2008 Seed Lab Expansion

In 2008, under the leadership of Steve Beals, RST, the Illinois Crop Improvement seed laboratory began a dramatic expansion of species tested by the seed laboratory. Today, the lab tests over 800 species ranging from traditional row crops to vegetables, flowers, forage, and turf. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recognizes the laboratory as a foreign laboratory, and its staff are accredited by the Canadian Grading System. The seed lab’s activities and accomplishments directly show how we diminish apprehension by applying standards and methods without bias and undue influence. Our “honest assessment of purity, composition, viability, and vigor” comes from our third-party role.