1923 Why Seed Certification?

The answer to the question “Why seed certification?” requires a general understanding of farming history. In the 1920s, a survey of Illinois wheat growers struggling at the time showed no efforts to sow uniform seed. In one field, more than 20 different varieties of wheat were discovered. Lack of uniformity creates difficulties that will not be detailed here as they should be evident to anyone with a passing interest in agronomy. The solution to the uniformity issue was to produce seed of known identity and superior purity through seed certification. To this end, Fulhio wheat was “standardized.” The wheat industry, from growers to millers, was dramatically improved under this standardization effort. The story of the Manchu soybean and its success also tells the story of early seed certification efforts. First introduced in 1922, several Champaign County farmers advanced a superior strain of Manchu soybean, eventually reaching 2,000 acres of seed production. Field inspected by Illinois Crop, the variety was “standardized” and became Grand Champion at the 1924 International Hay and Grain Show. By 1926, four additional Championship titles had been achieved, and by 1927, nearly 75% of all known soybean growers in Illinois were using the Illinois-Manchu cultivar.