Kannar Earth Science to commercialize Cornell’s seed technology for pollinator habitat

Cornell team developed a method of embedding small milkweed and other pollinator seeds into pellets.

Planting pollinator habitat needs to be as easy and economical as planting corn and soy. I’m excited to announce that Kannar Earth Science, Ltd. has exclusively licensed technology from Cornell University that uses standard row crop equipment to plant milkweed and wildflower seeds. Multi-Seed Pellets (MSP) can facilitate large-scale habitat restoration to revitalize the pollinator populations that boost yields for commodity and specialty crops alike.  

When Dr. Alan Taylor, a seed science and technology professor from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell AgriTech, brought his team’s seed technology to Kannar in 2023, I quickly realized the elegance of their solution to help pollinators, growers, and functional ecology habitats. The Cornell team developed a method of embedding small milkweed and other pollinator seeds into pellets compatible with standard planting equipment to overcome the limitations and expense of current broadcasting or hand-planting methods.  

Kannar licensed the patent-pending technology, and my team is working to bring MSP from the lab to full commercial production. We see MSP as both an economical and environmental win for agriculture, forestry, and landholders interested in beautification and biodiversity. Industry leaders and influencers shared my enthusiasm when I debuted MSP at the Monarchs and More Network Meeting in Austin, Texas at the beginning of March. 

Field trials are planned in the US, Canada, and Mexico with initial support from Corteva, Laura Turner Seydel and the Turner’s Avalon Plantation. We expect MSP to be commercially available in 2025 and will update availability at www.kannargroup.com