Treated Seeds and Soybeans Don’t Mix

You may be tempted to dump your remaining seed – if you still have some – with last year’s harvested soybeans. Don’t.

As soybean seed treated with crop protection products have become more popular in recent years, it has also become more important for farmers to properly dispose of leftover seed. The Chinese government forbids the presence of any treated seed in commodity soybean shipments arriving at its ports, and farmers violating U.S. laws on treated seed disposal may be subject to legal action.

“To protect the integrity of the U.S. soy supply, it’s imperative for farmers to avoid mixing treated seed with harvested soybeans, other oilseeds or grains,” says Sharon Covert, United Soybean Board international marketing chair and a soybean farmer from Tiskilwa, Ill. “Taking these extra steps can sometimes be hard to do, but proper disposal helps ensure that we all continue to produce a safe and abundant supply of food, feed, fiber and fuel.”

Source: Unitedsoybean