b'Seed Treatments are ImportantTools for the IndustryOVER THE PAST MONTH,theres been a lot of buzz around seed treat-ments. Questions such as: are they necessary? How do they affect the environment?If you look at what seed treatments bring to the table, theyre not only proven to be effective in the field year after year but provide a compelling argument for ongoing use. When it comes to regulatory approval, seed treatments are held to a rigorous standardand seed treatments are approved and regulated just like any other pesticide. It takes the work of an army of scientists, toxi-cologists, formulation experts and regulatory experts before the dossier reaches the EPA. During the EPA review, they may ask for more data on top of that. And, eventually, the EPA must satisfy itself that there would be no unreasonable adverse effects on humans or the environment, while taking into account the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits when used according to the label directions. Only then will you get a product label. The EPA has built a structure where companies must prove that your product passes those stringent thresholdsjust like any other cropprotection product. Otherwise, it wont get into the market.On top of those requirements, we are always ensuring seed treatments can go out with an appropriate seed coating. That coating is important to the process because it makes sure the active ingredients of the treated seed stay where they need to beon the seed.As members of the seed treatment industry, we work on promoting education and sustainability throughout the pipeline. We work with industry partners to train and educate applicators and growers on how to handle seed thats treated with active ingredients. A few examples include the BeSure! stewardship campaign in tandem with the Growing Matters Coalition and the seed treatment guide together with the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) every year. Theres also an internal committee at BASF that meets every month to talk about education and stewardship. We ask: Are we doing enough to train or enough to educate? Have we picked up any information from the market on anyone not following those practices? We have a connection to these products from the initial R&D work through to when a product is used in the field. Lets continue the dialogue about seed treatments. Retailers: talk toMARTIN HORROCKSyour seed treatment providers. Growers: talk to your retailer. Ask questionsDIRECTOR OF NORTH AMERICAN SEED TREATMENT, BASFand do your own research. At BASF, were ready to have that discussion martin.horrocks@basf.comjust ask.agriculture.basf.us/crop-protection/use-areas/seed-treatment.html32/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021'