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 14876 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 THE EQUIPMENT NEEDS of the seed and agriculture research industry are simi- lar, yet different from the equipment needs of the production agriculture industry. Both sectors need equipment that they can count on to operate efficiently in the adverse conditions and challenging time- lines that come along with food produc- tion. But in the research industry, we need our equipment to be easily transportable, to provide consistent data, and to provide quality samples. So how do we go about achieving equipment that can do this? Simple, we begin with the end in mind. We look at the needs of the agriculture research industry. We talk with end users. We spend time in fields watching equipment operate. And we study production equipment. Production equipment is focused on speed — get the most work done in the least amount of time. Thus, the sheer mass of farm equipment on the market. Research equip- ment must also get the most work done in the least amount of time, but it must also be performing the work of research at the same time. Plant the seeds, then record the data. Harvest the grain, collect the data. Thresh the plant, deliver a clean undamaged sample. SEED RESEARCH EQUIPMENT Beginning with the End in Mind TAMRA BOUCHER HALDRUP USA MANAGING DIRECTOR tamra.boucher@haldrup.net • www.haldrup.net Purposeful engineering is the basis for developing equipment which accom- plishes these objectives. For purposeful engineering to occur, equipment design- ers must have a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by the research community. Those challenges are not the same as those faced by production ag. In my job, I have the pleasure of learning from the research community, and then being able to respond to those needs by providing solutions that help those very people. I am fortunate, because the research community is one that tends to be very good at articulating its needs and providing suggestions for solving them. Where I come in is helping to facilitate the engineering to solve those issues. There are many areas of research, and each area requires specific and unique engineering to make the wheels turn, sometimes literally. “For purposeful engineering to occur, equipment designers must have a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by the research community.” — Tamra Boucher SEED TREATMENT CHEMICALS are applied to seed in order to protect it from pathogens that may damage the seed in storage, during the initial planting of the seed or during the early growth of the seed- ling. Beyond crop protection, seed treat- ment chemicals also have been shown to increase germination rates, vigor and root development. Seed treatment loading rate analysis is used to assist seed producers in deter- mining the accuracy of the application of seed treatment chemicals to a wide variety of seeds. Every seed treatment chemical is registered and labeled for specific types of seed at specified loading rates. The use of this service is important to ensure the seed is not undertreated and risking loss of protection, or over-treated, which wastes money and affects seed health. There is also the need to comply with local, state and federal laws while managing liability and to protect industry reputation. During the seed treatment application process, it is crucial to identify and then limit the sources of variability. Some examples of variability in the treating process are the manufacture of seed treatment chemi- cals, the formulation of the seed treatment solution(s), the mixing of the chemical slurry, the application of the seed treatment slurry and the sampling of the treated seed sent for loading rate analysis. Without understanding the potential sources of variability in the process, it is dif- ficult to ensure the sample sent is represen- tative of the treated seed. In addition to understanding the sources of variability, good record keeping is also important. Not only does this help the seed SEED HEALTH The Importance of Seed Treatment Analysis JOSEPH ZALUSKY MANAGER, EUROFINS BIODIAGNOSTICS ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY LAB AND CUSTOM SEED TREATMENT APPLICATION LAB JosephZalusky@eurofinsUS.com • EurofinsUS.com producer manage their inventory and pro- cess, it also assists in troubleshooting when loading rate analysis results indicate the seed is off-target for chemical loading. The benefit of understanding the sources of variability and keeping good records is that the amount of seed retreated or discarded seed due to the misapplica- tion of seed treatment chemicals is limited. Reduced time troubleshooting the applica- tion process is also a result, as is a reduction of customer complaints or returned seed. By streamlining the process, a seed pro- ducer should be able to treat more seed accurately in less time with confidence that they are delivering the highest quality prod- uct to their customers.