The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association join commodity groups in reminding growers during the 2023 planting season to take special care to keep treated seeds from entering the supply of U.S. grains and oilseeds. Treated seeds in commodity shipments are a multi-commodity problem that warrants the attention of the entire supply chain and directly jeopardizes U.S. markets, both foreign and domestic.

The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Grain Standards Act allows zero tolerance for treated seed occurring in grain. Here are a few resources covering best practices to prevent treated seeds from entering the commodity supply: 

• Growing Matters 5th Annual BeSure! Stewardship Campaign to Help Protect Pollinators & Other Wildlife During Planting Season
• The American Seed Trade Association and Crop-Life America “Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship
• Resources, guides, and contacts for waste disposal can be found on EPA’s website here
• The U.S. soybean industry notes that “because U.S. farmer compliance is critical to avoid disruption of U.S. soybean exports to overseas markets, disposal recommendations were included in the ‘Treated Seed Disposal’ section of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship website of the Center for Integrated Pest Management.”

Maintaining the stellar U.S. reputation for appropriately managing all pesticides is one key element of providing customer satisfaction and official acceptance of exports. Few concerns can be as damaging to supplier reputation for quality and safety of agricultural products as the presence of seed treatment compounds in commodities intended for use in food and feed.

Growers with questions are encouraged to visit The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship, an industry-wide initiative to promote the safe handling and management of treated seed. Endorsed by ASA and other ag groups, the guide provides farmers and seed companies with critical information and up-to-date guidelines for managing treated seed effectively to further minimize the risk of exposure to non-target organisms.