Top 10 Reasons to Use Certified Seed

There are many reasons to use Certified seed. It’s the starting point of a successful crop as well as an important risk management tool. Here’s the Certified seed Top 10.

1. Clean seed
   Certified seed is grown and processed under stringent production requirements with strict limits on weeds and other crop kinds.
2. Varietal purity
   Certified seed uses strictly monitored quality management systems to maximize varietal purity – making sure you get the specific variety you want. Other varieties and off-types are guaranteed to be minimized.
3. Guaranteed quality assurance
   Inspections in the field and at the processing plant ensure that all quality assurance requirements have been met and documented. Your seed is what you expect it to be, allowing you to back up your assurances to others.
4. Access to new opportunities
   Many end-users require specific varieties for their products. Using Certified seed can open the door to new opportunities and greater sales by providing officially recognized proof of your parent seed varietal identity.
5. Traceability
   Food safety and traceability are important considerations in agriculture. You can only be sure of your product if you know its origins. Certified seed is the key to that knowledge: production of this seed is carefully controlled under a quality assurance system right from the beginning. Using Certified seed will allow you to capitalize on traceability measures.
6. New genetics
   Improved traits such as better yield, pest resistance, drought tolerance, herbicide tolerance, and much more are delivered to farmers in Certified seed. Years of research and development went into these traits and they can only be reliably accessed through Certified seed.
7. Substance behind your word
   The blue tag is proof that you used Certified seed to maintain the value traits of the crop. It’s your assurance to grain buyers and others that what you are delivering is what you say it is.
8. Maximize other inputs
   You want the best genetics and the cleanest fields to ensure you are making the most of your input dollars. Planting Certified seed means you’re not wasting time, and the ever-increasing investment required for modern crop production, on seed that won’t reliably produce a top crop.
9. Access to premium markets
   Certified seed is the only input that can get you more than just higher yields. It can be your ticket to premium markets like tofu soybeans or high stability canola and other identity-preserved (IP) markets.
10. A better deal on crop insurance
    In some cases, Certified seed allows you to get a better deal on crop insurance premiums. Insurers know that Certified seed means a crop with reduced risk.