Information For Producing/Advertising/ Selling Certified Seed

We have two circulars regarding regulations on seed: 1) Circular 10 - Regulations on the Sale of Planting Seed in Arkansas, and 2) Circular 15 - Official Standards for Seed Certification in Arkansas. The following list will point out some of the important things to remember from these regulations.

1. Seed can be called "Certified" only - if it is bagged and tagged with an official certification label. (EXCEPTION: Certified Blue-Tag Grade Wheat may be sold in bulk.) This means going through the entire process of certification - application, field inspection, an inspector's sample on clean seed for purity and germination that makes the grade applied for, and labels printed and attached to the bagged seed. (NOTE: Our regulations now allow certified blue-tag wheat to be sold in the bulk; it still requires this entire process, except bagging, and the labeling information is given on a bulk certificate instead of a tag/label. For more information on selling bulk certified wheat, call the Plant Board Seed Division or your area inspector.)
2. The only bulk sales of Arkansas certified seed currently allowed - are bulk transfers between two licensed certified seedsmen, and blue-tag grade certified wheat. Seed applied on for certification may be sold from one licensed certified seedsman to another, in bulk, provided the identity of the seed has been maintained at all times and the appropriate bulk transfer form accompanies the shipment. After the seed is moved it must be sampled for a complete analysis (purity and germ), bagged and tagged, to be sold as certified.
3. Uncleaned seed may be sampled by an inspector - for germ, varietal purity, noxious weeds and moisture as an aid in making conditioning decisions. However, a complete analysis (germ and purity) must be performed on cleaned seed before a certified grade can be issued. These samples on cleaned seed may be drawn by our inspector on bulk seed when blue-tag certified is needed. Registered and Foundation grades are only issued on samples drawn from cleaned, bagged seed.
4. "Eligible for certification if bagged and tagged" - was originally intended only for invoices, to allow auditors to identify seed that was bulk transferred, and still in the process of obtaining certification. Although this has been used on invoices of sales of seed applied on and approved in the field and the lab, yet lacking the final process of certification (bagging and tagging), it is not encouraged. This seed is not certified and should not be advertised as such. This statement cannot be applied to uncleaned seed. Without an analysis on cleaned seed, eligibility for certification is unknown.
5. A complete analysis (germ and purity) is required to supply the labeling information on all seed sold, both certified and non-certified. The information required on the label is listed in Circular 10, Section 2.C. The labeling information on bulk sales must accompany each sale, either on the invoice or on a separate sheet or tag.
6. If you grow 100 acres or less of certified seed, A $100 Certification Permit - is all that is required for selling your own production of bagged/tagged certified seed or bulk transfers.  A Seed Dealer/Labeler License ($250) is required for any other sales of seed not labeled by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Cir. 10, Section 2. Licensing-Reporting-Labeling).  A Certification Permit may be upgraded to a license for an additional $150.00.