Interview with Executive Board member Sebastian Talg
“Farmers’ success is our benchmark”
How can KWS support farmers even more effectively in achieving long-term success? In this interview, Sebastian Talg, member of the KWS Executive Board since September 2025, discusses the importance of taking a holistic view of farms, how KWS is developing, and the role of plant breeding, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of agriculture.
Mr. Talg, how did KWS perform in fiscal year 2025/26?
It was not an easy year for agriculture. Low prices for commodities and high costs for key inputs put pressure on farms; at the same time, acreage declined for crops that are important to KWS. Despite the challenging environment, our business remained robust. Net sales declined slightly but remained at a high level. At the same time, we once again achieved strong profitability.
What were the main reasons for this stability?
Today, we are benefiting from decisions and investments made in recent years. One important success factor is our strong breeding work. Innovations such as CONVISO® SMART demonstrate the value that long-term research and development can create when it addresses specific challenges in the field. Although global sugarbeet acreage has declined significantly, we successfully held our market position. Another factor is the breadth of our portfolio: In the cereals segment, for example, headwinds in the rye business were partially offset by positive developments in other crops, particularly oilseed rape. We also have a clear strategic focus on areas where we can grow profitably over the long term.
Today, farmers do not make decisions about individual products in isolation, but in the context of their entire crop rotation and the profitability of their farms.
Sebastian Talg | Member of the Executive Board
Which strategic developments were particularly important in the fiscal year?
For me, the most important strategic development was that we further sharpened the focus on our customers’ needs. Today, farmers do not make decisions about individual products in isolation, but in the context of their entire crop rotation and the profitability of their farms. A farm needs not just the best individual variety, but the best portfolio for its specific situation. We want to be a trusted partner to our customers, helping them make the best decisions and position their farms for long-term success. That is why we are connecting genetics, cross-crop advice, data, and digital tools along the entire crop rotation even more closely.
Precise cultivation recommendations, field-specific advice, and digital farming solutions for every stage of the growing season: Learn more about our digital service myKWS.
How do data and digital farming solutions support this approach?
With myKWS, we already provide farmers with digital advice and decision support throughout the growing season. At the same time, we are investing in new capabilities in data and AI. Over the long term, AI gives us the opportunity to combine individual factors such as weather, market conditions, disease pressure, and different soil conditions even more effectively with our genetic expertise. However, one thing is clear:
Digital farming solutions can complement advisory services, but they cannot replace personal interaction.
What does closeness to agriculture mean for KWS itself?
Plant breeding requires patience: The decisions we make today often do not reach the market until many years later. That is why we need to anticipate the challenges agriculture will face and align our breeding accordingly. We are in the same boat as farmers, and their success is ultimately our success too. The better we listen, the more likely we are to make the right decisions.
Looking ahead: What challenges will have the greatest impact on agriculture?
Global demand for food will rise sharply in the coming decades. At the same time, the amount of arable land available per capita is declining, and the effects of climate change are already being felt in many places. Agricultural productivity has increased dramatically in recent decades. Alongside plant breeding, the main drivers of this increase have been synthetic fertilizers, chemical crop protection, and mechanization. These factors remain important, but they are increasingly reaching their limits. As a result, plant breeding is becoming even more important. New breeding methods, along with the combination of genetics, data analytics, and AI, are opening up additional opportunities for us. For me, that is a tremendous source of motivation: Through our work, we can help address one of the key challenges of the coming decades.
This year, KWS is celebrating 170 years of history: What does that mean today?
Over its long history, KWS has experienced numerous crises, upheavals, and changes. Time and again, the company has managed to adapt and remain successful. For me, the main reason is a distinctive mindset. KWS has never focused on maximizing short-term gains, but rather on long-term progress in plant breeding. That perspective and the conviction that we can only succeed if our customers succeed continue to shape the company to this day.
The figures for our segments can be found in the next article.
