Washington, DC
September 17, 2003

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that an Enid, Oklahoma., seed company has paid USDA $2,575 to settle an alleged violation of the Federal Seed Act.

The company, Texas Oklahoma Production Company, settled the case in agreement with officials from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The company neither admitted nor denied the charges.

The case resolved by the settlement involved five shipments, alleged to be in violation of the Federal Seed Act, of cowpea seed, mixed wheat and rye seed and triticale seed made to Georgia and Texas where they were officially sampled.

The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were false labeling as to variety name, pure seed, germination percentage, noxious-weed seed; failure to show the name and kind and variety accompanied by the percentage or the name of the kind accompanied by the words "Variety Not Stated" and the percentage, germination percentage and test date; shipping seed containing prohibited noxious-weed seeds; and failure to keep required records.

AMS administers the act with the help of state seed officials. Seed regulatory officials in Georgia, Oklahoma 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.