FieldMax is a unique and innovative system for preserving the integrity of hybrid seed corn from harvest through bagging.

In traditional hybrid seed corn harvesting and drying processes high moisture, or “wet,” corn is dropped from great heights at least three times before it is dried—once from the harvester into the truck, again from the truck to the husking/sorting area, and again into a bin where it will be dried. Each time the corn is dropped, its soft kernels are damaged, impacting potential emergence and seedling vigor.

With Stine’s FieldMax Harvesting System, we eliminate many of those potentially damaging steps by minimizing handling of corn when it is wet. This has been demonstrated to maximize cold emergence and seedling vigor. Here’s how it works:

• Stine Seed Company commissioned the construction of highly specialized corn harvesters which allow the inspection, sorting and husking of seed corn ears in the field. First, a pair of husking beds on the unit husk the ears, and then each ear is inspected by hand. Good ears make their way along a conveyer belt that loads the ears into specialized containers. This is the only time the corn is dropped before it is dried, and assurances are taken to minimize any damage at this stage.
• With the sorting and husking already completed, the containers can then be sent directly to Stine’s drying facility. We use a combination of extremely high airflow and low heat, which helps prevent overdrying and potential damage to seeds. Other companies dry an entire large bin of wet corn from either the top and/or bottom, which often results in overdried corn in some parts of the bin and wet corn in others.
• Once the corn has been properly dried, it moves on to Stine’s shelling, cleaning and bagging operations. At each step along the way, rigorous standards for quality ensure that each bag of Stine brand hybrid seed corn is the best that it can be.