This spring, soybean seed is a little like a good woman—if you’ve got it, you’d better treat it right.

With soybean seed in short supply across the country, Producers Cooperative in Girard, Kan., brought in industry experts last week to talk to local farmers about dealing with the situation.

Chock Scammon of Monsanto told growers that tough conditions over a wide stretch of the country transformed typical 60-70-bushel per acre seed growing environments into 20-bushel production.

He also noted that dry weather took its toll on seed quality, moving a portion of that production below industry standards. What is available, Scammon said, is of good quality but, he cautioned, a lot of soybean seed will be even more fragile than usual.

“If you choose to treat seed, minimize handling,” he urged, pointing out that bulk soybean seed is the least handled in the industry.

Scammon suggested producers take a serious look at investing in seed handling equipment which is far friendlier to the fragile seed coat and minimizes seed drop.

Syngenta’s Matt Keating told producers that seed treatment will be even more important that usual this year, especially since short supplies will likely eliminate the possibility of replant.

“You don’t want to put that seed into a harsh environment without protection,” Keating asserted. “Seed treatment is pretty inexpensive insurance to get good stand establishment and early vigor.”

He said that the first 45 days of seedling life is critical since that’s when development takes place for the root system which will take the plant through the hot and dry summer.

Keating cited broad-ranging research indicating a conservative 2-bushel return on the use of ApronMaxx, Syngenta’s fungicide treatment, which targets a wide span of seedling diseases such as pythium, rhizoctonia, fusarium and phytophthora.

Syngenta’s CruiserMaxx is a combination fungicide-insecticide treatment for further-reaching pest control. Keating outlined Kansas State University trials at Belleville, Kan., in which seed treatment with CruiserMaxx resulted in a 5.5-bushel per acre yield edge.

He told the growers that, even in the absence of pests, CruiserMaxx enhances root development and better plant health which aids in a quicker canopy, conserving water and helping to control weeds.

Keating said that application of the seed treatment at the retail, point-of-sale, level makes the most sense and helps minimize handling.

Brian Norton of Syngenta turned the topic to wheat, specifically the use of fungicides on this year’s crop.

He recommended that Quilt be applied when 75 percent of the flag leaf has emerged and referred to trials which indicated a significant yield boost—as well as an increase in test weight—from the use of Quilt.