quality seed production – a farmer’s vie · a farmer’s view seed certification underpins the...

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

Certified seed production has been part ofthe farming system at A R Gorringe andPartners LLP in Herefordshire for the past40 years, where itworks well for avariety ofcommercial andenvironmentalreasons.Growing crops oncontract, with thechance to earn apremium whilehaving to maintaina good rotationand rigoroushygiene standards,are all reasons why grower PhilipGorringe intends to stick to the specialistactivity.

And the partnership approach he hasdeveloped with several plant breedingcompanies to make it successful works totheir advantage too, with closecollaboration at every stage ensuring thatseed supplies are available when required.

“From a grower’s point of view,cleanliness and attention to detail areessential with seed production,” heexplains. “So we have to keep to a strictrotation, to prevent any contamination,which has a knock-on benefit for theenvironment. In short, it encourages us tofarm well.”

The entire 900 acres of arable land at

Lower Blakemere Farm, Blakemere iscommitted to seed production, withwinter wheat, winter barley, peas and

grass seed allproduced forseed. Therotation involvestwo years ofgrass seed,followed by twoor three years ofcereals, thenpeas, cerealsagain and backto grass seed.

There has tobe a four year

break between different varieties of grassseed,” he explains. “We can take twoharvests from the grass and the straw isused to feed our cattle in the winter, so ithas a valuableplace in oursystem.”

Grass alsogrows well inHerefordshire,which rarelysuffers fromdrought, heacknowledges.“It provides a twoyear break andputs organicmatter back in the

soil. But there are additional hygieneconsiderations and a need to modify thecombine for harvesting. We also have acleaning plant on the farm specifically forthe grass seed.”

Producing a product that is in demandand that earns a premium over the baseprice is attractive to Mr Gorringe. “We’readding value, but also fulfilling a marketneed.”

The system begins with assessing thesuitability of a field, he explains.“Previous cropping is an importantconsideration. With cereals, for example,you can’t have grown the same species theyear before and preferably not for twoyears.”

Where this isn’t possible, a seedgrower has to be willing to hand roguethe field, he adds. “And you must spraythe stubbles with glyphosate in the

autumn, toeliminate anyvolunteers.”

Seed growerscan be producingpre-basic, basicor C1 seed, or acombination ofall three, hepoints out. “Insome instances,you may have thefirst ever field ofa given variety.”

Quality seed production –a farmer’s viewSeed certification underpins the health and performance of ourmajor arable crops, providing an independent assurance ofseed quality and purity on which growers and their customersdepend. Around 9% of the UK arable area is used to multiplypure lines of seed from the plant breeder into certified seed.Plant Breeding Matters visited seed grower Philip Gorringe tofind out what’s involved.

Fescue seed production field

Fescue seed crop ripening and almostready for harvest

P R O M O T I N G I N N O V A T I O N I N P L A N T B R E E D I N G

Once harvest is underway, cleanlinessis everything. “Our grain stores are allsegregated and cleaned, so that each seedbatch can be stored separately. They also

have separateaccess points, sothat they can beopened from theoutside.”

All harvestingequipment iscleanedthoroughly andhoovered outwith industrialequipment andcompressed air.“The combinewill be cleaned

down twenty times during harvest. Ittakes two men approximately three hoursto complete.”

One variety of grass seed and all ofthe winter barleyare harvested first,followed by therest of the grassseed. Wheat isnext, with peasfinishing the task.“The peas aren’tplanted until May,so we have beenknown to combinethem intoSeptember.”

All crops arelabelled in storeand have to be dried using an on-floorambient system. Once they reach 16%moisture, they are sampled for purity,

germination and moisture, before anassessment is done of the total amount.

“The seed merchant may startdrawing on it immediately, so thepaperwork is very important. If they do, itmeans that we can re-use the storage. Sothe haulier has to be familiar with oursystem.”

With two different barley varieties andfive different wheat varieties, as well asdifferent seed grades being grown, harvestcan be frantic, he admits.

That means there’s a strong incentiveto get it right. “You can’t dip in and outof crops and you have to run a biggercombine than you otherwise would, aswell as be prepared for lots of cleaningtime.”

For Philip Gorringe, the advantages ofseed production outweigh the costs.“There’s a cash flow benefit to thebusiness, although the price is alwaysbased on the spot value at the time. The

premium, usuallybetween £20-25/t, can dependon the variety.”

He enjoys theclose relationshiphe has with thefive plantbreedingcompanies heworks with toproduce seed.“With seedproduction, thewhole supply

chain, from breeder to merchant togrower, has to work together. It’s goodbusiness for everyone.”

Once the field has been drilled, theagronomic decisions are Mr Gorringe’sresponsibility. “We don’t skimp oninputs, particularly with fungicides, butotherwise they are grown as any othercrop, with adjustments made accordingto seasonal factors.”

Once cereal crops come into ear, theyare inspected to determine whetherstandards have been met. “On this farm,we almostexclusively plantpre-basic seed as itgives the merchantthe most flexibility.The seed price andpremium is thesame, regardless ofthe gradeproduced.”

Where pre-basic or basic seedis grown, anindependent PSHIofficer from FERAwill perform the inspection. “There are anumber of things they test for at thisstage, including varietal purity and in thecase of barley, pigment changes.”

Contamination with other species,particularly wild oats, also has to beavoided. “If a minor problem isdiscovered, there is an opportunity todowngrade a crop to a lower standard atthis stage. Of course, seed lots canalways be sold as a lower grade formarketing reasons.”

Lower grades can be inspected by theseed company, he reveals. “But there arealso check inspections done by FERA,which can take place without warning.”An ear wash spray is essential, believesMr Gorringe. “Controlling fusarium isimportant. You can’t use pre-harvestglyphosate on seed crops, so hygiene hasto be part of the system right from thestart.”

A crop inspector checks a farmer’s ryegrassseed crop before harvest

Delivering combined grass seed into the trailer

Ryegrass seed harvest using speciallymodified combine

Seed crop photos: Ian Misselbrook, Limagrain UK