The dignitaries that flooded into Stanton, Minn., this week came from as far away as China to be part of the ribbon cutting for the new Seedcare Institute opening at Syngenta's facility. A year ago, the company held a groundbreaking for what would become a 38,000-square feet, $20 million facility devoted to seed care products, tech and training.

In a soft market, this investment shows the value of this business to the future at Syngenta, and offers insight into a company that's looking at the long-term potential for this expanding technology. The facility will house tech facilities for formulation development, but it will also be used for training and even testing.

The seed treatment business, while around for a few decades, has taken off in the past 10 years with the development of new products, and improved delivery formulations, for this product sector. This new facility will build on that for the future and is designed to work with all crops from corn and soybeans, to cotton and canola.

And the value of seed treatments? To get one plant from every seed planted, in other words to protect the seed and have it emerge to produce a crop - which offers future yield benefits too.

This gallery offers a look at the opening, and some insight into some secrets about seed treatments you may not have known.