Business Rural Autumn 2021

70 | Steady growth in organic seed cleaning Multiplication products for international markets has become a big part of New Zealand’s seed business, says Hinds Seed Cleaning director Brian Ellis. Kelly Deeks I t’s heads down, bums up right now for harvest time at Hinds Seed Cleaning, as the team is dealing with a pretty average growing season compared to last year’s extremely good one. Pity we can’t do anything about the weather. Although a bit down on quality and yield with some pollination failure due to weather condi- tions, Hinds Seed Cleaning with its big commodity, ryegrass seeds, as well as an increasing amount of vegetable seeds as vegetable production in Canterbury has been escalating for the past 10 to 15 years, and distinctively for Hinds Seed Cleaning, a steady organic seed market. Hinds Seed Cleaning celebrates 60 years in business this year, originally started by Vern and Phyll Ellis and their mobile seed dresser, going from farm to farm to clean seeds once they had been harvested by the farmers. By 1967, Vern could see the need for a lo- cal stationary plant and built his first shed at the Framptons Road site where Hinds Seed Cleaning still operates from today. Today’s company director, Vern’s son Brian, says the company’s early expansion was due in part to irrigation coming to the area, with the opening of the Mayfield-Hinds irrigation scheme in 1948 cover- ing 35,400ha. “The other big thing that changed was in the early days, all the seed breeding was done by Government research facilities, developing what they call common grasses which were released to the public. Then proprietary seed companies like BarenbrugNZ and PGG Wrightson started breeding their own product, and that made a big difference to what we do now.” Another key to Hinds Seed Cleaning’s growth has been multiplication products for international markets, and Brian says this has become a big part of New Zealand’s seed business. “We produce seed out of season for the Northern Hemisphere, and that gives them the opportunity to produce seed throughout the year and spread the risk out.” The growth of Canterbury’s vegetable seed production sector in the past 10 to 15 years has increased quantities of vegetable seeds suited to temperate climates like carrot, parsnip, and radish. The growth in this market saw Hinds Seed Cleaning move forward with investment in a colour sorter and a magnetic separator. Brian says the vegetable seed market could hold some future growth op- portunities. “It’s all about feeding people.” Hinds Seed Cleaning gained its organic certifica- tion about four years ago. The company cleans mainly organic linseed for oil extraction and started out in the organic field as a sub-licensee to one of its clients. As new organic clients approached Hinds Seed Cleaning looking for service, it was eventu- RURAL SERVICES » Hinds Seed Cleaning 0508 HYUNDAI (498 6324) sales@hyundaiforklifts.co.nz www.hyundaiforklifts.co.nz With a growing reputation and presence in materials handling and over 100 models to choose from, Hyundai Forklifts have a forklift available to perfectly match your organisations requirements. Diesel forklifts from 1.0 to 45 tonne | LPG forklifts from 1.5 to 7 tonne | Electric forklifts up to 8 tonne | Wet disc brakes standard on all models | Fuel ef ciency and the best emission ratings available in New Zealand Nationwide coverage. Competitively priced spare parts and servicing | 36 month/3,000 hour warranty Proud to be selected as a supplier of materials and handling equipment to HINDS SEEDS ally viable for the company to gain its own organic certification. Brian says organics is a steady part of Hinds Seed Cleaning’s business, with New Zealand consumers becoming more interested in organic produce. “Organics are holding their own,” he says. “You never quite know what you’re going to get with an organic crop, there are not as many guar- antees as with conventional cropping. Sometimes you’re lucky to see the organic seed because of the weeds!” The processes involved for Hinds Seed Cleaning in switching between organic and non-organic pro- duction are much the same as switching between different varieties of seed. “Organics is just another commodity that we have to be able to identify, trace, and keep separate. We clean 20 different varieties of ryegrasses, and we have to clean down, track, and trace each variety.”