Don’t Ship Treated Seed!

pride corn seed on trailerThere’s a right way and a wrong way to get rid of treated seed. Using up most of what you have is a logical first step, but even the few kernels left in bins, trucks or augers could cause you major headaches down the line.

Canada’s grain handling system has a zero tolerance level for treated seed — even a few seeds stuck in the truck box could mean the load is rejected at the elevator. What happens if it’s missed at the elevator? Further testing is done at the primary elevator, at the terminal and on the shipping vessel. Any shipments found to contain treated seed are colour sorted and re-tested and the lot may be removed from the value chain if contaminated.

In this interview with Daryl Beswitherick, program manager of quality assurance standards with the Canadian Grain Commission, we hear about Canada’s zero tolerance for treated seed in the supply chain, how to ensure you minimize the risks and the most likely times a mistake may happen.

Click here (or see below the player) for more prevention tips from the Canadian Grain Commission.

If you cannot see the embedded player, click here.

A few tips for dealing with treated seed (view it as a PDF here: Treated seed FACTSHEET):

  • Clean up carefully: sweep out trucks thoroughly, clean out augers and consider a dedicated bin for treated seed, if possible.
  • Dispose of seed bags and left over seed properly, as required by provincial rules.
  • Store it for next year (the pre-step to this step is treating only what you need, as precisely as possible, but changes to seeding plans can negate the best laid plans, of course).
  • Communicate — make sure everyone knows that treated seed cannot be delivered to the elevator and needs to be segregated or disposed of.

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