Fact-checking was a cottage industry in politics before the expansion of social media. Now, every network, newspaper and online political blog employs an entire team to parse every word and pick apart every public statement. Maybe not surprisingly, these arbiters of truth don’t always agree with each other. It seems that fact-checking has morphed from ensuring an objective presentation of facts to spinning every quote in an effort to get it to fit a candidate’s official’s or party’s narrative.
Farmers, however, remain true and accurate fact-checkers.
Every bag of seed dropped off on the farm provides the farmer with an opportunity to measure the seed’s appearance compared to the competitors. They scrutinize the bags, the tags, the stacking, the printing…everything! They evaluate the treatment coverage, check for broken or damaged kernels and see if there is any treatment dust or seed pieces in the bottom of the bag as they load the planter. They check the germination rate when evaluating the initial stand. They examine the quality of the germplasm as they scout for disease and drive by their fields after every wind event to compare standability. The ultimate test comes at harvest when they total up the net profit per acre for each hybrid and use that to determine what they’ll plant next season.
In short, farmers aren’t fooled by fake news.
If you’ve over-hyped anything from seed treatment to germplasm’s yield potential, the farmer will fact-check it back to reality. This objective performance review allows those that do it best to rise. Farmers know that they can’t take a chance on their seed, so they stick with companies and people they know they can trust.
Constant evaluation of seed quality and performance pushes companies to be better each and every year. Those that don’t keep up with technology, production processes, product evaluations and agronomic practices get left behind.
Decisions made now are critical for the 2022 planting season. Companies that partner with the right seed producers, select the best treatment options, advance the right germplasm and know exactly how to position those products on the right acres will be rewarded.
Embrace this ultimate fact-checking process and make sure your seed is ready for the scrutiny!
