Missouri seed company pays $875 to settle seed case

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Carthage, Mo., seed company has paid USDA $875 to settle an alleged violation of the Federal Seed Act.

The company, Andrews Farm and Seed Inc., settled the case in agreement with officials from USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The company neither admitted nor denied the charges.

The case resolved by the settlement involved one shipment of Kentucky 31 tall fescue seed made to Alabama and two shipments of wheat (variety not stated) to Texas.

The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments were:

•    false labeling as to presence of noxious-weed seeds;

•    false labeling as to other crop seed;

•    false labeling as to date of test; and

•    failure to keep or supply a complete record of seed.

AMS administers the act with the help of state seed officials. Seed regulatory officials in Alabama and Texas cooperated with AMS in making the investigations. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.

Georgia seed company pays $16,425 to settle seed case

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Madison, Ga., seed company has paid USDA $16,425 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.

The company, Pennington Seed Inc., settled the case in agreement with officials from USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The company neither admitted nor denied the charges.

The case resolved by the settlement involved: one shipment of Japanese millet made to Florida; one shipment of annual ryegrass and one shipment of red fescue made to Georgia; one shipment of grass seed mixture and two shipments of tall fescue made to Texas; one shipment of perennial ryegrass and one shipment of grass seed mixture made to Tennessee where it was reshipped to Kentucky; and 14 shipments of tall fescue made to Georgia.

The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were:

•    false labeling as to purity, kind name, variety name, germination percentage and test date;

•    failure to test for germination prior to interstate shipment;

•    false labeling of noxious-weed seeds and their presence in excess of state's limits;

•    presence of prohibited noxious-weed seeds;

•    failure to show the presence of noxious-weed seeds and the rate of occurrence;

•    failure to show the required information for a seed component in a mixture; and

•     failure to keep required records, including those establishing the kind and variety name.

AMS administers the act with the help of state seed officials. Seed regulatory officials in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas cooperated with AMS in making the investigations. The Federal Seed Act is a truth-in-labeling law designed to protect farmers and consumers who buy seed.