How does Natasha Nicholes’s experience with plant breeding at Monsanto Woodland facility compare to industry standards?

Hi there!

From my visit to Monsanto’s Woodland facilities and surrounding farms, my experience lined up closely with what’s considered standard in large-scale vegetable breeding, with a few notable nuances.

• I saw traditional breeding and hybridization, not gene editing done in the greenhouse. Breeders were crossing peppers, tomatoes, melons, etc., then selecting plants with desired traits (flavor, yield, disease resistance), which is standard across the industry.
• The focus on field-scale trials and testing across many plots and environments matches what universities, seed companies, and public breeding programs do: lots of replicated trials, lots of data, and years of selection before anything hits the market.
• There was a clear emphasis on food quality and end use (for example, firm, low-moisture romas for paste; peppers with specific heat and shape), which fits broader industry practice of tailoring varieties to processors and fresh markets.
• What stood out more than “industry vs. non-industry” was transparency: farmers and breeders walked me through why they choose specific traits and how they test them, similar to other modern, science-based breeding programs I’ve toured or studied.

Are you most interested in the breeding science itself, or more in how places like Woodland handle GMOs versus conventional breeding?