TruBulk speeds delivery for retail seed dealers. A year after TruBulk was launched in the Dakotas and the Red River Valley, Syngenta Seeds (formerly Novartis Seeds) expects nearly 40% of all NK brand 2001 soybean seed sold in those areas to be delivered through the 3,000-unit hopper bins. Seed retailers are finding they can cut loading time in half compared to using 2,500-lb. polybags.

The evolution of seed handling from 50-lb. bags to Convenience Paks (minibulk) to Q-Bits (square rigid poly containers) and now to TruBulk parallels what's happened to container sizes in the ag chem business, says Gary Wietgrefe, Syngenta Seeds associate sales manager, Sioux Falls, SD. "In this area during the 1980s, herbicides moved from 2x2 1/2-gal. jugs to 30- and 55-gal. drums to 110 minibulks to bulk; now soybeans are going through that same marketing phase."

Most retailers who invest in TruBulk install three or four hopper bins using a truck scale. If their facility doesn't have one, batch scales are installed that are similar to fertilizer batch scales. A belt conveyor system is required by Syngenta to minimize seed damage. To qualify to install TruBulk, retail employees must attend annual seed handling and storage training programs.

A 3,000-unit TruBulk tank holds a quantity of seed to plant about 2,200 acres (at a planting rate of 75 lbs. of soybeans per acre). "This is a big plus for large-acreage farmers racing to beat a narrow planting window, but we've also seen a lot of interest from smaller growers. No one wants to hustle 50-pound bags if they can help it," says Wietgrefe.

New profit center. Seed treatment equipment is a profitable add-on with TruBulk. You can pick up about $2.50 per unit ($3.75/acre) custom applying fungicides, such as a combination of ApronXL plus Maxim. In soybean rotation areas where inoculation is recommended, you can also tank mix an inoculant with the Apron-Maxim soybean seed protectant. "These are good options for retailers looking for new custom application services," says Wietgrefe.

Trubulk is available nationwide. Price: $5,500 to $7,000 per tank, depending on options, such as tank linings, and aeration. Belt conveyors to load and unload seed run between $3,500 and $7,000. Acceptable certified scales cost between $5,000 and $10,000; commercial seed treaters range from $8,500 to $10,000. Conveyor-mounted commercial inoculators cost about $1,000. Contact Syngenta Seeds, Field Crops, Dept. Apply superscript *, NAFTA, 7500 Olson Memorial Hwy., Golden Valley, MN 55427, 763/593-7128 (e-mail: www.nk.com).

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