Using pre-treated seed is a common way to make sure growing plants have access to crop protection essentials that they need right from the very start. But many of these seed treatments are not personalized and too one-size-fits-all. That’s where STI Customized from CHS comes in, meeting farmers where they're at.
Pre-packaged seed treatments often contain more product than what might be necessary because they are developed to accommodate varying geographies. Other times, pre-packaged seed treatments might not have enough product to fulfill specific treatment requirements. Using a customized seed treatment like STI Customized helps retailers be more competitive with specialized blends and better stewards of the land. Currently STI Customized offers over 500 unique blends to customers.
Pest and disease control
STI Customized plays a crucial role by providing protection for the seed and seedlings against disease and insect pressure from the moment they are planted. There are hundreds of pathogens and insects that can damage or even kill the seed or seedlings before they even have a chance to develop, which can negatively influence the crop’s progress throughout the growing season and have a major impact on the yields.
Pest and disease pressures can also affect the plant’s growth and development throughout the season because of poor nutrient uptake or reduced stand establishment which can impact the crops’ overall yield.
The process
STI Customized from CHS provides retail customers with custom-blended, seed treatment options for soybean, wheat, peas, lentil and potatoes. Their process for creating the custom blended seed treatments is computerized, making their product extremely accurate and removing the opportunity for human error in measuring and blending to make their product extremely accurate.
When creating a custom blend, the computer looks at the amount of each active ingredient requested and then reports back how much it actually delivered versus the target rate. With computerized blending, the program can also make last-minute adjustments the next time a particular blend is requested to make the final product even closer to the targets.
The better option
By having the ability to customize the seed treatment, retailers use only what’s needed for a specific problem, resulting in a better price point. This allows retailers to differentiate themselves from their competitors so they can build what they need for their grower customers.
STI Customized seed treatment blending service utilizes proven products from Nufarm US and Bayer Crop Science, along with affiliated support from other manufacturers. This enables you to create the most diverse and customized blended seed treatment. Currently STI Customized offers 350 unique blends to their customers.
Find out more about customized seed treatments from STI Customized by speaking with a CHS agronomy representative.
