Geneseo, Illinois, USA
February 23, 2024
The new Quality Assurance Lab at the Atkinson Production Facility tests for germination three times faster than previous processes.
Wyffels Hybrids completed their Atkinson Production Facility expansion and modernization project with a new Quality Assurance (QA) Lab. After ten years of consecutive sales growth, Wyffels Hybrids is expanding capabilities and increasing efficiencies for everything from production to distribution. The new QA Lab is a key part of the process.
“The new lab increases germination testing capacity threefold,” says Rodney Gilbert, Wyffels QA Director. ”We’ve increased efficiency for our test sizing and physical purity processes, while maintaining the above industry-level quality standards Wyffels is known for in the seed industry.”
The QA Lab was completed in time to process the 2023 seed production harvest for validation, comparing the results with the existing quality assurance process. The new QA lab will be fully operational for harvest 2024 and is staffed by five team members, including four new team members.
Kelly Grief leads the team as QA Lab Manager. Grief attended Iowa State University and majored in Agriculture and Society, Seed Science. She is a Registered Seed Technologist (RST) and a Canadian Food Inspection Agency accredited seed grader. For the last six years, Grief worked for Corteva as a Seed Quality Testing Team Lead.
Kyle Wallman, Quality Assurance Specialist, is responsible for the development, documentation, and implementation of the Production Quality Management System for ensuring consistent processes across sites. Wallman attended the University of Nebraska and worked as a Research Associate, gaining experience in plant transformation and genetic testing. Prior to joining Wyffels, Wallman worked for Corteva as a Seed Quality Process Lead.
To complete the team, Jaselyn Robertson, Barb Scott and Anita Park will deliver germination and test sizing results as Quality Lab Technicians. Robertson interned with Wyffels Hybrids prior to graduating from Iowa State University with an ag business degree and minor in agronomy. Scott brings years of experience from the Corteva/ Pioneer Woodhull production location, where she worked in their lab as logistics coordinator. Park has been with Wyffels for 17 years.
“Wyffels Hybrids is known for high-quality seed and every step along the production process has an impact on seed quality,” Gilbert says. “The new QA lab and quality management system will ensure that as we change and grow, our quality will remain second to none”.
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