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As breeders and seed producers seed handling is a key aspect of our quality assurance process. It’s best to take advice from the experts so we’re sharing Purdue Ag and ASTA’s guidance on seed handling to help you understand how to ensure you have the highest quality seed at planting time. The best way to maintain quality and germ starts with good harvest and processing (drying, cleaning, and conditioning) contribute the most to maintaining high seed quality. The key step here for seed quality is adequate drying to maintain germination and viability, Purdue Ag recommends that “a moisture content of 8-9% is desirable for storage.” Seeds stored at higher humidity degrade more rapidly than seed stored at the recommended moisture. Purdue Ag Guide ASTA offers these BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR HEMP SEED PRODUCTION which lays out these key steps in seed handling: 1. Seed Storage: If stored properly, hemp seed can maintain high viability. Proper storage slows the decline of germination rates. Seed should always be kept in breathable bags in a cool, dry, rodent-proof facility. 2. Testing: Pursuant to the Federal Seed Act, all seed sold must be tested for germination and purity, by and AOSA certified seed laboratory. A copy of the test results and sample of the seed should be maintained by the company. One and done does not apply to seed storage! Test your seed moisture and germ regularly to ensure storage conditions are adequate to maintain quality. [...]

New West is blessed to have cultivated deep relationships across not only the hemp industry but the wider agricultural industry in general. In fact, we are one of the maybe 1-2 US hemp seed genetics companies still operating since 2014. That says a lot about our commitment to being good actors. We value those relationships, and if our products don’t stand up to the test, we sit down with the customer and figure out why. Gather facts, and ask a lot of questions.  So much can go wrong when you farm, that’s why farming is BRAVE and why farmers should be respected. Ultimately, it is important to determine if the cause of any failure is genetic fit, production errors, or just mother nature (and in some cases, a combination). Mother nature's impacts are pretty obvious, whether it is pests, weather, or disease.  Genetic fit can be harder to determine unless replicate trials are performed.   When you see success from the same genetic and same seed lot (as seed quality can impact things like stand establishment, etc)  across multiple regional locations, you validate that  1.) the seed lot was good and 2.) the genetics are appropriate. If the field fails under favorable mother nature conditions and evidence of local success elsewhere,  the poor performance is likely due to some production learning that needs to happen.  This sounds obvious, but to newer producers and actors in the hemp industry, it’s important to have a framework of the basics. As an example, here [...]