EarthOptics + FIRST Seed Trials: Bringing Soil Intelligence to Seed Performance

Better data leads to better decisions. That’s why we’re excited to share more about our partnership with FIRST (Farmers Independent Research of Seed Technologies). This independent seed trial organization has been helping farmers make confident seed decisions for nearly 30 years.

FIRST runs more than 300 trial sites across the Midwest and beyond, from North Dakota to Kentucky and Ohio to Kansas. Their mission is simple but powerful: to provide farmers with independent, regionally relevant performance data on seed genetics. By testing products across diverse geographies and conditions, they give growers a clear view of how hybrids and varieties truly perform in the field.

Why This Partnership Matters

Until now, most seed trial data have focused primarily on yield. While that’s important, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Conditions matter—from soil fertility to pest pressure to disease risks. That’s where EarthOptics comes in.

Through this partnership, FIRST Seed now integrates EarthOptics soil measurements into its trial data. That means when a farmer reviews trial results, they’re not only seeing how a soybean or corn hybrid performed, but also the context of the soil environment it was grown in:

• Was the field facing higher soybean cyst nematode (SCN) counts?
  
• Did tar spot risk influence how a corn hybrid performed?
  
• How did differences in soil fertility or microbial activity shape yield outcomes?
  

By pairing performance data with soil intelligence, farmers gain a deeper understanding of why a seed performed the way it did—and how it might perform under similar conditions on their own farms.

Faster Insights, Better Decisions

FIRST prides itself on delivering results quickly—often within 48 hours of harvest. Reports are published continuously throughout the harvest, providing farmers with real-time insights when they need them most: during fall planning conversations with dealers and agronomists.

Subscribers can receive daily reports straight to their inbox or browse results anytime at www.firstseedtests.com.

A New Era of Data-Driven Seed Selection

For farmers and crop advisors, this partnership means more than just numbers—it means clarity. With EarthOptics providing soil fertility, biological, and pathogen analytics alongside FIRST Seed’s yield trials, growers can now make seed decisions with a level of precision that’s never been possible before.

We’re proud to partner with FIRST Seed in raising the bar for independent seed trials. Together, we’re helping farmers and crop advisors see not just what performed, but why it performed—so every decision about seed selection is smarter, more informed, and better aligned to their unique fields.