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 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 11229 Advancing Seed in Alberta | spring.2017 – for example, by choosing seed treatments that provide the most benefit. “Everything you do is dependent on whether or not that seed is going to grow,” Klaas notes, adding that while there’s widespread use of farm-saved seed in cereal and pulse production in Alberta, much of that seed isn’t getting the full health checkup it needs. “We’re just saying that it’s good practice to test it, because you’re basing all of your other management plans on that seed. You should know the quality of that seed going into the game.” Morgan Webb, senior seed analyst and owner of Seed Check Technologies, says there’s a clear need for growers to recognize the value of seed testing. “Knowing what you have right off the bat is certainly invalu- able. It’s like good insurance to make sure all that other effort is worthwhile. “Because we live it everyday, we believe in the value of quality seed and how it can be such an important starting input into producing a good crop,” he adds. “A seed test is one of the most affordable parts of knowing what you’re doing.” According to Webb, the cost of a full seed testing package that includes germination, vigour and disease screening depends on the type of crop but it’s usually somewhere between $100 and $200. Considering the benefits, it represents an excellent value for growers, he says. “The cost of your seed test can be the same as the first tank of fuel that you put in your tractor,” notes Webb. “It’s really just pennies per acre.” Foster agrees getting seed tested with the right combination of tests makes financial sense for farmers and seed growers. “[It] saves them money because they won’t seed something that isn’t going to perform [and] guarantees that their product will perform in certain conditions.” 20/20 Seed Labs offers a standard cereal package that includes germination, vigour and disease testing that ranges in cost from $105 to $163. BioVision Seed Labs has a number of different multi-test packages that vary in price from $50 to $200 depending on the package and the fit for the client, according to the company’s president and CEO, Trevor Nysetvold. United Voice “This initiative fits well strategically with what we’re trying to do, and that’s to increase the awareness of the importance of seed testing, says Nysetvold. “I think the end goal is to get producers who haven’t tested [their seed] regularly, to test as a best man- agement practice.” Foster says her company is “thrilled” to support the Seed Smart initiative. “We decided to become involved because we have been a part of the agriculture industry for many years [and] have not seen this type of a project before. “We need to have a unified voice,” she adds. “I think it’s important for the laboratories that have joined this program to remember that we are not competing for business but rather treating this an opportunity to educate the entire seed cleaning community and their clients to respect their seed.” Germination tests heavily infected with Fusarium. Photo courtesy of 20/20 Seed Labs Nysetvold agrees, stressing Seed Smart is less about marketing and more about education. “We’ve joined hands in this, and our unified goal is to benefit all producers through education. When there is additional testing done, we’ll compete for that at a later date. For now we want to get the message out,” he says. Klaas says the Seed Smart partnership is the kind of initiative she’d like to see more of in the seed sector. While seed businesses and crop enhancement and crop protection companies are generally doing a good job educating growers about things like genetic advances and good steward- ship practices, she says, there’s not nearly as much going on in the area of seed health. “There hasn’t been really a movement that we could see that’s getting farmers to recognize that seed quality really matters,” Klaas says. “We think that better seed makes better farmers. At the end of the day, successful farmers make a more robust indus- try – we all win.” Mark Halsall Germination analyst Shauna Sereda at work at 20/20 Seed Labs. Photo courtesy of 20/20 Seed Labs