The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Vega, Texas, seed company has paid USDA $1,050 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act. 

The company, Richardson 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 three shipments consisting of sorghum sudangrass seed alleged to be in violation of the Federal Seed Act; there were two shipments each to Georgia, and one shipment to Oklahoma. 

 The alleged violation was false labeling as to varietal purity.

USDA/AMS administers the act with the help of state seed officials.  Seed regulatory officials in Texas and Oklahoma 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.