On-farm, large-plot variety strip trials are an important way to evaluate crop production under realistic conditions, benefiting farmers, seed companies and researchers.
Staff and faculty at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) –- work with regional growers and producers to conduct large-plot trials. While on-farm data is essential, these trials take time, leading to a reluctance by some farmers to participate due to equipment downtime.
To help solve this issue, two researchers from UTIA Ag Research and UTIA Extension recently licensed intellectual property (IP) that streamlines large-plot trials for farmers in West Tennessee and the rest of the country.
Tyson Raper is an Associate Professor and Cotton and Small Grains Specialist with a 75% UTIA Extension and 25% UTIA Research appointment. His research program focuses on cotton variety testing, plant nutrition and site-specific management. Ryan Blair is an Area Crop Production Specialist at the UTIA Extension, where he coordinates the county standardized variety testing program.
Family ties brought both Raper and Blair into this line of work. Raper’s father was an agricultural engineer who spent significant time on cotton research, and Blair’s father has been a UTIA Extension employee for over 40 years. They are passionate about their work and believe their technology will positively impact the community they work with.“I truly see this as civil service,” said Blair. “Being able to go out and be in the field with our farmers – with our food and fiber growers. I feel like what we’re doing is helping those guys. I really like that.”
In 2018, they co-founded Seed Vac Solutions after creating a strip-trial seed vacuum system, or Seed Vac, that is faster and easier to use than existing options. Previously, they conducted large-plot trials by loading up all their equipment – seed bags, cords, generators, buckets, shop vacs and more – into the back of a truck. Then, they went through a field behind the planter, vacuuming the hoppers out and refilling them with new seed varieties at the end of each row.
This cumbersome process could take half a day or more of a farmer’s time during a crucial part of the growing season. Their technology brings all the equipment together into a centralized system, complete with vacuum hoses and a centralized tank for seed storage.
“We’ve been doing the same thing for years, so we wanted to modernize the process,” said Blair. “Being able to alleviate some of that workload was a big driver in this. The other part is the speed of it. We can cut our planting timing in half by using these units.”
In 2022, the University of Tennessee Research Foundation executed a license agreement with Seed Vac Solutions, marking UTRF’s first license to a startup based on innovation from UTIA Extension.
“Seed Vac Solutions is a perfect example of how IP isn’t just about patents,” said Robyn Geron, Assistant Commercialization Manager. “Know-how– and copyright developed by innovators can also be licensed. The team has developed unique IP assets to fit a market need and demonstrated its use with a growing customer base. UTRF is happy to work with co-founders Tyson Raper and Ryan Blair to help them advance their technology and startup.”
After 18 months of supply chain shortages due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Raper and Blair have started fulfilling backorders and improving production processes to meet a growing customer base. They look forward to continuing to work with UTRF to advance their startup and technology.
“Anyone that has something they think is of value, reach out to UTRF,” said Raper. “It’s a really easy process – very efficient and well handled. They are easy people to work with. It’s been a great experience.”