In the world of crop production, timing is everything—especially when it comes to pollination. For decades, farmers have relied on nature’s schedule for pollen to be released from male plants and reach the female plants that produce seeds. But this process comes with no guarantees. Fluctuating weather, plant biology, and other environmental factors make natural pollination unpredictable, sometimes leading to lower yields or reduced seed quality.
That’s where PowerPollen has found its purpose. Founded in 2015, the agricultural technology company has spent years studying how to make pollination more efficient, especially in large-scale commercial farming. Now, the company has secured U.S. Patent 12,245,587 for a method that could offer a more consistent solution: blending fresh pollen with solid materials to preserve its viability during storage. This innovation might not make headlines every day, but for seed producers working to feed a growing population, it could be a practical tool with lasting impact.
Behind the Patent: A Simple Idea, Carefully Engineered
PowerPollen’s latest patent recognizes a method that addresses one of the most frustrating limitations of storing pollen—its tendency to clump together and die quickly. It’s a chain reaction that can make stored pollen almost useless within hours. But the company found a way to stop that cycle.
By mixing pollen with specially chosen solid particulates, the live grains are kept separated from each other. This separation prevents the dead cell material from infecting healthy pollen and allows the grains to remain viable for longer periods—long enough to store and apply them in the field when and where they’re needed. The idea might sound straightforward, but developing the right blend of materials, and proving that it works consistently, took years of research and testing.
Building a Technology Stack to Support Farmers
This new patent is part of a broader collection of intellectual property that PowerPollen has developed over the past decade. Their work focuses not just on storage, but also on the entire process of collecting, storing, and applying pollen in commercial fields. That includes crops like corn, rice, wheat, and barley—some of the most widely grown grains around the world.
“Our initial key discoveries more than a decade ago – and our ongoing innovation since – has enabled PowerPollen to scale our unique pollination tech stack of collection, storage and application to commercial levels in agriculture—helping farmers and seed production partners increase yields without increasing other inputs,” said Cope.
This focus on practical outcomes—getting more from the same amount of land, water, and fertilizer—has guided PowerPollen’s strategy since day one. The company’s approach allows seed producers to apply pollen exactly when it’s needed, rather than hoping nature’s schedule aligns with their production goals.
That’s especially important in crops like hybrid corn, where seed production depends on precise timing between male and female rows. If pollen is lost to bad weather or doesn’t shed at the right time, the yield potential drops. By using stored pollen, farmers and seed companies can sidestep that uncertainty.
Matching Modern Breeding with Smarter Pollination
In today’s agriculture, plant breeding has reached impressive levels of sophistication. Scientists can select for traits like drought tolerance, pest resistance, and nutritional value with fine-tuned precision. But as Cope points out, all of that hard work can be at risk if pollination still depends on uncontrollable factors.
“Seed crop producers today use incredibly innovative breeding techniques yet risk it all with pollination methods that haven’t changed for generations,” he said. “With this patent claim, we continue to execute our IP strategy focused on the foundational building blocks of pollination-enabling technologies – and advancing this innovation across crops and geographies at the pace, scale and reliability critical to advancing higher-yield and climate-resilient food production.”
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PowerPollen’s method of applying stored pollen also gives producers more control over seed purity. By applying only the desired pollen, they can reduce the influence of unwanted cross-pollination, which helps improve the overall quality of the seed.
A Future Beyond U.S. Fields
Currently, PowerPollen’s technology is being used on thousands of acres across the United States, with plans underway to introduce it in other regions. The company believes this approach could be beneficial in a variety of climates and cropping systems—especially where environmental stress is already making traditional pollination more difficult.
While the patent is a legal milestone, the company sees it as a step toward broader goals: giving farmers tools to boost productivity, lowering risks in seed production, and enabling consistent yields even when nature doesn’t cooperate.
Over the next few seasons, seed producers will continue to experiment with PowerPollen’s approach, looking for ways to integrate it into their standard operations. The company encourages interested farmers and seed partners to reach out for demos and further information. From the outside, pollen might seem like a small detail in a massive agricultural system. But for those who work the land and depend on every seed, preserving its potential can make all the difference.
