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Honorary Life Members

It was our honor and privilege to name two new Honorary Members during our recent 100th annual meeting, Dr. Brian Diers and Richard Denhart. Our bylaws state that the Illinois Crop Improvement Association’s Board of Directors has the authority to grant any individual an Honorary Member Life Membership. The bylaws go-on to say that this honor may be bestowed upon anyone “interested in progressive agriculture.” Our bylaws do not limit us to one Honorary Member per year; on rare occasions, more than one individual can be so named. Also, Illinois Crop does not name an Honorary Member every year. So, it is not a matter of routine and those recognized are more than interested in agriculture. President Dale Wehmeyer presented the awards on June 16th, 2022. Read More

2022 Phytosanitary Notes

ASTA has developed a Pest Database for Seeds (PeDS) which “currently contains technical/scientific information on over 400 pests of phytosanitary concern to ASTA members that have impacted the international movement of seed.” The searchable database is available at http://phytodatabase.org/. Illinois Crop Improvement would like to remind customers and stakeholders that its field phytosanitary inspection training program includes identifying parasitic weeds such as striga (witchweed) and other members of the Orobanchaceae family. As always the first question on new phytosanitary requirements should be “is seed a pathway?” We encourage everyone to learn more about seed health and plant protection policies in support of our seed industry. Visit our Industry Links under About Us to learn more about the seed industry stakeholders.

Non-GMO Testing Update

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Results from the Envirologix TotalTrait GMO Soy comb will now include a total GMO estimate value in the final report. This value is the total trait level of the four proteins evaluated in the test: CP4 EPSPS (RoundupReady), PAT/pat (LibertyLink), DMO (Dicamba), and 2mEPSPS (Balance GT/27).
The Envirologix kit has shown to produce false-positive results with the Liberty traits. The Liberty trait expressed in XtendFlex varieties differs from the GT27 varieties. When these two trait stacks are in the same sample, the detection level will generally appear to be much higher than either the dicamba or GT27. This will give the appearance of a higher adventitious presence (AP) level when in reality, the detection of AP as a whole is limited by that of the dicamba and GT27.
In a recent update, Envirologix added a “TotalTrait GMO Soy Sum” to the reader’s software. The percentages of dicamba and GT/27 are compared with the Liberty detected, and the final total is normalized across those traits to produce a more accurate non-GMO or AP total. This value will be added to the report, below the individual protein percentages as shown below.

Please note that if PAT/pat from multiple trait stacks is detected, the total trait estimate will not equal the combined individual contamination levels. The normalization algorithm will adjust the total, but still maintain the level of  PAT/pat detected in the sample. When making decisions based on results from this test, it is essential consider the estimated total adjusted for trait stacks.
Please contact Field Services Director, Zach Duray at zduray@ilcrop.com or 217-359-4053 with any questions regarding non-GMO testing.

USDA Seeking Comment

Competition in Seed – The USDA is seeking public comment to identify anti-competitive market structures and practices in critical components of the agriculture sector, including seed. The comment period will close on May 16th, 2022. Please visit the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service website for more information or to submit comments.

Looking Back – Drill Box Surveys

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Drill Box Surveys

The year is 1972, and Illinois Crop Improvement staff are conducting the soybean drill box survey initiated in 1965. The soybean survey was a cooperative venture of the University of Illinois Agriculture Extension Service, Illinois State Department of Agriculture Seed Control Division, Illinois County Farm Advisers, and Illinois Crop Improvement Association. While not the first state to conduct drill box surveys, Illinois’ cooperative efforts in assessing seed quality started with small grains in the late 1950s.

One Free Registration

Do you know who appears on the left in the photo used in our most recent e-update? Illinois Crop will provide one complimentary registration to our meeting for the first person to correctly identify this pillar of the seed industry.

Field Inspection Deadlines

Field inspection application deadlines are just around the corner. Winter grain applications are due May 1st. Deadlines for corn, soybean, spring grains and phytosanitary inspections can be found on our website. We have consolidated all things seed certification, phytosanitary, field inspection and quality assurance under the Seed Certification Page on our new website.