We make high-tech breeding a reality for USDA-ARS specialty crop and animal breeders.

Discover our solutions and services for stepping into the genomics era.

What we do

At Breeding Insight, we level the playing field for routine use of genomics insights, creating new opportunities for USDA-ARS specialty breeders to adopt tools, technologies and methods from basic research. We integrate phenomics (trait analysis), genomics (genotypic data), data management, and software tools to help breeders increase rates of genetic gain, which results in more healthy, nutritious, and sustainable food for consumers.

What is Breeding Insight?

Our Proven Solutions

We combine genomics and informatics to deliver powerful breeding solutions

Logistical

Solutions for reducing manual work and improving capacity and efficiency for breeding

Technical

Solutions for adopting and using new tools, technologies and methods

Biological

Solutions and innovations that work with and around species’ biological constraints

Environmental

Solutions for collecting data in real-world environments and for creating climate-resilient products

Success Stories

DNA markers provide guideposts for alfalfa breeders

Modern-day travelers rely on maps to navigate to places they need to go. Likewise, modern-day plant breeders rely on DNA maps in their crops to breed improved cultivars.  Needed tools are rapidly being constructed and tested to assemble an Alfalfa Breeder’s Toolbox that will be available to public and private alfalfa breeders for crop improvement.

The Food Supply Chain

How do foods we eat get to our table?

What do we choose to eat? Why do we choose to eat it? Click below to learn how Breeding Insight helps breeders adopt technologies to provide new and improved cultivars for our food supply.

1
Basic Research is the starting point for getting more nutritious, affordable food to the table. Basic research is exploratory work that happens in university, government, and industry settings.
2
Breeding Insight takes the know-how from basic research and transfers it to real world breeding programs that have various barriers to entry from adopting new resources.
3
Plant and Animal Breeders cross individuals and make selections that are better performing, higher yielding, and require lower inputs than the available varieties.
4
Growers and Producers grow plants and raise animals from existing stock or from new varieties.
5
Processors take raw materials, such as produce, fish, or milk, to create a derived product. Examples of derived products include frozen berries, fruit juices, canned goods, ice cream, meat products, and dehydrated mixes and spices.
6
Distributors send products to consumers, whether those products are raw, fresh, preserved, or processed. Types of distributors include shipping companies and retail and wholesale stores.
7
Consumers are all of us! We are the end purchasers and users of food goods, in either raw or processed forms.

Some of our most treasured and enjoyable food products come from specialty crops. We depend on these products being readily available. And yet, these crops are facing huge hurdles in a rapidly changing world. Plant and animal breeders are an essential step of our modern food supply.

Our partner organizations

Ready to check out our open source tools?

Breeders, our easy-to-use, breeder-friendly software is here for you to test.

Developers, our source code is publicly available, licensed with Apache 2.0.