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 7642 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2017 INCREASING SEED SALES is tough. The market is competitive, quality sales employees are expensive and farmers can be finicky. Improved seed purity, however, can give a seed company a competitive advantage in two areas. Herbicide Tolerance — Precision plant- ing equipment and stand evaluations allow farmers to know exactly which seeds germi- nated and produced a healthy plant. While germination rates are key, seed purity can be just as important. When a farmer plants herbicide tolerant traits, a post-spray stand evaluation allows the farmer to see which plants survived. Selling high-purity seed for herbicide tolerance can give farmers 1-2 per- cent more productive plants that can con- tribute to higher yields. Low GMO Presence — Today, more grain end users are paying a premium for low GMO presence in conventional corn. Farmers selling corn to these non-GMO end users want to know their seed doesn’t contain high levels of GMO presence. Seed companies that have low GMO presence in their conventional corn earn a significant marketing advantage over those without test results or higher GMO levels. To take advantage of these high seed purity opportunities, a seed company needs to ensure its seed is produced to the highest standards. Here are two ways Gro Alliance provides that high-purity seed. Isolation — In the seed production field, distance from other corn pollen sources is key to achieving seed purity. Those dis- tances range from 165 to 1,320 feet, plus male border, from competitive pollen. Having diverse seed production locations allows Gro Alliance to meet any isolation PRODUCTION Every Kernel Counts: Raising the Bar on Seed Purity JIM SCHWEIGERT GRO ALLIANCE PRESIDENT @jim_schweigert • jim.schweigert@groalliance.com • GroAlliance.com standard necessary to achieve the desired seed purity standard. Kernel Cleaning — Each piece of equip- ment, from harvest to conditioning, must be free of contaminating kernels. At Gro Alliance, our process is ISO 9001 certified and requires a full kernel clean between each hybrid. Every inch is visually inspected and documented with an employee signa- ture. Further, our seed conditioning facilities have modern kernel cleaning tools, such as automatic bin vibrators, central vacuum sys- tems and smooth transitions that eliminate catch points. Achieving a high level of seed purity is a driving force behind every facility improve- ment project at Gro Alliance. We have a responsibility to ensure our clients are able to serve every market, no matter how strict the purity requirements. ALL businesses and products are unique in their own way. No two organizations or what they produce are alike. This unique- ness means that design projects must be tailored specifically for the company or organization they’ve been commissioned by. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in the world of engineering solutions. There are a number of key factors to think about when considering a new engi- neering project, whether it’s in the area of engineering, procurement or construction. 1. How does the uniqueness of your prod- uct/service determine what kind of equip- ment or upgrades you need? Even though you might manufacture the same product or provide the same service as another com- pany, there is no doubt something special about what you provide. Depending on what that something is, this could affect a number of things that influence the decision making process, which affects the eventual design, operation, control, and optimization of processes. 2. Think about your overall business and what needs to be done to design specifically for it. Are you looking for a turnkey solu- tion? This can involve the need for complete building solutions in areas such as permits, site development, concrete, steel erection, equipment installation, control systems, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, finishing work and start-up. Every one of these must be tailored for each individual company – no two are alike. 3. At what point do you need to think about changing the way you do things when project design seems to call for it? When you begin to immerse yourself in the pro- cess of designing engineering solutions, you may realize you need to question some of your assumptions about your business. Perhaps your operation is not as efficient as you believed it was. The engineering firm DESIGN ENGINEERING/CONSTRUCTION What Makes Your Business Unique? JEFF ELWER EES COMPANIES OWNER AND PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER JElwer@EEScompanies.com • EEScompanies you are working with will work with you on the design, operation, control, and optimiza- tion of processes, and it’s their job to recom- mend solutions that focus on creating and maintaining the best possible processes to maximize efficiency and results. This can often be a challenging process, because it may require you to call into question some of your prior assumptions and think outside the box. The engineering firm you choose to work with should use its experience and exper- tise to recommend the best equipment to improve productivity and increase profit- ability, while innovating to help you improve processes and efficiencies. But that requires you to give serious thought to what makes your organization truly special, and how that might determine your overall design needs and preferences.