Technological and societal changes influence the new generation of plant breeders, moving them further away from field work, emphasizing instead the use of genomic-based selection methods relying on big data. We envisage what skills plant breeders of tomorrow might need to address challenges, and whether their time in the field may dwindle. The talk is based on a recent invited review published in The Plant Genome (TPG). The session will be moderated by TPG Associate Editor Davoud Torkamaneh.