ICIA

Name

ICIA

Legal name

Illinois Crop Improvement Association

Website

https://ilcrop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Testing and Certification Services

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Seed Testing Services (Germination, Purity, Vigor, Seed Health) (AFACAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seed Testing, Certification & Quality Assurance (Germination, Purity, Phytosanitary) (AFABAFAM), Seed Quality Testing & Certification Support (Germination, Purity, Vigor) (AFAOADAK), Seed Quality Testing & Certification Services (AFAGAIAI), Identity & Authenticity Verification for Label Accuracy (species, varietal, adulteration) (AFALAHAF), GMO/Identity Preservation & Variety Verification Testing (AFAOAMAD), Laboratory Analysis Services (Wet Chemistry, Microbiology for Grains) (AFAOAMAJ), Trait Performance Trials & Field Testing (Multi-location, pre-commercial) (AFABALAK)

Keywords

• Seed testing services
• Trait purity testing
• Identity preserved grain
• Seed certification
• Counter-season breeding

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seed Certification Services: Certification of seed production for varietal purity and identity, including tagging, quality assurance, and authentication programs. Revenue generated through certification fees and assessment rates.
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Seed testing (germination, purity, vigor), trait testing, and identity-preserved grain lab services. Revenue generated per test/sample submitted.
3. OECD Assessment Fees: Assessment fees for OECD seed certification programs: Corn 0.60/cwt, Cereals, cotton, soybean, sunflower 0.50/cwt, Other species and mixtures 0.50/cwt.
4. Field Inspection Services: Field inspections for seed production fields, phytosanitary inspections, and grow-out testing services.
5. Puerto Rico Winter Farm Services: Counter-season seed development services including hybrid growouts, inbred and hybrid seed production, breeding nursery support, and agronomic data collection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICIA provides independent third-party seed testing, trait testing, identity-preserved grain analysis, official seed certification, and phytosanitary field inspection services to seed companies, grain producers, and plant breeders. The organization also operates a 200+ acre winter farm in Puerto Rico for year-round counter-season seed development, hybrid growouts, and trait introgression. All laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited and the seed lab is recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a foreign seed testing laboratory.

Product overview

ICIA (Illinois Crop Improvement Association) offers a comprehensive suite of agricultural testing and certification services organized around five core service lines: Seed Testing Services (germination, purity, vigor testing across 800+ species), Trait Testing Services (genetic trait purity verification, greenhouse bioassay, herbicide tolerance screening), Identity Preserved Grain (IPG) Testing (compositional analysis, NIR calibrations, food-grade testing bundles), Seed Certification (AOSCA/OECD tagging, quality assurance, authentication programs), and Puerto Rico Winter Farm Services (year-round counter-season seed development, breeding nursery, trait introgression on 200+ acres). The organization operates as a multi-service testing and certification platform with both Illinois-based laboratories (seed lab, IPG lab, greenhouse) and the Puerto Rico winter farm. All laboratories maintain ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Testing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Tests over 800 species for germination, purity, and vigor
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Illinois Crop rejoined ETS program (previously held recognition 2013-2023), maintaining high standards for stewarded material handling.
• DuPont/Pioneer Hi-BredminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008External validation of Ethanol Yield Potential (EYP) NIR calibration for predicting ethanol output of corn grain.
• RQA, Copesan, Degesch AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006TRAC (Tracking Residue and Contaminants) program cooperation for stewardship services.
• GeneScanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Strategic alliance resulting in PASS (Producer Audited Supply System) program for multinational seed company stewardship.
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative agreements for OECD Seed Schemes administration. Illinois Crop operates under official OECD certification authority in cooperation with USDA AMS.
• Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember agency of AOSCA, participating in certification requirements development, quality assurance programs, and identity preserved programs. Illinois Crop served as inaugural chair of AOSCA IP program.
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Crop is a CFIA Officially Recognized Foreign Seed Testing Laboratory (no. 3010). Seed Lab Director Steve Beals is accredited as a Canadian Grader.
• US Grains CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term project managing corn quality and export cargo reports used worldwide to promote US corn composition and characteristics.
• Centrec ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManages corn quality reports funded by US Grains Council, with Illinois Crop providing grain quality data and analysis.
• Illinois Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint agreement for phytosanitary field inspections established in 1986, with Illinois Crop accredited under NSHS since 2003.
• Illinois Seed Trade AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIllinois Crop CEO serves as Executive Secretary-Treasurer. Collaborative referee program for seed testing standardization and Illinois Seed Month promotion.
• University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship with U of I College of Agriculture, including Advisory Committee participation, collaborative research, and variety review board service.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: International testing services group with substantial agricultural and food testing operations. Comparable laboratory accreditation model (ISO 17025) and seed/grain testing capabilities, but at global scale across many industries.
• Neogen Corporation: Provider of food and animal safety testing products and services, including grain and feed testing. Overlaps with ICIA's grain quality, mycotoxin, and composition testing but focuses on diagnostic kits and rapid tests rather than field inspection services.
• SGS SA: Global leader in inspection, verification, testing, and certification services including agricultural commodities. Overlaps with ICIA's grain quality and phytosanitary testing from a much larger, broader portfolio perspective.

Emerging players

• Agdia: Provider of agricultural diagnostic test kits and plant pathogen detection services. Overlaps with ICIA's trait testing and disease screening capabilities but focuses on molecular diagnostics kits rather than third-party lab services.

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association: State crop improvement association providing seed certification, lab testing, and field inspection services. Comparable in scale, service model, and customer base to ICIA, serving the upper Midwest seed industry.
• Iowa Crop Improvement Association: State crop improvement association offering seed certification, laboratory testing, and field inspection in Iowa. Closest peer in geographic adjacency and service mix, with comparable OECD/AOSCA certification authority and seed industry customer base.
• Ohio Seed Improvement Association: Member-driven seed certification and testing organization in Ohio. Directly comparable AOSCA-aligned certification agency providing similar seed lab, field inspection, and quality assurance services to seed companies and growers.
• Indiana Crop Improvement Association: State-level crop improvement association providing seed certification, testing, and field inspection services in Indiana. Direct comparable to ICIA's core certification and lab services model, with similar AOSCA membership and customer base of seed companies and growers.
• Minnesota Crop Improvement Association: Nonprofit seed certification and testing association serving Minnesota seed producers. Comparable state-designated certification agency model with similar service lines including seed testing, field inspection, and OECD seed scheme administration.

Others

• Centrec Consulting: Agricultural consulting and data management firm that manages US Grains Council corn quality reports in partnership with ICIA. Adjacent ecosystem participant and partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IllinoisCrop
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-crop-improvement-association-in

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICIA