The Federal Seed Act (FSA) regulates the interstate shipment of agricultural and vegetable seeds. The FSA requires that seed shipped in interstate commerce be labeled with certain information necessary for the seed buyer to make an informed choice. The labeling information and any advertisements pertaining to the seed must be truthful. The FSA helps promote uniformity among the state seed laws and fair competition within the seed trade.
The following cases were settled administratively under the FSA between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024. Under the administrative settlement procedure, the Seed Regulatory and Testing Division and the firms agreed to settle the cases, for the amount specified, with the firms neither admitting nor denying the charges.
Ag1 Farmer Co-op, Livingston, Tennessee, has paid $350 for a case involving one seed shipment to Kentucky. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrence.
Ash Swale Seed Company, LLC, Shedd, Oregon, has paid $550 for a case involving one seed shipment to Florida which was subsequently reshipped to Pennsylvania. Seed regulatory officials in Pennsylvania cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling as to variety name.
Barenbrug USA, Tangent, Oregon, has paid $24,050 for case involving thirteen seed shipments.
There were one seed shipment to Indiana. There were two seed shipments to Pennsylvania. There was one seed shipment to Texas which was subsequently reshipped to Louisiana. There was one seed shipment to Ohio which was subsequently reshipped to Missouri. In addition, there were eight seed shipments to Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin which were subsequently reshipped to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling as to origin;
- False labeling as to kind name;
- False labeling as to variety name;
- Failure to label as a Brand;
- Failure to label as a mixture;
- Failure to keep or supply records;
- False labeling of germination percentages and test date, and
- False labeling of pure seed, inert matter, other crop seed, weed seed.
Bayer Crop Science, St. Louis, Missouri, has paid $8,500 for a case involving six seed shipments.
There were two seed shipment to Louisiana and four seed shipments to Mississippi. Seed regulatory officials in Louisiana and Mississippi cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of germination percentages.
Beachner Seed Company, LLC, St. Paul, Kansas, has paid $8,950 for a case involving seven seed shipments. There was one seed shipment to Missouri. There was one seed shipment to Kentucky which was subsequently reshipped to Virginia. There was one seed shipment to Tennessee which was subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. In addition, there were four seed shipments to Maryland in which one was subsequently reshipped to Pennsylvania and three subsequently reshipped to Virginia. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- Failure to keep or supply records;
- False labeling of germination percentages and test date;
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrence, and
- False labeling of pure seed, inert matter, other crop seed, weed seed.
Beacon Seed, LLC, Scio, Oregon, has paid $525 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment to North Carolina which was subsequently reshipped to Virginia.
Seed regulatory officials in Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of pure seed percentage, and
- Failure to label the interstate shippers name and address or code designation.
B&G Seed Processors, Inc., Williston, Florida, has paid 500 for a case involving one seed shipment to Tennessee. Seed regulatory officials in Tennessee cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- Presence of federal noxious-weed seeds.
BFG Supply Co., Burton, Ohio, has paid $900 for a case involving one seed shipment to West Virginia. Seed regulatory officials in West Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling as to variety name.
Chesapeake Valley Seed, Inc., Savage, Maryland, has paid $1,250 for a case involving two seed shipments to Virginia. Seed regulatory officials in Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- Failure to keep or supply records, and
- False labeling of germination percentages.
The Cisco Companies, Indianapolis, Indiana, has paid $2,250 for a case involving three seed shipments to Michigan. Seed regulatory officials in Michigan cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of pure seed, inert matter percentages;
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrence, and
- False labeling of germination percentages and test date.
Delta Grow Seed Company, England, Arkansas, has paid $700 for a case involving one seed shipment to Louisiana. Seed regulatory officials in Louisiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of germination percentage.
Domain Outdoors, LLC, Hudson, Wisconsin, has paid $500 for a case involving one seed shipment to Indiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of pure seed percentage.
DLF Pickseed, USA, Inc., Halsey, Oregon, has paid $17,575 for a case involving sixteen seed shipments. There was one seed shipment to Missouri. There one seed shipment from Missouri to Kentucky. There was one seed shipment from Wisconsin to Indiana. There was one seed shipment to Ohio which subsequently reshipped to Indiana. There was one seed shipment to Tennessee which subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. There was one seed shipment from Missouri to Maryland which was subsequently reshipped to Virginia. There were two seed shipments to Kentucky. There were two seed shipments from Missouri to Kansas and Tennessee which subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. There were four seed shipments from Missouri to Indiana.
In addition, there were shipments to Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, and Texas, which were subsequently reshipped to Louisiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, and Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- Failure to keep or supply records;
- False labeling as to variety name;
- False labeling of germination percentages and test dates, and
- False labeling of pure seed and other crop seed percentages.
Farmers Ag Center, Mountain Grove, Missouri, has paid $1,800 for a case involving one seed shipment to Tennessee. Seed regulatory officials in Tennessee cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of other crop seed percentage, and
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrence.
Greenpoint Ag, Decatur, Alabama, has paid $1,900 for a case involving five seed shipments. There was seed shipment from Tennessee to Mississippi which was subsequently reshipped to Louisiana. There were two seed shipments from Tennessee to Virginia. There were two seed shipment from South Dakota to Tennessee which subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling as to kind name;
- False labeling of germination percentages;
- False labeling of pure seed percentage, and
- Failure to label the interstate shippers name and address or code designation.
Johnathan Green, Inc., Farmingdale, New Jersey, has paid $825 for a case involving one seed shipment to Michigan which subsequently reshipped to Indiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of germination test date, and
- False labeling of pure seed percentage.
Lewis Seed Company, Shedd, Oregon, has paid $500 for a case involving one seed shipment to Texas. Seed regulatory officials in Texas cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrence.
Lewis Seed Company, Louisville, Kentucky, has paid $500 for a case involving one seed shipment to Indiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of germination percentage.
New Seed, Inc., Lake Oswego, Oregon, has paid $350 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment to Missouri which was subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling as to variety name.
Pennington Seed, Inc., Madison, Georgia, has paid $7,800 for a case involving nine seed shipments. There was one seed shipment each from Oregon to Kentucky and Texas. There were two seed shipments from Missouri to Virginia. There were three seed shipments from Missouri to Kentucky. In addition, there were two seed shipments from Missouri to Alabama and Virginia which subsequently reshipped to Kentucky. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky, Texas, and Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of germination percentages;
- False labeling of pure seed and inert matter percentages, and
- False labeling of noxious-weed seeds rate of occurrences.
Plantation Products, LLC, Norton, Massachusetts, has paid $15,375 for two cases involving sixteen seed shipments. There was one seed shipment each to Missouri and Wisconsin. There was one seed shipment from California to Idaho. There was one seed shipment from Pennsylvania to Utah. There were two seed shipments from California to Missouri. There were three seed shipments to Minnesota. There were four seed shipments to Indiana. There was one seed shipment to Illinois which was subsequently reshipped to Minnesota. There was one seed shipment to Nebraska which was subsequently reshipped to Idaho. In addition, there was one seed shipment from Pennsylvania to Texas which subsequently reshipped to Utah. Seed regulatory officials in Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Utah, and Wisconsin cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling as to variety, and
- False labeling of germination percentages and test dates.
ProSeeds Marketing, Inc., Jefferson, Oregon, has paid $2,750 for a case involving two seed shipments. There was one seed shipment to Kentucky. There was one seed shipment to Kansas which was subsequently reshipped to Missouri. Seed regulatory officials in Kentucky and Missouri cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of germination test date, and
- False labeling of pure seed percentages.
Ragan & Massey, LLC, Ponchatoula, Louisiana, has paid $700 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment to Maryland which was subsequently reshipped to Virginia. Seed regulatory officials in Virginia cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of other crop seed percentage.
Security Seed Services, Salem, Oregon, has paid $1,750 for a case involving two seed shipments to California. Seed regulatory officials in California cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- Failure to label as a mixture;
- Failure to keep or supply records;
- False labeling of pure seed and inert matter percentages, and
- Failure to label the interstate shippers name and address or code designation.
Seedway, Inc., Hall, New York, has paid $1,700 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment from Florida to Texas. Seed regulatory officials in Texas cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of pure seed and inert matter percentages.
SiteOne Landscape Supply, Cleveland, Ohio, has paid $1,100 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment from Oregon to Indiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violation was:
- False labeling of germination percentage.
Smith Seed Services, Halsey, Oregon, has paid $1,750 for a case involving two seed shipments.
There was one seed shipment each to Indiana and Michigan. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana and Michigan cooperated in the initial sampling and inspections. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of pure seed percentages.
Thunderbird Commodities, Inc., Mahnomen, Minnesota, has paid $1,050 for a case involving one seed shipment. There was one seed shipment to Kentucky was subsequently reshipped to Indiana. Seed regulatory officials in Indiana cooperated in the initial sampling and inspection. The alleged violations were:
- False labeling of germination test date, and
- False labeling of pure seed and other crop seed percentages.