Seed Production

Each seed bag we produce goes through a long process, from planning through multiplication, before it reaches the farm. We collaborate with more than 500 local seed growers and logistic companies, employ full-time and seasonal team members and follow a unique quality-control procedure to supply high-quality seeds to farmers around the world.

PLANNING

Each seed bag starts from a careful crop-planning process up to three years before delivery. As part of this process, parental seeds of each variety must be produced, and the right field with the right growing conditions must be identified.

FIELD PRODUCTION

Each hybrid is sown about one year before the seed is ready for sale. For hybrid seed production, male and female seeds are sown in accordance with a strict procedure for each variety concerning growing conditions, spacing, isolation, castration and pollination up until harvesting.

HARVESTING & SEED PREPARATION

Each variety arrives at the factories and goes through a multi-step preparation, including sorting, drying, shelling, calibration and treatment.

QUALITY CONTROL

Throughout the process, from harvesting up until packaging, seed samples are taken between each production step and tested for quality indicators over and over again to ensure the best quality possible.

PACKAGING & CERTIFICATION

Towards the end of the process, each seed variety is sorted by its bag size and treatment type. Each factory is equipped with printing, labelling and certification units that work in accordance with local official and regulatory controls. This process guarantees that only high-quality, certified seeds reach customers’ fields.

DELIVERY

Our logistics team works with highly experienced international trucking companies to deliver the seeds to local seed distributors in each country. Local distributors coordinate the farm orders and the final deliveries.

Seed quality is our priority

Each seed-processing facility has high-tech industrial capacities and is ESTA certified in France, Spain and Ukraine. Each facility follows a strictly managed quality procedure. Production protocols are adapted to each variety, with quality controls at each step of the process. ‘A la carte’ calibration methods are applied to guarantee the best seed homogeneity in each bag. Our factories in France, Spain and Italy are ORGANIC certified in order to deliver the same high quality in organic seeds.

Seed production areas

A big part of the seed-production process occurs in the field in one of our seven production countries. In each country, our operational field teams produce high-quality seeds by following strict shared protocols within our grower’s field network and our factories. Our seed-production department has its own R&D to develop innovative applied seed solutions, production technologies quality-management procedures and ensure more sustainable seed production.

Four factories

Haut-Mauco, France
Zaragoza, Spain
Mogilev, Ukraine
San Pietro di Morubio, Italy

Seven production countries

In addition to France, Spain, Ukraine and Italy, we have expanded our production to Russia, Turkey, Italy and Mexico in order to diversify our seed origins and be closer to the market. MAS Seed also offers parental seeds, experimental seeds and out-of-season production networks in Africa and America.

Seed-production factories

HAUT-MAUCO, France

> 12,000 ha production capacity

Built in 1970, a network of 250 farmers and a team of 30 permanent specialists are producing and processing:

corn
sunflowers
winter oilseed rape
other crops

ZARAGOZA, Spain

> 5,000 ha production capacity

Built in 1992, a network of 130 farmers and a team of 10 permanent specialists are producing and processing:

corn
sunflowers
winter oilseed rape
cereals
sorghum

MOGILEV, Ukraine

> 6,000 ha production capacity

Built in 2010, a network of 30 farmers and a team of 25 permanent specialists are producing and processing:

corn
sunflowers
winter oilseed rape
cereals

SAN PIETRO DI MORUBIO, Italy

Specialised in crops for diversification

MAS Seeds Italy operations a processing facility to create more than 300 different types of mixtures and pure crops, including:

cover crops
forage mixtures
special mixtures
soybeans
lucerne
sorghum
grasses
cereals

We produce seeds with respect for natural resources

We apply field production practices that support biodiversity, improve soil quality, promote carbon balance and reduce the impact of climate change. We have increased our efforts by implementing actions that align with our mission to act for a changing agriculture.

Our actions to support biodiversity and soil fertility

Identifying and using cover crops to limit the impact of nematodes, improve soil productivity and reduce soil erosion that occurs in our production areas with sandy soil.
Training for production teams and farmers by beekeepers about best practices
Creating working groups with farmers to develop new production techniques.

Our actions to reduce inputs and our carbon footprint

Reducing chemical crop protection where possible, such as the use of trichogramma against corn borer or mechanical weeding.
Producing seeds as close as possible to the market to limit transport-related carbon emissions.
Developing harvesting techniques at lower humidity levels to reduce drying times and gas and energy consumption.
Using precision and decision-making tools to reduce water and fertiliser use.
A mindset of continuous improvement to reduce our carbon footprint while maintaining our productivity.

factories:

three for hybrids and one specialising in mixtures and other forage crops, each with a quality-control unit and high-tech processes

500

farmers

specialising in seed multiplication and field production

25,000

hectares

of production capacity across seven countries

230

team members

working in field production, processing, supply and research for seed production