Real-Time Visibility in Seed Logistics: From Data to Decision-Making

As seed supply chains grow more complex and margins tighten, real-time visibility is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. From inventory tracking to environmental monitoring, connected technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) are reshaping how seed moves from production to planting.

In this Q&A, Matt Dannenfeldt, founder and CEO of Seedbox Solution, discusses where visibility gaps exist today, how IoT is improving efficiency and quality control, and what practical steps seed companies can take to begin modernizing their operations.

ST: Seed Today readers understand the complexity of seed logistics. From your perspective, what is fundamentally changing about seed supply chains right now, and why does IoT matter at this moment?

M: For so long, yield was the only metric that really seemed to matter. As demand for farmers’ products has waned, yield isn’t enough. Farmers need input pricing relief and certainty of product selection.

Supply chains are required to be more efficient, more cost-effective and built smarter to make the farmer’s job easier.

ST: When we talk about “real-time visibility” in seed operations, what does that mean in practical terms for retailers, producers and processors?

M: For producers and processors, it means knowing when your high-value product was packaged and where it resides at all times until seed makes it to the ground. It also means having this information, as status of product inventory is changing, not waiting to get that information through a fragmented communication channel from the farm back to original production locations.

Retailers should know the inventory they have on hand, not just when they receive it (that’s easy), but as they start placing product into their farmer customers’ hands. What box of product is on what farm? Is it still full, or did they empty it? If planting has started, why is the box still full? Did they change their mind on what to plant, and are they going to return it?

And finally, when a farmer requires a specific trait or hybrid, do you have it? If you don’t have it, does a nearby retailer have it? Can you ascertain it quickly without going all the way back to the production source? Speed, efficiency and certainty of supply are customer service components farmers deserve and will pay for.

ST: Where are you seeing the greatest visibility gaps in today’s seed supply chains—inventory tracking, environmental monitoring, location data or something else?

M: Environmental monitoring certainly is a huge gap—it doesn’t exist. A producer has zero knowledge of how boxes are handled and stored downstream in the trade. They might know product inventory, but is it accurate and up to date? Does it reflect the daily changes in inventory right away as boxes are getting emptied regularly on the march towards planting? Our assessment is that level of insight is unavailable.

ST: How can connected monitoring systems improve seed quality preservation during storage and transport?

M: It’s about being proactive with actionable alerts. Agronomists can set clear thresholds for time, temperature, humidity and set alerts on our BOXIQ system, which is designed to enhance operational efficiency and protect seed quality. It tells them if a box of seed has reached or exceeded threshold. They can take action to get to it, move it or salvage it before the quality is compromised, before the compromised seed is planted or even returned for carryover. Why let high-value product get compromised when you don’t have to.

ST: Many seed businesses operate across multiple facilities and regions. How does IoT improve coordination and decision-making at scale?

M: Of course. It’s about balancing and rebalancing the supply chain to maximize efficiency. It gives insight into what has been run, what is selling through (and what isn’t), and mitigates the current condition of overrunning product inventory.

Today, over 15% of seed that is processed, bagged and shipped into the trade is ultimately returned. Visibility and intelligent supply chain may not drop that number to 0% because no one wants to be on the razor’s edge with available product, but 15% overage is egregious and costs hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

ST: What are some measurable outcomes companies are seeing when they implement real-time tracking systems—reduced shrink, better quality control, improved forecasting?

M: Yes, yes and yes. That 15% number is standard. Some producers over-produce even more. Reducing that number by a single point pays for the entire BOXIQ adoption in a year, notwithstanding all the other benefits derived. I touched on quality control and proactive threshold monitoring above. But post-planting product that has known information about what it was exposed to (was a box exposed in the sun for two weeks?) helps a producer test smarter, carryover smarter and avoid huge extraneous handling costs.

ST: For seed companies considering IoT adoption, what are the biggest misconceptions or hesitations you encounter?

M: That they tried it before. They put a tracker on a box once, and it wasn’t that helpful. The idea of tracking a box is commoditized technology. BOXIQ is customized bespoke solution for hard boxes. It’s also about the product inside the box and helping sell through; it’s less about knowing where my boxes are when it’s July and I’m trying to get them back (albeit that is helpful).

It’s also thought of as an operational cost, not a selling and inventory reduction tool. Operations says, “I can’t add any cost to my packaging, margins are too tight.” But if sales could sell 1% more product or have 1% less shrink or avoid selling compromised product to a farmer customer that erodes trust, it’s a very different lens.

ST: What does a phased implementation look like for a mid-sized seed company that wants to improve visibility but can’t overhaul everything at once?

M: Pick the most valuable product(s) that you want to achieve sell-through. Maybe that is the highest margin, or maybe it’s just your mainstay product. Put that product in BOXIQ boxes and leave the others in “regular” boxes as you’ve always done. Use the tool for the needle-moving product, not necessarily every box you fill. It’s a smart way to curate the investment, gain experience with the tool, all while not overhauling everything they do all at once. If that means we’re outfitting a few hundred or a few thousand boxes to get them that exposure, let’s do that. We white-glove it. We show up, affix the boxes they want, mark them so they know which ones have the technology. Then we train them on the app (hint: it’s super intuitive and easy). We assign a product manager to their account who will not only be a resource if they have questions but will be monitoring and reviewing and reporting on their data even if they forget to do so.

ST: How important is data integration—making sure monitoring systems communicate with existing inventory or ERP systems?

M: At scale, it makes it much easier. One less thing to “open” and ties more information together in a centralized manner. Do you need to execute that integration as a jumping-off assessment of BOXIQ? We don’t think so. But the entire system is easily integrated into other legacy systems, and the raw data is available to a customer who has their own analytics team who wish to digest it into a platform of their choosing.

ST: How has seed handling evolved over the past decade, and how is connected technology accelerating that evolution?

M: That’s a big question. Climate change has made areas hotter or wetter, but are sheds or warehouses or staging areas different? Probably not. Hard boxes have become more prevalent for cash crops like beans, corn and cotton, but technology hasn’t been offered. It’s been for safety, perhaps ease of handling and ease of unloading. Technology has failed to be applied in an impactful way in terms of packaging.