Quality seeds on demand

More than 33,000 bags of soybean seeds get treated each year at Roy and Mark Douglas’s farm. What’s their worst-case scenario? A treating equipment breakdown during peak season. To avoid this – and to guarantee their customers consistent, reliable high-quality seed – the father-and-son duo depends on products and service from Bayer’s SeedGrowth experts.

Five generations ago, a man named Samuel Douglas decided to settle down in Champaign County, Illinois, to grow crops and sell them to his customers. Today, his descendants Roy and Mark Douglas – father and son – still farm the same acres. But now, they also operate a treating facility for soybean seeds and work with Bayer to achieve the best possible results.

The reason seed treaters like the Douglases go with Bayer products is simple: “We trust our representative and the brand’s reputation.”

But the best product is of no value if you don’t have the right equipment to apply it. “When I started working in our operation, I didn’t have a whole lot of experience in seed treatment,” says Mark. “In this regard, Bayer was really helpful.” He and Roy chose to use Bayer’s On Demand™ in 2012.

The machine solution provides operators with an easier, faster, more accurate, and more sustainable seed treatment. On Demand offers Bayer’s customers the first and only fully automated seed treatment application system that includes preloaded bulk product drums. This eliminates potential inaccuracies caused by traditional hand mixing.

• A true closed system – preloaded product drums eliminate hand mixing and minimize environmental and human exposure to chemicals

• Helps ensure Bayer seed treatments are applied precisely and at labeled rates, resulting in consistent applications for improved seed integrity and accountability

• Custom applications add flexibility, allowing seed companies to use their own recipes for differentiation

• Offers product stewardship and package convenience for seed treaters

“With On Demand, we can achieve uniform treatment on our soybean seeds, which improves the quality of the product we sell to farmers,” Mark explains. “Then there is the safety aspect. We don’t have to handle the treatment product anymore. We just snap the kegs onto the machine and that’s all there is to it.”

And what if On Demand didn’t work accurately? Perhaps even during a treatment process? “Our SeedGrowth expert is always there when we need something,” says Mark. “We see him around twelve times a year, but we also know we can call him anytime.” For example, if On Demand has a malfunction, Roy and Mark can report it using an automated alert process (or by telephone). Bayer unites significant technological, scientific, and manufacturing resources. With that, SeedGrowth is able to help customers at the drop of a hat.