Flexiseeder is an ad hoc, highly skilled, experienced and dedicated industry research and training member help group and network formed during the late 1990s as a Nordic-New Zealand initiative1.  Using a modular approach, it specializes in innovative and functional seeding and threshing equipment research, development, prototyping, proof of concept, start-up and small-run commercial production and servicing in New Zealand, Denmark and globally.

 Flexiseeder supports:

-             Year-round seed and machinery chains between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres;

-             Lateral outreach on the basis of overlapping agro-ecologies spanning more than 30 years;

-             Project identification, formulation, start-up, implementation and evaluation;

-             Applied research, plant breeding / seed industry, farm development and production.

The modular nature and open-source listing of Flexiseeder technologies makes them well suited to integrating across brands including combined builds.  Flexiseeder has a core philanthropic commitment to education, research, development and production including disaster preparedness and mitigation.  This includes a multi-million NZD portfolio of endowments, available free of cost to members, forleverage by honours’, graduate and post graduate students to assist them to raise additional programme and project funding required for their further study through the Flexiseeder Industry Interface Support Initiative.

Flexiseeder Ltd and the Stevens Family Trust jointly is the major financing, risk-taking and co-ordination entity, for this group. Additional members who have contributed substantially within the Nordic group are SLU2 including Lanna Research Station, IAMFE3, NMBU4, NIBO5, SWseed6,SEGES7, Strøby Maskinvaerksted; and within New Zealand, LU SRC8 – SEMEC9, LU FSC10, Geoff Gray Ltd, Plant Research New Zealand Ltd, Customs Services Ltd, The Casting Shop Ltd, Collins Patterns Ltd, Bellamy and East Ltd, Custom Tooling Ltd, McClay Tooling Ltd, Steve Smith Patterns Ltd, Quartly Patterns Ltd, CMI Springs Ltd, Friel and Sons Engineering Ltd, John Brooks Ltd, Positive Electric 2010 Ltd, AMPP Industries Ltd, Mainland Fasteners Ltd, Custom Cutting Forms Ltd, Qingdao Agricultural University, Simons Hill Station, Zürrer family, Colin Hubbard, Chris Roberts, MC Crostie family, Warin family, Harris Family, Taylor family, Ovenden Seeds Ltd, South Pacific Seeds Ltd, Global Oats Ltd, Southern Seed Technology Ltd, AgrResearch Ltd, Grasslanz Technology Ltd,Canterbury Seed Company Ltd, Plant and Food Research Ltd, PGG Wrightson Ltd, Field Mate Ltd, Todhunter family.

Primary Contacts:

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1This cooperation originated in 1998 between the Unit of Applied Field Research (FFE) of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU, www.slu.se)2 the Seed & Mechanization Development Trust (SEMEC)9 and Lincoln University Seed Technology Laboratory8, New Zealand.  In 2000 this was extended to include the International Association on mechanization of field experiments (IAMFE, www.iamfe.org)3 including its members; hosted at the time by FFE. From this basis Flexiseeder grew as member-to-member seed and machinery chain support overlay to the long tradition Nordic countries have of nationally coordinating agriculture field experimentation, and growing seed in New Zealand out-of-season.  Expanding it to systematically include new initiatives of mutual interest coordinated on the basis of agro-ecological overlap including lateral outreach, made possible by the rapid and affordable development of the internet. IAMFE was formed in 1964 in Norway by Prof Egil Oyjord supported for many years by Sweden through Mr. Bengt Hallerström and Mr.Torbjörn Leuchovius (see www.slu.se/faltforsk/flexihistory1), also key figures in the evolution of Flexiseeder as was Mr. Karl-Johan Langvad. The historic and highly relevant work of Prof. Wesley F. Buchele, Dr Hans-Ulrich Hege, Mr. Jens A. Schou, Mr. Fritz Walter and Mr. Johann Wintersteiger including their respective teams is also respectfully noted.

4 Norwegian University of Life Sciences, formerly the Norwegian University of Agriculture.

5 Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, formerly Bioforsk.

6 SWSeed, today integrated as a part of Lantmännen Lantbruk.

7 A merge of the former Danish Knowledge Centre and Pig Research Center.

8 Lincoln University Seed Research Centre, formerly Lincoln University Seed Technology Lab.

10 Lincoln University Field Service Centre.