By Soybean Production Manager Rob Thomas
Seeds are living organisms. So perfection is difficult to achieve. But we’re going to get as close as possible. Little details can make a big difference when it comes to soybean seed quality. And we believe it’s those things that help separate Champion Seed’s soybeans from the competitors’. Because seed quality can affect your yield, we only put our name on seed that meets our high standards.
Quality starts with our growers
From the beginning, quality is at the forefront of our soybean production process. We start by contracting with the most meticulous farmers to produce our seed each year. These experienced producers take the time to do the little things that make a difference. Like setting the combine just right so the seed is gently thrashed. Or ensuring their loading and unloading equipment is in good working order to avoid damage to fragile seeds.
Plus, the amount that our growers are compensated is determined by the quality of seed they produce. The better the seed, the bigger their check. Prior to harvest, each seed field is inspected to verify 99.5% varietal integrity and minimal weed pressure.
We evaluate, and then we evaluate some more
After harvest, we collect a sample from each bin of seed. We again evaluate each one for varietal purity, test it for moisture and determine an estimated seed size. We also give samples a visual quality rating, which is used to determine if and how that seed will be handled. A portion of these samples are also sent off to a certified, third-party seed laboratory for preliminary germination testing. The remainder of each sample is sealed in an airtight container and kept on file here at Champion Seed. Once it’s passed these evaluations, we bring the seed to our conditioning facility.
We’re all invested in the quality of our seeds
The seed beans are delivered by our customers. By hiring farmers that plant Champion Seed to haul our seed, we know that they also desire a quality product. When the truck arrives — before the hopper even opens — we roll back the tarp, climb up on the truck and make sure that each load passes the eye-test and the smell-test. Then we grab another sample from each load and check the moisture again. As the seed is unloaded, we dribble on just enough mineral oil to reduce dust in our facility and inside our seed boxes and bags.
We choose quality over quantity
Our conditioning facility may not be the biggest or the fastest, but we have state-of-the-art conditioning equipment. The conditioning process runs at a smooth and steady pace. It begins with an air-screen cleaner that first scalps off large material like stems, pods and other foreign materials. Then it sifts out the small seeds, split soybean seeds and other small materials so that only whole, viable soybean seeds remain.
Also at our facility, every remaining seed individually passes over an electronic eye in our color sorter that can detect the slightest discoloration. At the beginning of each run, our equipment operators calibrate the color sorter to determine precisely which seed colors to eject. Last, right before the seed flows to our packaging equipment, it passes by a large magnet on the off chance that metal filings or a piece of hardware gets into the seed.
At this point we direct the seed to the untreated bagging line, the untreated seed box station or the seed treater. Our seed treater is a compact but accurate machine. And just like with the color sorter, our operators calibrate the seed treater for each run. Each treatment blend and component is accurately metered and applied by the on-demand system. After the seed is gently coated, it takes a ride on our giant drying conveyor. This ensures our customers receive a product that flows well through their planting equipment and that the active ingredients stay on the seed.
Even more evaluation
At the time of packaging, our crew collects a representative sample from each run. These “lot samples” are sent to a third-party lab for germination testing and trait verification. Each lot sample is identified by a unique lot number, which is printed on every seed package. Our staff tracks those lot numbers all the way to you, our customer, so that we can accurately address any concerns you might have about our products.
There are a lot of little things that go into providing a quality soybean product … many more than I have mentioned in this article. Those little things are just part of our day-to-day and part of our culture at Champion Seed. I say this a lot, but it seems appropriate to repeat it here: I don’t want you to buy seed from us this year. I want you to buy seed from us every year.
