Omaha, Nebraska, USA
September 8, 2009

The Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) Board of Directors has voted unanimously in support of an association position regarding seed sales by count. Agricultural seed is planted by count (seeds per acre) in most cases, and seed companies prefer to market seed based on the units of measure most utilized by their customers.

IPSA was invited to participate in a "Seed Summit" hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) on May 12 in Des Moines, with Bill Latham (Latham Seeds) and Greg Ruehle (IPSA) attending. Other groups represented at the meeting included ASTA, state seed certification officials, several individual seed companies, and a variety of state officials from IDALS and the Iowa Attorney General's office. The meeting was led by Iowa Director of Ag Bill Northey.

Challenges facing the seed industry regarding sale of seed by count include the lack of a Maximum Allowable Variance (MAV) for seed in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) handbook, as well as labeling requirements for companies who might choose to label contents by weight, by count or by both measures.

Since that initial meeting, an industry-wide effort has been initiated by a number of stakeholders, including IPSA and ASTA, to develop necessary amendments to the NIST handbook to allow for sale of seed by count. The group hopes to begin the amendment process yet this fall - an effort that could take 1-2 years to complete.

IPSA's position is supportive of seed industry efforts to allow sale of seed by count (in addition to or in lieu of sale based on weight of the container or package). In order to establish seed count as a reasonable merchandising option, IPSA supports several modifications to the NIST handbook.

Read the position paper...

The Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) was formed in 1989 by a group of independent seed producers who recognized the need for an organization to represent independent seed companies world-wide. The Association addresses research and biotechnology issues and increases the media presence of the industry in an increasingly competitive and dynamic business climate. IPSA represents approximately 100 seed companies from 20 states and Canada, who produce approximately 15 percent of the corn, soybeans, small grain and forage seeds marketed annually.

Website: https://ipseed.org

Published: September 9, 2009