Happy Fall Y’all!

 

It is hard to believe that the first day of fall is only 3 days away on September 23rd! Where did the summer go?! Small seed samples, cereals, rye and grasses filled our time the last few months. It is now the season when corn and soybean samples start taking over our lab. We are preparing for another busy few months!

 

Seed Lab Business

 

WEBLOCKER – Access to sample information

Taking some feedback from our recent satisfaction survey, we wanted to refresh our customers on our electronic system for sample information – WebLocker. This system can be accessed through our website in the customer care section, or the button below.

The WebLocker will allow you:

  1. To access information like when samples are received and entered into our system.
  2. To export results into an excel spreadsheet to organize results how you would like.

To become a WebLocker user or to find out if your company currently has an account, or to get further explanation on how to use the WebLocker, please email us at seedlab@iastate.edu. We will be happy to help!

 

Phone or Email?

Why is that sometimes you call Customer Care and we ask you to send an email with your questions? We LOVE talking with our customers and we like that you think we are that knowledgeable. To be honest, we just don’t have this information readily available because every question is different. Emails also help us ensure we are giving you an accurate answer to your question, as some things can be misunderstood or misheard on the phone.

  • PHONE CALL – General Inquiries i.e. confirmation requests, questions on test durations, etc.
  • EMAIL – Specific testing information i.e. number of seeds needed, costs, approximate turnaround time, etc.

We promise to answer emails as quickly as phone calls whenever possible. An email is not less important than a phone call and vice versa. Our goal is to give you complete and accurate information. The best way to do that is to make sure we understand exactly what you need the first time.

 

Don’t send treated samples in cloth bags

Our health lab requests customer to not sent treated seeds in cloth bags. Many times the treatment can dust off and bleed through the bags. This becomes very messy in the lab. If you must use a cloth bag, we ask that you please put the seed in a plastic or paper bag first.

 

Exporting to New Zealand?

New Zealand testing protocols have changed. It is important that you have the right information to send in the correct number of seeds. Please email the Customer Care team for further information on seed amounts required for New Zealand export testing. We will gather the correct information and get back to you as quickly as we can.