Specialist seed growers in the Poverty Bay region are contracted to grow the many different hybrids required. Female rows of seed are planted with standard precision planters. Male rows are planted often a few days later with special single row planters.

Prior to flowering, plants are inspected and genetic 'off types' are rogued (removed by hand) to ensure only true to type plants can produce pure seed.

Genetic 'off types' are rogued by hand. This is a process that happens preflowering, from waist high through until the end of flowering.

Detasselling all 'female' plants by hand prevents self pollination, to create pure hybrids. Each of 11 personnel carriers has a crew of 14 including a quality control scout.

'Sweet corn pickers' gently harvest Pioneer^® brand hybrid maize seed 'on the ear'.

Many of the seed ears still have several layers of husks after harvest. The husks are removed by specialist husking beds located in the seed production factory.

A 'walking table' gently unloads Pioneer^® brand maize seed after harvest 'on the ear' (cob). Seed drying continues 24 hours a day through the seed harvest season.

All seed arriving into our Gisborne plant is inspected for any visible signs of disease or genetic 'off types' for removal before drying.

Central to our Gisborne seed production operation is the seed dryer.

Seed on the cob is gently placed into large bins. The volume and temperature of gas heated air is carefully controlled throughout the drying process.

Large volumes of warm, gently moving air are required to slowly dry maize seed down to the required moisture equilibrium. Shown here is the upper air tunnel of the Pioneer seed dryer in Gisborne.

Dried seed on the cob prior to gentle shelling, cleaning and sizing.

Specific gravity separator tables separate seed by weight. The seed floats on an air cushion during seperation. This allows lighter and specific damaged seed to be removed, ensuring physical purity standards are achieved.

The finished conditioned seed is cleaned, sized and graded to ensure uniform seed for planting.

Each single seed has multiple measured coats of fungicide and insecticide applied in thin layers to ensure each seed has the same accurate quantity of chemical.

The Gisborne based production facility: the quality source of Pioneer^® brand seed in New Zealand.