation. "It's a big decision for a food company to change their product," he says. "It may mean changes to labeling, taste consequences, and/or production performance." As a result, it takes a great deal of work and a long-term relationship with processors to successfully get into these specialty markets. But there are rewards for both groups. "Food companies want to differentiate themselves, and specialty ingredients are a way to do it," Galbraith says. Dow AgroSciences is another company engaged in character traits, focusing on high stability oilseeds whose oil does not need hydrogenation so there are no trans fats in the processed oil. Its popular Nexera canola is selling well among producers, who must sign production contracts, but the oil is kept in a tight identity-preserved chain. Working with several grain handling companies and oilseed crushers, the company is helping processors create Natreon oil, which commands 7 to 8 percent of the Japanese market. However, as labeling of trans fat content becomes mandatory, many North American food makers are also showing interest in the product. Fueling The Race North American farmers are interested too. Some contract varieties, such as waxy corn, have premiums that are roughly 20 to 30 cents per bushel. For markets like feed and ethanol, the premiums are much lower, in the range of 5 to 10 cents. In the soy market, the premiums tend to be in the 3 to 5 cent region. The benefits get more heady in the identity-preserved markets, where products like Nexera canola are offering 75 cents per bushel premiums in 2004. This is certainly enough to drive farmers into these markets. Purdue University recently completed a research study with 2,300 growers asking how many were involved in value-enhanced production. To date, 24 percent of farmers are already engaged in this kind of business, and 54 percent expect to be by 2008. With this level of farmer interest and the benefits of real savings to processors, many projections suggest about one-third, or more, of all grain sales will move to trait-based or fully identity-preserved products in the next five to 10 years. For seed companies, this offers plenty of incentive. Monsanto's McBay explains the key value of these end- use specific varieties is market differentiation. For 2004, Dow AgroSciences has sold out of seed for its Nexera 800 brand canola, and that success comes at a time when seed companies find it hard to have sell-out winners among an ever-expanding number of varieties. It is possible a value-enhanced or niche opportunity may need to be part of most seed companies' marketing tool kits in the future - and with good reason. Global Competition In fact, some would even argue it is a matter of survival for the entire North American crop sector. The increase in grain production, particularly in South America, has the potential to shift the role for North American producers. For example, global soybean consumption has grown by 96 percent in 13 years, according to John Baize, a marketing expert. At the same time, U.S. soy production has grown, but not at the same rate as South American production. In 2001, U.S. and South American production levels were approximately the same, at nearly 80 million metric tonnes. But by 2003, South America's production had exceeded 100 million metric tonnes, while U.S. production dropped. It is estimated in three years, Brazil alone could produce more soybeans than the United States. Plus, this production is occurring on land valued at less than a tenth of the cost of most American farmland. South American producers could give North American farmers a run for their money. That's where value-enhanced products come in. "I believe that in a global competitive marketplace, North American soybeans will be differentiated by quality. They will likely not be differentiated based on the lowest cost of production," predicts McBay sagely. Recognizing that there are new competitors in the race will be essential to North American farmers and their input suppliers. Finish Line So the next hope is even more innovation and higher value crops. The seed being used in these value-enhanced chains are generally varieties that were already in the marketplace. "Much of what we're doing is characterization of existing hybrids. We can now, in essence, look into a kernel of corn and say it will be better for one end use rather than that," explains Sanders. In the next five years, he anticipates Pioneer will be "working toward significantly improved (specially bred) varieties and trying to increase the values even more." Cargill's Galbraith believes market segments will develop in three key areas: food and feed traits, biopharmaceuticals, and industrial proteins. At Monsanto, McBay is particularly enthusiastic about the company's research efforts to reduce trans fat and saturate fat content in soybeans. "If the technologies we are excited about in our pipeline come to fruition, as we expect, then we believe they will have a very significant impact on the soy market," he says. More than that, he notes, "It's sometimes hard to get excited about the commodity business, but I believe these technologies can keep us (North America) competitive in the global marketplace." So when at the gas station, remember that a 4 to 7 percent increase in grain processing efficiency for ethanol could be part of what keeps those cornfields standing in North America. Robynne M. Anderson is president of Issues Ink, Winnipeg, Manitoba, which publishes Germination, Pulse and CAAR Communicator. Tweet |
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