Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14860 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator, aSyngentaglobalinitiative. FARMING IS DIRTY work — at the end of a long day, returning home from the fields covered in everything from sweat and manure to ticks and stick tights, and of course, dust. Dust is inevitable. It’s everywhere, but a focus on pollinator health has led industry efforts aimed at specifically reducing the amount of dust released during planting when treated seed is being used. It’s a pro- active pollinator health step, and serious strides have been made. Palle Pedersen, head of Syngenta Seedcare product marketing, says the real work to reduce dust through seed treat- ment applications began more than 10 years ago in Europe. “There is no real documentation that seed treatments are causing pollinator health issues, but we want to be sure when we are in the field, whether using a seed treatment or spraying, that we are a good steward of the land for everyone around us, including the pollinators,” Pedersen says. Most recently, the biggest impact comes from improvements to the poly- mers and application process. But other improvements such as filtering dust from planter boxes or even directing the planter exhaust air to go down instead of up are also noteworthy. Application Efforts A more precise application process for applying the treatment to each individual seed has been a key area of focus. Andy LaVigne, American Seed Trade Association president and CEO, says the process has moved from a highly variable application to one that is extremely con- tained and controlled. To help provide a visual, LaVigne says: “Imagine a small machine that is enclosed and looks sort of like a cement mixer so it contains all the chemicals and applies the treatment in exact amounts to each seed as they move around the drum.” This also keeps applicators safe, and the process has been perfected during the past several years to a point where it is extremely effective. “We can apply the treatment with an accuracy of plus or minus 5 percent, and when you’re talking about milligrams, that is extremely accurate,” Pedersen says. Before, Pedersen says applications were based on volume, or fluid ounces per 100 pounds of seed, so the seed size and shape wasn’t taken into consideration. Advancements in polymers, the application process and training opportunities reduce dust from treated seed. Melissa Shipman DUSTBUSTINGEFFORTSBENEFITPOLLINATORS Other advances are new polymers, or sticking agents, being applied to the slurry. “These additives help the treatment dry faster and help it stick to the seed surface better,” Pedersen says. Of course not all seed treatments are applied by the distributor. These efforts must trickle down to retail applications, as well. In fact, Pedersen says two-thirds of soybeans are treated at a retail loca- tion instead of a major seed supplier. It’s important to make sure the process is closely monitored. “Syngenta offers services to help cus- tomers be sure to apply the right amount of treatment. You want to be sure you are working with a company that is commit- ted to this effort,” Pedersen says. It’s a fact: Planting is dusty. But industry efforts seek to minimize dust off from treated seed during the process to help protect pollinator health.