54 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2018 PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator, aSyngentaglobalinitiative. AS FARMERS PREPARE for spring planting, a feeling of anticipation hangs in the air. What doesn’t hang in the air? Dust-off from seed treatments. With an increased focus on pollinator health, seed and seed treatment provid- ers, equipment manufacturers, and other industry representatives continue to work together to reduce the amount of dust-off that occurs when handling treated seed. “Equipment manufacturers like John Deere and crop input companies like Syngenta need to collaborate to meet farmers’ evolving needs,” said Nick Tindall, Senior Director of Government and Industry Relations for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “The whole industry plays an impor- tant role when it comes to controlling dust-off,” said Ravi Ramachandran, head of the Syngenta North America Seedcare Institute in Stanton, Minnesota. The goal is efficiency and safety for both farmers and pollinators. “Seed treatments pose a minimal risk to pollinators if handled correctly and if stewardship practices are followed. Reducing dust-off is very important not only for the environment but also for product efficacy and minimizing operator exposure,” said Sandy Baker, Seedcare Application Lead, Syngenta. Dust levels Seed applied technologies are a crucial pest management tool in modern agricul- ture and it’s important to have perspective on the actual amount of chemical-related dust that occurs during planting. “We do follow the European Seed Association established dust-off limits for the main crops as part of our quality assurance program. These limits can be as low as 0.75 grams dust per 100,000 seeds,” said Baker. Outsiders may envision clouds of chemicals when thinking about dust off, but that’s not accurate. “The actual amount of dust off we’re talking about is quite small. I’ve seen anti- pesticide activists use videos showing a planter in action and highlight clouds of dust. However, those clouds are plain dirt kicked up by tires and don’t have active ingredients in them,” Tindall said. In reality, seed treatments are used at very low rates, and in certain crops help eliminate an early foliar insecticide appli- cation, resulting in both environmental and economic benefits. “By investing in formulation innovation and with the expertise from the applica- tion specialists at the Seedcare Institute, we are able to deliver high performing, safer to handle products for our growers. Less dust-off means the correct dose of Industry combines efforts to reduce dust-off during planting. Melissa Shipman melissanshipman@gmail.com ANEWDAYINDUSTREDUCTION product on the seed and reduced opera- tor exposure,” Ramachandran said. It also means less potential impact to nearby pollinators, and while it’s always important to communicate planting activities with beekeepers, reducing dust- off is another safeguard toward honey bee health. Factors to consider The level of dust that can be generated is linked to the quality of seed treatment products used, how the treatment is applied and the formulation engineer- ing, as well as the level of seed clean- ing during processing, moisture level of seeds before treating, and even the environmental conditions at treating. “At the Seedcare Institute, we develop customized treatment recipes that are tested and calibrated to work across all cli- matic conditions and through various seed treating equipment,” Ramachandran said. The pollinators Heubach dust meter.