Des Moines, Iowa
January 10,  2001

With low commodity prices, producers are looking for ways to cut costs. Saving non-patented
soybeans or canola for seed next spring may seem like a good place to start. However, leading university experts advise growers to think twice before turning to the bin for next year’s seed. 

"I generally discourage growers from saving seed, primarily because I’m not sure all farmers are aware of which products are patented," explains Ellsworth Christmas, Extension soybean specialist at Purdue University. "Beyond that, growers have to evaluate the true investment they will have in using grain for seed and realize when they are all done, there is no guarantee of quality on seed from the bin. There is a guarantee on purchased seed."

Christmas encourages growers to compare the economics and value of saved seed with that of purchased seed. First, consider the percent of grain lost in the cleaning process. According to Christmas, more than 25 percent of soybeans in Indiana were discarded during cleaning in 2000. The lost income in grain sales must go against seed cost. Other costs to include are cleaning itself, storage, handling and germination testing. Furthermore, Purdue studies show a yield loss of 1.2 bushels per acre when bin-run soybean seed is compared to certified seed of the same variety. That alone can make up the difference between saved and purchased seed.

"Farmers can produce just as good a quality seed as a seedsman can, but they must realize when using their own seed there is no recourse if the seed has poor germination or poor vigor," Christmas adds. 

Keith Whigham, Extension soybean specialist at Iowa State University, also discourages planting from the bin. Patented varieties, such as those with the Roundup Ready1 gene are his first concern. Major penalties exist for growers who save these herbicide-tolerant varieties for seed. Past that, he says, there are a great many benefits to new seed, particularly when the relatively minor cost of seed is compared to other costs of soybean production.

"The biggest benefit to buying seed is the opportunity to purchase new varieties. These usually have better disease packages and improved yield potential," Whigham says. "Over the long-term we’ve found new varieties offer a half-bushel-per-acre average yield advantage each year."

Another consideration is environmental conditions, such as the hot, dry weather in August and September across areas of the Corn Belt that prevented soybean seeds from maturing normally. In some areas, this may have reduced the germination and viability, presenting another quality problem with saved seed. 

Other factors to consider before loading the planter with grain from the bin include the benefits of replant options, agronomic service and return of unused seed offered by many seed companies.

Pitfalls also exist with bin-run canola

Canola is another grain that farmers often consider saving for the next year’s seed. "Planting canola from the bin is not recommended because of the poor quality grain it will produce," comments Duane Berglund, professor of plant sciences at North Dakota State University. Canola is heavily dependent on initial seedling vigor, one of the first traits to suffer with bin-run seed. Seedling diseases are readily propagated by bin-run seed. In addition, using bin-run canola makes the grower dependent on fungicides and pre-emergent herbicides.

Purchased canola seed offers pre-applied seed treatment to guard against disease loss as well as weed-control options, such as Roundup herbicide and the CLEARFIELD2 Production System to help guard against yield loss from weeds. 

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a DuPont business, is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers worldwide. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer develops, produces and markets a full line of top-quality seeds, forage and grain additives and provides services to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation. 

Company news release
N3353