In the lab the crop year doesn’t follow the typical calendar year, in the lab the calendar year is June 1st to May 31st. The busiest time of year is over the winter. We will receive boxes upon boxes of corn, soybeans, edible beans, and other miscellaneous crops. During those months we dread seeing a… Continue reading
From our MCIA Family to yours, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and safe holiday season! The MCIA Office will be closed December 24, 2021 through January 3, 2022.
The MCIA seed lab is seeing some lower quality soybeans as a result of delayed harvest due to warm wet conditions in October. It is always interesting doing multiple tests on a particular seed lot to learn more about its quality. It is especially true this year. With seed – every lot is unique, but… Continue reading
Joyce has been with MCIA since 2011 as a lab technician, where her main jobs were planting and evaluating seed samples. Joyce’s duties have now expanded to overseeing all aspects of the lab, from the intake of samples to the final billing. She is very systematic and thorough – characters we have come to rely… Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Thank you to the Producers and Farmers who put food on our table not only today, but everyday! The MCIA Office will be closed on November 26, 2021. Stay grateful, friends!
The temperatures are getting colder, which means comfort food! Below is a very delicious recipe from Joyce! Enjoy! Corn Chowder 6 strips of bacon, diced 2 medium onions, diced 6-8 small potatoes, pared and diced 2 cups water, divided 1 Tbl instant chicken bouillon 3 cups milk 2 cans cream corn ½ tsp salt 1/8… Continue reading
What exactly does it mean when a field inspector gives you a call and says, “I plan to be in your fields this week, just giving you a heads up!” That inspector is going to be walking your fields, taking six, 1,000 plant counts per field looking for variety off-types, weed pressure and types of… Continue reading
It has been said that hot Coffee is a substitute for bleach in a seed test which can be used to measure seed coat damage which can relate to seed germination. It is sometimes referred to as the clorox Bleach Test. In this test seeds are soaked in a weak solution of bleach and water. … Continue reading
Same crop. Same variety. Same lot number. Yes, you did read that correctly. Everything about these two pictures below is the same, except one has seed treatment. The photo on the left showing the final germination of the untreated seed sample covered in aspergillus and fusarium (mold) and the right shows the treated seed germination,… Continue reading
Why plant Certified Seed? Why not use grain in the bin? This is a common question raised by all farmers at one time or another. Many take a backward approach of “what can I get by with?” rather than “what is best for top production?” Planting certified seed is a key ingredient to top yields…. Continue reading