Wet Chemistry Soybean Series - Seed World

GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTION GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTION GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTION GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTION GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTION GRAY RESEARCH PRODUCTIONOrganic seed production is more popular in fruits and vegetables that possesshealth or agronomic benefits.Stearns and Renaud say they welcome more competitionin the organic seed market. “I see a huge opportunity, with 90percent of the market now unfulfilled,” says Stearns. “I needmore competition.”Whether the impetus for more organic seed production inthe United States will come from changes to national organiccertification regulations, stronger consumer demand for organicproduce grown from organic seed, or additional agronomic benefitsfor producers using organic seed, the reality is that thisindustry is in its infancy, and will continue to grow up in thecoming years. Andrea GearyPhoto Credit: High Mowing Organic SeedsRules for Organic GrowersThe USDA’s National Organic program establishesthe guidelines for certified organic crop production.According to a draft guidance issued in June 2011,organic growers can use non-organic seed togrow certified crops, but only if organic seed isn’tcommercially available in an appropriate form, qualityor quality.Reasons for using non-organic seed can include:• Form considerations—site-specific agronomic ormarketing characteristics, such as the number of daysuntil maturity or harvest, color, flavor, weight or size ofharvested crop, and disease and pest resistance. Forexample, a conventional seed variety might producelarger, healthier cucumbers than any organic seedvariety now available.• Quality considerations—germination rate of seed,presence of weed seeds in the seed mix, shelf-life andstability of seed, and disease and pest resistance.• Quantity considerations—an insufficient amount oforganic seed available for planting.Organic growers must keep documents to prove to NOPcertifying agents they have contacted a minimum ofthree seed sources to see if they are selling organic seedvarieties that meet the growers’ needs.GRAYRESEARCHPRODUCTION• 20 YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE• NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS LOCATION (100-118 DRM)• ISOLATED MULTI-FEMALE SEED CORN PRODUCTION• PILOT HYBRID SEED PRODUCTION• ISOLATED INBRED INCREASES• NURSERY PROJECTS (SELFING, SIBBING, CROSSING,AND SPECIALTY PROJECTS)• YIELD TRIAL PLOTS INCLUDING AGRONOMIC NOTES• CONFIDENTIAL AND PROFESSIONALResponsive to your needs andcommitted to accessibility.grayresearchproduction.comphone: (815)698-2400 fax: (815)698-248422 Seed World