When I landed my first role in the Seed industry as a pre-breeding technician for cucumbers, I was genuinely excited. With roots in farming and a passion for plant science, it felt like the perfect fit. However, the excitement quickly gave way to frustration as I experienced firsthand the consequences of managing complex breeding workflows without a reliable data platform (Excel together with a self-built system).
My Role in the Breeding Program.
My responsibilities included mapping and tagging greenhouse plants, monitoring growth, managing pollination, and collecting fruits for seed extraction. Days started at 4 AM to beat the heat—physically and mentally demanding work I was ready to take on. What I wasn’t prepared for was the real challenge: navigating a homegrown software system that simply wasn’t built for the complexity of modern breeding.
The Software Was the Bottleneck.
The internal breeding platform unstable, confusing, and severely under-resourced. What began as a promising role under a supportive manager soon turned into a daily struggle with inefficiencies, miscommunications, and preventable errors.
Here’s what went wrong:
Unintuitive Interface: Even experienced colleagues avoided the system. As a junior team member, I was left to figure it out alone.
No Real-Time Verification: There was no photo upload or mapping tool to catch errors, so mistakes often went unnoticed until it was too late.
Bureaucratic Fixes: Correcting data required IT tickets, which stalled workflows and created tension across the team.
An Overwhelmed Dev Team: The in-house developers were inundated with requests, but could not support critical needs.
Lack of Investment: The company meant well—but simply didn’t have the resources or expertise to build and maintain a viable solution.
What I Took Away:
By the end of the season, I was burnt out and discouraged. But in hindsight, that experience was a turning point. It showed me how crucial the right tools are—not just for efficiency, but for team morale, trust, and the success of a breeding program.
What Could Have Changed Everything.
Had we used a next-generation platform like PhenomeOne, things would have been completely different. Tasks would have been centralized. Data errors would have been caught early. Fieldwork would have been easier, faster, and far more accurate. Most importantly, the team would have been free to focus on science and strategy- using technology instead of fighting technology.
Today, at Phenome Networks, I’m proud to be on the other side of that experience—helping teams avoid the very pain points I once struggled through. Because at the end of the day, breeding programs deserve better. And the people behind them do too.
We are not just building software. We are building confidence, clarity, and control—for every breeder, in every field.
Best regards,
Forrest Glaser Jackson
Phenome Networks
