Xitavo^Ò soybean seed-exclusive varieties represent a farmer-first approach to agricultural innovation, bringing research directly to the fields where it matters most.

Since opening its first breeding facility in 2022, the Xitavo soybean seed brand has rapidly expanded its reach across the region. What started as a single location now coordinates trials across 37 sites, with 21 of them strategically placed throughout the Dakotas and Minnesota.

This aggressive expansion reflects the program's core mission: developing soybean varieties under the same conditions farmers face every day.

"When a farmer looks at data, he wants to look at data that's in his area, or at least regionally, rather than just looking at a generalized multi-regional data set,” said John Davies, soybean breeder at the Xitavo soybean seed facility in Sabin, Minnesota.

This local approach addresses a fundamental challenge in agricultural research. Too often, crop varieties are developed in laboratory settings or distant research facilities, leaving farmers to wonder whether promising results will translate to their specific soil conditions, weather patterns and growing challenges.

So far, promising results in plots across the three-state region. Davies said they have seen healthy yield increases ranging from 5%-15%.

“We’re still doing testing, but the results look very promising,” he said.

Testing and research are directly embedded within each service area community.

Xitavo soybean seed research plots serve as more than just a testing ground. They are a hub for ongoing dialogue between researchers and the farming community. Through field days, one-on-one interactions with agronomists and regular feedback sessions, farmers play an active role in shaping the varieties being developed.

This two-way exchange ensures that research priorities align with real-world farming needs. Rather than developing varieties based on theoretical improvements, the breeding program responds directly to challenges farmers identify in their own operations. Whether it's improving standability, enhancing disease resistance or boosting yield potential, the research agenda is driven by farmer input.

The timing of this farmer-centric approach couldn't be more critical. Low commodity prices are heavily pressuring farm profitability, farmers need varieties that deliver measurable improvements, not just incremental changes. The local testing approach helps ensure that new varieties can perform under the specific stresses and conditions that factor into regional agriculture.

The integration of Xitavo soybean seed within the farming community also provides researchers with invaluable real-time feedback. When varieties are tested across multiple locations within the same region, patterns emerge that might be missed in more scattered trial programs.

This concentrated approach allows researchers to fine-tune varieties for regional success rather than broad geographic adaptation.

“Xitavo soybean seed-exclusive varieties distinguish themselves in today’s marketplace through one key factor: their unwavering commitment to developing unique genetics rather than repackaging varieties bred by others.

While many seed companies license varieties from external breeding programs, only about five companies in the United States actually conduct their own breeding and develop proprietary genetics.

This means farmers often find the same variety sold under different company names across multiple brands. The seed-exclusive approach of Xitavo soybean seed eliminates this duplication.

“When farmers purchase Xitavo soybean seed, they're getting genetics that won't show up in a competitor's bag with a different label,” Davies said.

The varieties emerging from this program aren't designed for generic Midwest conditions—they're developed specifically for the soils, climate, and pest pressures that define farming in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

The rapid expansion of Xitavo soybean seed to 37 trial locations proves the program's dedication to serve the individual regional farming communities. Each location provides additional data points about how varieties perform under slightly different conditions, creating a comprehensive picture of variety performance across the region's diverse farming landscapes.

As the program matures, this local focus promises to deliver varieties that farmers can trust because they've been proven under conditions similar to producers’ own fields.

By keeping research rooted in the community it serves, the Sabin breeding station represents a return to agriculture's collaborative traditions, where innovation emerges from the partnership between scientific expertise and practical farming knowledge.

For farmers who refuse to settle for "good enough," this local approach to variety development offers the promise of varieties that truly understand their fields, their challenges and their goals for profitable, sustainable production.

Because ultimately, for both producers and Xitavo soybean seed alike, “in the end, it all comes down to yields,” Davies said.

Xitavo is a registered trademark of M.S. Technologies, L.L.C., West Point, IA.