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 7640 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2017 INSIDERS ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS BIOLOGICALS Biologicals: Wading Through the Registration Waters WORKING IN A world of regulation can be difficult, especially with regard to biologicals and whether or not certain products must be registered. There’s a lot to keep up-to-date on. Regulations and requirements vary between states and at the federal level. On a federal level, if your biological product makes pesticidal claims, it is regulated and must have Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration. As ABM is in the process of having some of its products classified as biopesticides, we have some experience wading through this sea of regulation. The EPA divides different biopesti- cides into three categories: biochemi- cals, microbials and plant-incorporated DAN CUSTIS ABM CEO AND CO-FOUNDER Dan@abm1st.com • ABM1st.com WE’RE A MONTH into the new year, and anyone who takes planning ahead seriously is already planning to have a successful treating season. There’s a lot to consider in terms of your equipment. I have a lot of experience in this area, and I’ve learned seven steps to ensure you have a successful treating season ahead of you. 1. Take advantage of manufacturers’ service and maintenance plans, if avail- able. This is generally done in the off- season, so this needs to be planned for a year in advance. A little maintenance right now can save you major headaches (and downtime) down the road. 2. Be prepared with correct equip- ment. There’s nothing more damaging to your business than to suffer downtime because you lack a crucial tool to help you in the process of treating seed. 3. Scale certification. Ensure you arrange for a qualified scale technician to do this. Failure to do this could result in a stopped scale and not being able to deliver seed to your customer. 4. Operator review — training videos/ webinars. Your operators should be up to date on the latest standards in equipment operation and safety. Get any new opera- tors involved in face-to-face training with the equipment manufacturer, if possible. 5. Data entry. Customers, seed variet- ies, treatment items and recipes should all be kept track of in your database soft- ware, which should be up-to-date and BULK SYSTEMS & AUTOMATION Seven Steps for a Successful Treating Season JASON KAEB KSI CONVEYORS DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT JasonKaeb@ksiconveyors.com • KSiConveyors.com searchable. Proper software will save you time and money. 6. Do a trial run. Run all equipment and inspect for any issues (torn belts, electronic failures, etc.) well in advance of needing to deliver or treat seed. Process some early runs to ensure that all equip- ment is operating correctly. 7. Equipment calibration. Calibrate any needed equipment to ensure accu- racy. This step may need to be done more than once throughout the season (as often as daily for some equipment). Remember: Being ready and prepared when your first customer calls you asking to deliver or treat seed for them is very important, and these seven steps will go a long way in helping you be ready for that. protectants (PIPS). To be registered as a biopesticide with the EPA, your products must contain a biochemical, microbial, or PIP active ingredient and cannot contain a convention chemical. Some common registration issues companies encounter include uncertain- ties related to product and test material identity and incomplete data packages. Generally, as long as your product meets the ingredient requirements and you can prove its safety according to EPA stan- dard, it can be registered. Things get complicated very quickly at the state level in regard to registra- tion. There are many grey areas if your product doesn’t have federal approval as a biopesticide. In some states, certain biological products have no regulations or registrations. Other states have unique requirements. For biologicals not federally registered (like products marketed as biostimulants), things can be tough. In Oregon, for exam- ple, you have to have a heavy metals test done to sell certain biological products there. In Ohio, legume inoculants have to be registered. It would be ideal to develop a nation- wide system for the registration of bio- logicals. In the mean time, it’s best to arm yourself with knowledge and, when appropriate, work toward registering products as biopesticides with the EPA. This will make things easier for you until a better system can be put in place.