Pioneer Corn Revolution Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Less than 1% make it to commercial. May 08, 2019

Show notes

Amy Blahnik visits the Corn Revolution podcast to tell Matt about the lucky few seeds that make it through the gauntlet. Amy, head of the Global Population Development team and the Trait Integration team, describes the feedback loop, going from the field back to product development, which allows Pioneer to create seeds that solve specific regional challenges.

We can trace an inbred from the 1920s all the way to today. May 01, 2019

Show notes

Matt dives deep into the Corn Revolution with Dean Podlich, Breeding Systems team lead. They explore how the vast history of the Pioneer genetics library helps today, why data collection and evaluation have evolved from a harvest-time activity to becoming a 24/7 endeavor, and how that greater data leads to predicting the next great hybrids.

It’s like being able to build with smaller and smaller building blocks. Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

Matt goes in-depth with Hillary Sullivan, Research Director, to learn how Pioneer technologists take a peek under the hood of seeds, how to create a faster feedback loop for innovation, and why Pioneer seed development is like building with a set of blocks.

I’m calling this the halftime show. Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

Matt replays some of his favorite highlights from the first half of the Corn Revolution podcast series. He is piecing together what the Corn Revolution is all about, and the big-picture impact on Pioneer and the industry.

We generate 80 billion data points across corn every year. Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Matt speaks with Andrea Arias, who works in Data Science and Informatics, to discover the vast amounts of testing data that Pioneer collects, how they turn that data into insights for research teams and the irreplaceable role of human intuition.

It’s like having a small combine in your pocket. Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

Matt interviews Neil Hausmann, Field Sensing lead, to learn about innovative phenotyping tools used in the field like mobile image analysis and drone imaging, and hears about Neil’s role in the development of Pioneer® brand Optimum® AQUAmax® hybrids.

It’s about midnight when thunderstorms come through. Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Matt’s guest is Andy Baumgarten, Senior Research Scientist and Lead of Applied Breeding Technologies and Genomics. He hears about testing standability traits in fields throughout the U.S., the balance of technology and human intuition, and how much data a petabyte is.

Rather than 30 lottery tickets, you can buy 30,000. Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

Matt speaks with Emily Ziemke, North American Corn Technology Lead, to learn all about predictive analytics: how it has dramatically shortened the seed development timeline, how it’s combined with real-world performance data and the innovative ways Pioneer shares this data globally.

Does it deserve to be in a Pioneer bag? Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

Matt talks to Brandon Wardyn, Evaluation Zone lead in Maize Product Development Testing. He explores the delicate balance of yield versus consistency, the breeding side of the Corn Revolution, and he digs a little deeper into the Qrome® product.

That massive influx of R&D. Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Neal Hoss, North America Corn product manager, joins Matt to discuss the extensive role of agronomy at Pioneer and how the additional year of field testing led to more consistent yields. Also, Matt finally learns what a double-haploid is.