Seed treatment facilities, methods, and apparatus

Abstract

A seed treatment system having a central computerized data store, a user interface, and network connections from the data store to a plurality of retail facilities and a plurality of agricultural produce suppliers. Each retail facility having a seed treatment system configured to uniformly treat batches of seeds with any of a variety of precisely measured chemical formulations. The seed treatment apparatus having a treatment applicator coupled to a plurality of dispensing stations. Each dispensing stations having a pump in fluid communication with a container disposed on a scale. The pump and scale of each dispensing station coupled to a system controller. The system controller is coupled to the data store, configured to provide on-demand agricultural seed treatments to the applicator and chemical usage data from each station to the data store. The data store configured to provide centralized remote monitoring inventory control, supply chain monitoring, and container recycling compliance.

1 . A method of processing a consecutive series of seed treatment orders including a first order and subsequent orders from two or more local growers at a seed treatment facility, the method comprising:
 receiving from at least one seed treatment chemical supply company, a multiplicity of kegs having two or more different seed treatment formulations therein and storing the multiplicity of kegs on site at a retail seed treatment facility;   receiving from at least one seed company bulk quantities of two or more different seed varieties and storing the bulk quantities on site;   inputting the first seed treatment order into a programmable process controller of a seed treatment system, the order including a recipe selection and a seed quantity, the seed treatment system comprising a seed treater, a bank of keg stations, each keg station fluidly connected to the seed treater, the programmable process controller operably in communication with the seed treater and the bank of keg stations;   loading two or more of the multiplicity of kegs into the keg station, fluidly connecting the kegs to the keg station whereby they are fluidly connected to the seed treater;   operating the keg station under control of the programmable process controller to provide simultaneous dispensing of a two or more the kegs in accord with the recipe of the first order;   operating the seed treater under control of the programmable process controller for providing a stream of seed through the seed treater to be coated by the fluid from the simultaneous dispensing of the two or more kegs in accord with the quantity of the first order;   stopping the simultaneous dispensing of the two or more kegs when the quantity of the first order has been coated; and   repeating the above steps for each of the subsequent order.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising taking inventory of the kegs when receiving same by way of scanning one of a barcode or an RFID tag of each keg. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising scanning each keg when loaded onto each respective keg station. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising weighing each keg while seated on each of the keg stations and calculating the quantity of fluid in each keg and providing information on same to an operator of the seed treatment system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing a printed report from the programmable system controller for the first order and for each subsequent order and providing the orders to the local growers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising for each order and each respective grower, one of delivering the seeds to the grower at the seed treatment facility or delivering the seeds to the grower's planting location, or temporarily storing the seeds for pickup by the grower. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further providing a controlled rate of flow of water to the combined fluid line in accord with the recipe and varying said rate of flow of water based on at least one of the following: the ambient humidity and the moisture content of the seeds being treated. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each keg has a size from about 5 to about 60 gallons. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the programmable process controller is configured to dispense seed treatment formulations from kegs to the seed treater according to a recipe. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the keg stations comprise
 a rack portion with a pump affixed thereto,   a base portion attached to the rack portion and extending horizontally, and   a scale positioned on the base portion and partially defining a keg receiving region for placement and replacement of a selected keg.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the programmable process controller is configured to dispense seed treatment formulations from kegs to the seed treater in accord with a recipe. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the seed treatment system comprises
 a mix-station comprising a mix tank disposed on the mix station scale, the mix station scale positioned underneath the mix-station, a mix station pump in fluid communication with the mix tank, a mix station pump controller, the mix station pump controller being configured to operate the mix station pump;   a multi-port manifold comprising a plurality of inlets coupled to the plurality of kegs and said mix-tank and an outlet coupled to the seed treater.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an alarm is provided when the contents of a keg is insufficient for treating a batch of seeds and when the contents of a keg gets below a predefined level. 
     
     
         14 . A method of processing a seed treatment order at a seed treater facility, the method comprising:
 receiving from at least one seed treatment chemical supply company, a multiplicity of kegs, the size of the kegs being one of between 5 and 25 gallons and about 30 gallons and each having two top wall upper access ports, the multiplicity of kegs including two or more different seed treatment formulations;   storing the multiplicity of kegs on site at a retail seed treatment facility until use;   accessing the seed treatment formulations in at least one kegs exclusively by way of dispense heads that couple to one of the two top wall upper access ports on the kegs;   dispensing the seed treatment formulations in two or more of the kegs exclusively into a closed region of a seed treater whereby personnel at the seed treatment facility are not exposed to the liquid seed treatment formulations in said kegs during the processing of said seed treatment order;   wherein each of said dispensing from the plurality of two or more kegs being at a proportionalized flow rate with respect to the other dispensing from the plurality of two or more kegs, and wherein said proportionalized flow rate is in accord with a seed treatment recipe.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least some of the kegs comprise stirring mechanisms provided therein and a motor drive is attached to the stirring mechanism. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the dispensing of the seed treatment formulations comprise dispensing from a two or more kegs simultaneously, each comprising a flow rate. 
     
     
         17 . A method of distributing seeds comprising:
 providing a predetermined quantity of untreated seeds to a retail distribution center;   providing two or more chemical seed treatments at said retail distribution center, wherein each chemical seed treatment is stored in an individual keg;   weighing each keg prior to application of a chemical seed treatment;   simultaneously applying one or more of the two or more chemical seed treatments to a portion of the quantity of the untreated seeds;   weighing each keg after the application of the chemical seed treatment; and   calculating the volume of each of the one or more of the two or more chemical seed treatments that is applied to the portion of seeds.   
     
     
         18 . A method of distributing seeds of  claim 17  further comprising:
 generating a report containing the volume of each one of the one or more of the two or more chemical seed treatments that was applied to the portion of seeds. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising printing and providing a report to a purchaser of the treated seeds, storing the data at the retail distribution center, and selectively sending data to at least one remote recipient by way of the internet. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising selecting and compiling data by the at least one remote recipient and further sending selected and compiled data to a fourth recipient by way of the internet.