Certified Seed
What is Certified Seed?
Certified seed is the product of a production process designed to deliver specific plant breeding achievements to farmers and the food industry. In other words, it is true-to-type. True-to-type means all the benefits developed by the plant breeder are retained as the seed is multiplied over a specific number of generations (to the Certified seed stage) from the small amount of seed developed by the plant breeder.
Certified seed has been inspected by an officially recognized third-party agency, has been produced by dedicated seed growers according to stringent requirements, has undergone a carefully monitored production process, has passed the quality assurance requirements of varietal purity, germination and freedom from impurities,
and is ready for commercial use.
Certified seed grown, processed and inspected is labelled with a Certified seed tag –
proof of the product’s integrity and soundness.
The Certified Advantage
Using Certified seed is one of the best management tools for your farm. It gives you better quality seed, new marketing opportunities for your crop and access to new varieties that are bred for your growing conditions.
Certified means certainty.
All sectors of the agricultural industry are moving toward a value chain model – a model based on quality assurances. It means establishing clear lines of production from raw product to end-use. Customers know what they’re buying and, when necessary, have third-party assurance the product was grown to their specifications.
Whether you are in the business of multiplying seed stock, supplying grain and oilseed products for specific end-use, or buying ingredients made from grains and oilseed to use in food products,
that shift in consumer demand is important.
Your reputation depends on delivering consistent quality to your customers. It means knowing where, how and from what progeny your seed or food ingredients were produced. Complete crop knowledge from start to finish. In other words having a quality assurance system or identity preservation program that you can rely on.
The Value of Certified Seed
Certified Seed is the basis of food, fuel and fiber value chains and variety-specific, identity-preserved programs.
Certified seed captures the full benefits of a plant breeding program. It’s the only reliable way to
access the traits you need.
Certified seed isn’t just your first chance to get a new variety – it’s the way to get the best of that variety every year.
Seed variety developers and distributors stand behind their Certified seed.
Isolation in Certified seed production means you are getting the variety you purchased. In an era of herbicide and insect tolerant crops and specialty traits, can you afford to get anything less than the highest possible varietal purity?
Certified seed is the starting point of traceability programs, and using grains and oilseeds grown from Certified seed can open doors and build consumer confidence when you’re a supplier to the food chain.
