During the past year we have heard of several circumstances where treated seed found its way into grain delivered to elevators. Overall, farmers and grain handlers continue to do a great job of preventing this problem. However once it occurs, solutions are few. The best strategy is prevention on the front end! Here are some important reminders on treated seed: Elevators and end users maintain a zero-tolerance policy for treated seed contamination. This zero-tolerance policy is clearly marked through signage at elevators. Any amount of treated seed inadvertently mixed with a grain delivery causes substantial problems and liability, with affected grain supplies being subject to hold and destruction/disposal. While some issues in grain stocks can be blended away, a single treated seed can contaminate an entire load, and there is no solution to solve treated seed contamination through blending. In a majority of instances, treated seed is identified when trucks are unloaded for delivery. This has led to deliverers of grain being liable for disposal of all affected grain, cleanout of affected areas and marketing losses. Depending on the circumstances, the amount of impacted grain and resultant liability can be very high. No one – farmers, elevators, processors or other end users – wants this to occur! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stringently regulates the presence of treated seed in the food and feed supply, and legal consequences have resulted from past violations, as outlined in this brief notice from the FDA. We urge anyone handling grain at any point on the supply chain to:– Clean all equipment, bins and vehicles thoroughly after seeding and before harvest.– Visually inspect equipment and bins for treated seed before harvest; before transferring grain between bins; and before transferring grain for outbound delivery.– Use a dedicated and separated storage area for treated seed. This message is available at www.miagbiz.org. Please feel free to contact the Michigan Agri-Business Association at any time with questions.
