Mid-west Seed Services

  Mid-West Seed Services, Inc., also known as MWSS is a full service seed testing laboratory started by Tim Gutormson and Sharon Hanson-Gutormson. The company has been in business since July of 1993 and works with over 1,500 seed company accounts from 43 states and several countries. MWSS is an ISTA accredited laboratory, as well as ISO 9001:2000 certified. In the summer of 2007, MWSS was acquired by the Swiss testing and verification group Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).

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Services

MWSS conducts germination, vigor, herbicide tolerance, physical and genetic purity, and GMO (ELISA/protein, DNA/PCR, bioassays) testing. We test hundreds of species every year including: corn, soybeans, alfalfa, canola, sorghum, sunflowers, cereals, grasses, native grasses and forbs, flowers, and vegetables.

Workshops and seed technologist training sessions are held throughout the year. Seed Sampling, Canadian Graders, Pre-harvest, Seed Quality and Seed Technologist Training Workshops are offered annually in Brookings at the MWSS facility and throughout the country. (See the MWSS Workshops page for more information)

History

The company originally started in the basement of our house near Bruce, SD. in July 1993. In November of 1994 MWSS moved to Brookings and leased 4,000 sq ft (400 m²). from the Brookings Area Development Corporation. In September 1997 it moved into a new 10,000 sq ft (1,000 m²). facility. The new facility includes expanded germination, vigor, herbicide, wet laboratory, and purity testing areas. In November of 1998 it completed an 8,000 sq ft (700 m²). addition for expanded soybean and purity testing. This in November 2001 it completed a new 10,000 sq ft (1,000 m²). addition to our current facility. The DNA Laboratory occupies 3,200 sq ft (300 m²). of it for transgenic testing services.

Staff

MWSS employs more than 20 full-time seed analysts, nine of which are Registered Seed Technologists (RST's); three Registered Genetic Technologists (RGT), five Certified Genetic Technologists (CGT's), and three Certified Viability Technologists (CVT's).

The staff includes ten recipients of Doctor of Science or Master of Science degrees in Agronomy, Biology, Ag Education, Computer Science, Geography, and Counseling/Human Resource Development, as well as 33 Bachelor Degrees in Agronomy, Ag Education, Animal Science, Biology, Ethnobotany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Horticulture, Microbiology, Pest Management, Accounting, Ag Journalism and Family and Consumer Science.

Several seasonal staff and more than 30 South Dakota State University students are employed for planting and general laboratory work during the testing season.