Dustin Vande Hoef
Communications Director
515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell)
or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today highlighted recent action by the National Conference on Weights and Measures that will standardize testing methods and procedures for seed count labeling.
The new procedures, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2011, will benefit both farmers and seed companies by creating uniform procedures for testing corn, soybean, field bean and wheat seed by weight, volume, measure and count.
“The mission of the Department’s Weights and Measures Bureau is to make sure there is a level playing field for both buyers and sellers and this agreement helps do that,” Northey said. “Farmers and seed companies will both benefit from this change that will allow seeds to be sold by count, rather than weight.”
In an effort to bring farmers, regulators, and industry together, Northey and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship hosted a seed summit on this issue in 2009. The meeting included officials from the American Seed Trade Association, Association of American Seed Control Officials, Association of Official Seed Analysts, Independent Professional Seed Association, Iowa Attorney General, Iowa Seed Association, Iowa State University, Monsanto, Nebraska Division of Weights and Measures, Pioneer, Syngenta, and USDA.
“Having all parties at the same table to discuss the many small details of the current regulatory arena provided a springboard that clarified where we needed to go in the near future,” Northey said. “I am very pleased that the group could work together and find a win-win solution for everyone involved.”
The press release from the American Seed Trade Association further explaining the actions by the National Conference on Weights and Measures to standardize seed count labeling procedures follows here. More information can also be found on the American Seed Trade Association’s website at www.amseed.org.
ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 19, 2010) — The National Conference on Weights and Measures recently (July 14, 2010) passed a vote to standardize testing methods and procedures for seed count labeling, which will positively impact farmers and seed companies.
The American Seed Trade Association filed a petition to amend Handbook 133 of the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), which includes procedures for testing packages labeled by weight, volume, measure and count. The petition requests that the handbook match the standards of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) for testing seeds.
“The manner in which seed is purchased and sold has significantly changed in recent years and this amendment will help provide regulatory uniformity for seed testing,” said Andy LaVigne, ASTA president and chief executive officer. “We appreciate the National Conference on Weights and Measures’ recognition of this issue and applaud their decision.
“This will benefit all of our members and will have a positive impact on seed companies’ and farmers’ bottom-lines.”
The amendment, effective Jan. 1, 2011, is specific to corn, soybean, field bean and wheat seed. It’s designed to reduce confusion from a regulatory compliance standpoint and provides uniformity and harmonization of state laws.
According to the NIST handbook, seed in the past has been bagged and sold by weight. The challenge with this is that seed is a living organism that can vary in size and weight from year to year depending on the growing conditions and storage environment.
A traditional bag of soybean seed weighs about 60 pounds, said Bob Nielsen, professor of agronomy at Purdue University. He explained that if seed is small one year, a bag could contain about 180,000 seeds per bag and if seed is large, that same bag may only contain 132,000 seeds per bag.
This change allows companies to retain their freedom to operate and sell seed by count. All of this translates into significant cost savings for seed manufacturers and ultimately consumers by avoiding the purchase of unforeseen capital equipment and costly manufacturing changes.
“It’s a step in the right direction to coordinate regulatory standards with AOSA, since many companies have converted from selling by weight to selling by seed count,” said Sonny Beck, president of Beck’s Superior Hybrids.
This doesn’t just benefit seed companies; but also farmers. When selling by weight, farmers don’t know exactly how many seeds they are getting in each bag. Technology and increased planting precision allows farmers to calculate exactly how much seed they’ll need. Planters are calibrated each spring to drop a specific number of seeds into the ground on each acre.
“Soybean seed size can vary and the standardization coupled with calibration should help farmers with their seeding rate and purchasing plan,” Nielsen explained
Leslie Cahill, ASTA vice president of government affairs, said it’s a win-win situation for farmers and the seed industry.
“ASTA’s Seed Industry Relations Committee successfully worked with the regulatory community to advocate for clarity and certainty on behalf of our members,” Cahill said. “This also gives farmers more predictability in their first major planting decision each year—the purchase of seed.
Many other organizations also supported the amendment, including: American Farm Bureau Federation, Association of Official Seed Analysts, Association of American Seed Control Officials, Iowa State University, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and a few state corn and soybean associations.
“The NIST Handbook 133 was last published in 2005,” said Don Onwiler, NCWM executive director. “It will be published again in 2011 and enforceable for states choosing to adopt the handbook Jan. 1.”
The majority of states adopt the model standard set forth by the NCWM, Onwiler said. However, those that do not may have similar language in statute or rule, he noted.
“When the handbook is published, it’s then up to the individual states to adopt the most recent edition of NIST Handbook 133,” Onwiler said.
NCWM, founded in 1905, is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to developing U.S. standards for weights and measures. It’s comprised of local and state weights and measures officials, federal agencies, manufacturers, retailers and consumers who develop regulatory standards for weights and measures, including requirements for weighing and measuring devices, packaging and labeling, method of sale of commodities and checking the net contents of packaged goods.
