High-oleic soybeans, non-GMO corn and soybeans, sweet corn, livestock feed, and direct-tobuyer ingredients can add to your bottom line if you follow The Rows Less Traveled

When it came time for ZeaKal to expand to the United States, traditional markets didn't make much sense.

- Chelsea Dinterman

The New Zealand-based trait technology company had developed a soybean variety that offered up to 15% more oil, and increased protein by up to 3 percentage points without a yield drag or need for additional inputs.

"We had created something that really benefited every end user of that soy," said Han Chen, cofounder and CEO of ZeaKal.

Originally looking to sell to a larger company, Chen found the major seed companies weren't set up to monetize value-added traits and instead were participating in a market driven by scale and efficiency. "So, we set out to create an integrated supply chain that could really bring everything together," he said.

Chen looked to decommoditize his product, focusing on value throughout the ecosystem.

Decommoditization

The Nebraska Farm Bureau defines decommoditization as "producers who work through contracts, local markets, and other avenues to produce a commodity with an attribute or quality to more directly supply a consumer demand." In short, taking out the middleman between producer and consumer.

The rapid increase in productivity of crops, such as corn and soybeans, has meant traditional commodity markets often require low-cost production for growers to see profits. The growing trend toward decommoditization offers new opportunities to grow high-value crops for hyperspecific markets.

"It really comes down to differentiating your product from someone else,” said Stephen Nicholson, Rabobank's global sector strategist for grains and oilseeds.

Finding Opportunities

A whole host of industries offers contracts for specialized crop production. Non-GMO crops, specialized crops for livestock feed ingredients (e.g. high-oleic soybeans), and low-carbon crops are just a few examples.