The spring drilling season is fast approaching and the shortage of spring seed, coupled with variable quality issues of seed produced from last year’s poor harvest and rising costs, have reignited the debate over farm-saved versus certified seed.

One-third of arable growers are planning to increase their amount of farm-saved seed, according to a Farmers Weekly online snapshot survey. The results from more than 100 respondents indicate that while 63% plan to maintain current levels, 32% will look to increase areas in the next three to five years.

This suggests that farm-saved seed will continue to play an important role in many top arable businesses in the coming years.

The levels of farm-saved wheat reported in the survey are in line with British Society of Plant Breeders figures that indicate a static level of about 40-45% over the past five years.

For oilseed rape about 50% of open pollinated oilseed rape varieties are farm saved, according to BSPB chief executive Penny Maplestone. “However, the proportion of the crop that is in hybrid varieties, which can’t be farm saved, has increased during the past five years, so the percentage of the crop as a whole that is farm-saved seed is decreasing as hybrids take a greater market share.”

The figures also suggest a defined split between those who do and those who don’t farm save, and indicate that not all growers see it as a practice for their farm. This could be because of the additional management and hassle of segregating seed or because fluctuations in crop value and certified seed costs between and within seasons can make any savings achieved by farm saving look modest.

Farm saving benefits

Farm saving makes good business sense for farm manager James Mayes, because it gives him complete control of the final seed product. That’s why he farm saves 85% of the seed across the businesses he manages for Sentry Farms, which total 850ha across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

Cost is the main driver for Mr Mayes, who can reduce his seed costs on oilseed rape and wheat by up to 30%. Grassweed pressure on the farm is also a contributing factor. “We can increase seed rates on bad blackgrass fields to aid competition. We would be loath to do that if we were paying £500-600/t for certified seed, only for the crop to suffer a yield penalty at harvest and ultimately achieving lower gross margins.”

Mr Mayes only farm saves wheat seed for one year from C2 (second-generation) seed treated with Redigo Deter (clothianidin + prothioconazole). “The reason I don’t save any further is because of decreased vigour and viability. If we were purchasing C1 [first-generation] seed we might go another year.”

The levels saved each year allow enough area to evaluate a few new varieties within the rotation. “For an unproven variety it is a gamble to pay for C2 and find it doesn’t work on your farm.”

Mr Mayes’ seed crops are grown to a very high standard, with only the cleanest fields used within the same block of land, enabling spray operations to be done in one go. Inputs are applied as per farm standard, bar fungicides on the wheat. Seed crops are treated at the top end of the farm’s fungicide programme at about £110/ha, which includes the use of robust seed dressings and better SDHI fungicide technology. Higher rates and quite often a larger T3 spend are used to safeguard against a delay in harvesting.

For oilseed rape the only difference in management is the substitution of glyphosate pre-harvest with diquat on the area saved for seed.

Headlands are never saved and strict combine hygiene is maintained between varieties. The seed is stored separately and put through an on-farm seed dresser to give an initial clean before samples are sent away for germination tests.

The significant cost savings are enough across the Sentry business to have warranted investment in a mobile seed dressing unit. This offers flexibility and time saving and keeps costs within the overall structure of the business, he says.

The quality of Mr Mayes’ seed is at least as good as, if not better than, that from a merchant. “There is no difference in establishment or vigour. In a year like this, some certified seed has undoubtedly varied in quality. I’m looking for uniform quality and I have a bigger tonnage to choose from, rather than just accepting what turns up on the wagon.

“And during the difficult autumn we have just encountered we were able to up seed rates early on and keep with the varieties we wanted on farm. This has avoided a wide range of different varieties being delivered as seed stocks became more and more difficult to source from merchants and allowed us to carry on drilling as available windows arose.

“Seed costs are a small part of growing the crop, but multiplying the area up gives significant savings across the business, savings which are beneficial to both Sentry and to our clients.”

Certified seed benefits

In contrast, Staffordshire grower Peter Sands sees farm saving as an additional hassle for an already busy farming enterprise. Farming 1,450ha of predominantly combineable crops, he does farm save a small percentage, but the majority is certified C2.

The rape seed on the farm is always bought in, because Mr Sands is concerned with the practicalities of farm saving, especially the need for clean, volunteer-free fields.

Certified seed gives him the flexibility to switch variety to meet his agronomic requirements. “Oilseed rape varieties seem to change rapidly from year to year. After two years they seem to be over and done with, so there is that factor as well.”

Mr Sands appreciates there are savings to be made. “You could probably save about £100/t at the most on wheat, probably less, but unless you are doing it properly, the saving is soon gone.”

Separate storage, the additional management – including time to ensure crops can be hand-rogued if necessary – and concern about the potential increase and spread of blackgrass on the farm all detract from farm saving.

The assurance of varietal purity, guaranteed minimum germination, lower risk of seed-borne diseases and traceability are important to Mr Sands. “It does give peace of mind and if there is a problem there is a comeback to the merchant. Farm-saved seed is all down to the grower.”

Instead, with a large tonnage requirement, he prefers to shop around a few merchants and commit early in May and secure a better price. “This year it paid, as we secured seed at £450/t with single-purpose dressing plus Deter, compared with farm saved it was probably about £50/t more expensive. By harvest the price of wheat had increased, so those buying seed after that time paid more. But you don’t win every year.”

Going for both

One grower who has his feet in both camps is Farmer Focus writer Andy Barr, from Kent. He uses both as a means of spreading the risk, allowing him to have seed available when he wants should there be supply problems with certified seed.

He acknowledges that certified seed eases labour and storage, and gives him access to new varieties.

“We need more research and breeding and need to up production through new genetics. We need to make sure the breeding companies make a living – we are all linked together in the same chain and royalties are absolutely necessary. But we need a balance and I don’t want to have to buy all new seed.”

By investing in certified seed, growers are reinvesting in the plant breeding industry, more so than with farm-saved seed, as tonne for tonne the royalty paid on certified seed is about double, says Dr Maplestone.

“A breeder will only realise his full royalty income in the first year he has a new variety on the market. After the first year 45% of his market will go into farm-saved seed, which is about half the royalty.”

However, the farm-saved seed makes a very significant contribution to plant breeding of about £8m of a total of about £32m collected by BSPB yearly across all combineable crops, Dr Maplestone adds.