Certified seed production has become a complex business

"A lot of our customers stayed with their same rotations, at least that is what they are telling me," Rohlfing said.

By Doug Rich

All of the talk this winter and spring has been about corn. The demand for corn is up thanks to biofuels and farmers are responding with increased acreage.

But Norman Rohlfing, owner of Rohlfing Seed in southeast Nebraska, has not seen a big demand for more seed corn in his area.

"Most of our customers have not changed a lot," Rohlfing said. "A lot of our customers stayed with their same rotation, at least that is what they are telling me."

Farmers are still planning to plantSoybeansthis spring and that is good news for Rohlfing since certifiedSoybeansare the bulk of his seed business.

Rohlfing started his seed business in 1954 growing certified hybrid grain sorghum. It was not long before he dropped grain Sorghum and began growing soybeans, wheat, and grass seed for certified production. He also grew corn, alfalfa, and ran a cow herd on his farm near Talmage, Neb. For a number of years now his primary business has been the production of certified Roundup resistant soybean varieties.

His grass seed business was a case of the right crop at the right time. Rohlfing was planting grass for pasture about the same time that demand for grass seed was rising thanks to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

"Our production came right at the right time," Rohlfing said. "The CRP announcement was right after that."

He grew native bluestem and switchgrass for seed production. Rohlfing said bluestem grass is difficult to process but they were able to do this because the seed price was high for a few years. In addition to his own seed production, Rohlfing processed some Eastern Gamma grass on a custom basis for a few years.

He is not growing grass seed anymore.

"The demand for wheat has been very minor practically nonexistent, but it came back last fall," Rohlfing said. A much improved wheat market lured some producers back into wheat production. This year Rohlfing is growing a new hard red winter variety called Infinity CL for seed production. This semi-dwarf variety is designed for the BASF Clearfield production system. Resistant to the herbicide Beyond, the system is designed to control weeds like jointed goat grass, cheat grass, ryegrass, foxtails, wild oats, wild mustard, and volunteer cereals.

Rohlfing markets all of his seed through NuPride Genetics. NuPride Genetics was formed about the time that Roundup resistant varieties were developed so that Nebraska seed producers could have access to the latest in genetic improvements. The network of affiliates provide their customers with Nebraska adapted varieties, superior genetics, and proven performance to meet their specific needs.

NuPride Genetics works with private and public foundation seed providers who have contacts with Monsanto to produce Roundup resistant seed varieties.

This year Rohlfing will be growing four NuPride soybean varieties for seed production. They are:

8337--This is a medium plant type soybean with great standability and soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance.

8354--This a medium height plant with proven yield potential and high protein and oil scores.

8377--This is a new variety with a good yield history and good white mold tolerance.

8365--This variety came through the University of Nebraska soybean breeding program. It features good emergence and the K-gene for phytophthora root rot (PRR) resistance.

Although the NuPride Genetics affiliates offer group I to group IV soybean varieties, Rohlfing said most of his customers prefer a nearly full season varieties either a 3.5 or 3.7. He is offering a 3.3 maturity soybean variety this year but it has not sold too well.
"It has the disease package of the 3.7 variety and the yields are pretty close," Rohlfing said.

Most of theSoybeansin his area of southeast Nebraska are planted around May 1.

"That is actually a little early but there are years when it is warm enough," Rohlfing said.

Many of his customers look for soybean varieties with nematode resistance especially for river bottom fields. A few look for varieties with phytophthora resistance in the disease package and Rohlfing said most of his varieties are very resistant.

Roundup resistant weeds are not a big problem for Rohlfing yet.

"Personally, I would rather not see Roundup used on corn, but everyone makes their own choices," Rohlfing said.

The number of acres planted to Roundup resistant and Liberty Link corn varieties really jumped up in southeast Nebraska this year, according to Rohlfing. At least the seed sales in his area would indicate that trend.

Until Roundup resistant soybean varieties were developed, weed control inSoybeanswas a big problem. For years producers limited the number of soybean acres they planted to wheat they felt they could take care of.

"Producers were proud of their weed control and a lot of hand weeding for escapes was done not just for seed production but in commercial production also," Rohlfing said. "That is a thing of the past now."

Rohlfing said soybean acres jumped up a little when Roundup resistant varieties came on the market.

In 1985 Rohlfing was able to purchase a seed processing facility in Talmage. It is equipped with a Clipper air screen machine, a gravity separation machine, and a four screen cleaner. Most of theSoybeansare processed with the Clipper air screen machine. The four-screen machine was used for grass seed processing.

To maintain the quality of theSoybeansRohlfing harvests the crop with a rotary combine and then uses a belt conveyor to handle the seed. Soybean ladders are used in the storage facilities.

"The only time we use an auger is for the splitSoybeansand we try not to have very many split soybeans," Rohlfing said.

The seed business has changed quite a lot since Rohlfing began with hybrid grain Sorghum varieties in 1954.

"We collect more for technology fees than we get out of it anymore," Rohlfing said. "Which is all part of the business. It has pushed some people out of the seed business, although NuPride Genetics has grown in membership."

"It has become a more complex business, but we still have very loyal customers and we can still give them a good product at a reasonable price."

Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com.

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6/4/07

4 Star NE

Date: 5/30/07

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