Seed
WASHINGTON, D.C. - To the
casual observer, Wilbur An
derson’s field of cabbage and peas
in Washington state is fairly or
dinary.
Dan Canthffe's Florida plantings
of cucumber, squash and water
melon or Darrell Morey’s wheat
and rye fields in Georgia also
appear ordinary.
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growouis assure correct labeling
But they aren’t ordinary.
All three plantings are part of a
network of open-air laboratories
maintained by the U.S. Depart
ment of Agriculture and
cooperating states, to help ensure
that seed is labeled and sold by its
correct variety name.
Cantliffe, Anderson and Morey
are all corn specialists who spend
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part of their tune working with
USDA to check the accuracy of
seed labeling as to variety.
“Correct variety labeling of seed
is critical m today's market,” says
Don Ator, chief of the Seed
Regulatory Branch of USDA’s
Agricultural Marketing Service.
“‘Tp check the accuracy of seed
labeling we grow the seed
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'eeing is believing
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seeing is believing.”
As recently as 30 years ago,
people, had few improved varieties
to choose from. Today there are
thousands of varieties ot field
crops, vegetable crops and turf
grasses. Each variety is developed
for specific growing conditions or
for specific end product uses. Soil,
weather, geography, disease-
(agway)
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Uncaster Farming, Saturday, November 14,1981-839
resistance, and intended use all
are factors in deciding which
varieties to plant. Choice of variety
can make the difference between
crop success or failure.
"If seed is incorrectly labeled
fanners or home gardeners won’t
get the crop they planned,” Ator
said.
Variety testing is one part of a
program to enforce the Federal
Seed Act, a truth-m-labeling law
intended to protect farmers and
home gardeners who buy seed
USDA has seed test sites in 11
states.
State seed regulatory officials
draw seed samples for ge r
mmation and purity testing ana
send them to USDA, Ator said. The
samples are taken at farm supply
stores, hardware stores, super
markets, warehouses—anywhere
seed is sold.
“The sample seeds are carefully
nurtured according to recom
mended practices for the crop
being tested,” Ator said "Each
seed lot under scrutiny is com
pared with a control sample to
determine if it is the variety
claimed. If not, distinguished
characteristics of the plants are
recorded and photographed to
document the fact that the plants
are not the variety named on the
seed label.
"We find about five percent of
the samples tested this way are
mislabeled,” Ator said. “Test
results on offtypes are referred to
USOA field agents and state seed
control officials who pursue each
case by checking records of
companies mvolved. ’ ’
The seed company then may be
cited with a violation of the
Federal Seed Act or of state seed
laws.
“Sometimes a warning is suf
• ficient,” Ator said, “we could also
take stronger measures such as
penalty action with a fine.
“There are many instances
where variety mislabeling could
result in financial losses,” Ator
said. “For example, a farmer
growing barley for brewing could
be damaged if the wrong variety is
planted and the crop doesn’t meet
the standards required by the
brewer.”
“Home gardeners also can be
hurt by mislabeling,” Ator said.
“It’s frustrating to plan for one
crop and get another. Paying a
premium price for a special
variety is a waste of money if the
seed purchased is not true to the
information on the label.
“Farmers and gardeners
already have enough risks to deal
with weather, disease, markets.-
They shouldn’t have to risk
planting the wrong variety of
seed,” he said.
Proper seed labeling can’t be
taken for granted, Ator said.
“Mislabeling can happen through
human error, such as a simple
switching of tags from one seed lot
to another, or attaching the wrong
tag to seed,” he said. “Seed can be
contaumnated in the harvesting or
cleaning process if equipment isn’t
completely clear of one variety of
seed before the next one is run.”
Seed varieties also can be
contaminated or changed by
foreign pollen, by volunteer plants,
or by genetic shifts due to en
vironmental factors. And, Ator
said, seed varieties may be
deliberately mislabeled as a
marketing tool. For example, a
variety of seed could be sold by one
seed dealer to another. The second
dealer might rename the variety to
enhance sales.
"This not only is illegal,” Ator
said, "it further confuses what is
already a complex marketing
business. The consumer doesn’t
have a choice as to variety when
these practices prevail.”