Being a seed producer

[twillis2252]

Hi BVV!
There is a retailer online seller in your backyard...Heavenly Seed in Anderson. You may want to go by for a visit. Listed his website: http://www.heavenlyseed.net/default.aspT

Good Luck! Tom

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by imp

I think Jere Gettle's company Baker Creek Seeds, subs out seed production on some things. Might check with them and see what they do now.

They did and probably still do and I should have said something about it in my post above.

I know of two folks who offered to do seed production,no names to be given, and in both cases they were told which varieties to do and in both cases they refused to do them since they knew they were wrong for the variety,

So they stopped doing it altogether.

At the top of the original idig before Mischka bought it there was a very long thread where folks offered to do seed production,apparently no questions were asked about did they know how to prevent X pollination,etc.

I would be very hesitant trying to place seeds for tomatoes with Baker Creek,just my own opinion.

Carolyn, who knows very well when Jere kept offering White Queen, took the info from Will Weavers book, which was wrong,wrong,wrong.I let him know, Craig L let him know, and nothing changed. At the time Will was writing articles for that magazine, info not always correct, and Jere was kinda courting him so when Jere called me to ask if I would write for the magazine,I politely said no. Will is back in the catalog with his own section of "interesting" varieties.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Lol, OK so I need to check laws first.

For SC you can start here. Seems like the license fees are steep and based on your projected yearly sales.

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t46c021.php

[bigflies]

Originally Posted by rhines81

I looked into this several weeks ago. The state of PA requires a yearly license for $25. Then you need to send 1000 seeds of each seed you are going to package. They give you their test results and you must label your packets with the results plus a bunch of other labeling requirements. This is just to sell within the State of PA.

Hi rhines81, I was curious about the seed selling laws in PA, too. I'm clear on the requirement for a $25 yearly seed license. What I'm not totally clear on is the germination test requirement.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by bigflies

Hi rhines81, I was curious about the seed selling laws in PA, too. I'm clear on the requirement for a $25 yearly seed license. What I'm not totally clear on is the germination test requirement.

The germination test result is part of the packet/container labeling requirement for vegetable seed. You send in 1000 seeds to the PA Dept of Ag for testing from each Batch/Lot of seed that you want to sell, along with a $15 fee for each Lot. They test the germination and provide you with a test report with results that need to be included on the labelling of each packet/container that you sell from that Lot within the State of Pennsylvania. The test results are good for 9 months, unless the seed is hermetically sealed, then it is 36 months. If you do not sell a Lot within that time, you need to resubmit another 1000 seeds for a re-test before continuing selling from that Lot.
If you sell out of State, then you need to conform with the laws of that State too. It seems that every State has their own laws. Not sure if there are some States that will accept the test results from another, they seem to all have slight different requirements and fees for seed sellers.

[kayrobbins]

I used to grow for Baker Creek. If you have seeds for something they do not have and are interested in they will let you use your own seed stock. If you don't have anything they want they are often looking for people to grow varieties that they will provide seed for. IF you are interest you should contact Martin Walsh soon because their contracts go out early so they can get everything lined up.

They will send you a contract to sign and it has very specific instructions for isolation distances. I grew peppers and they were to be separated by 400 ft between other pepper varieties. Your seeds also must meet germination testing requirements to be accepted. When I was growing they bought pepper seeds for $30 an ounce. Although that sounds like a lot of money there are a lot of seeds in an ounce. They were good to work with but along the way I got bit by the chile pepper fever and wanted to grow too many varieties to be able to maintain isolation.

[twillis2252]

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t46c021.php

Thanks Rhines for posting the above link.

BVV,
After reviewing the above SC website and all of the legalese it may help to reduce this down to a few sentences. If you still are interested in pursuing this venture I would contact other local seed producer vendors listed in earlier posts and I would make a 100% effort to contact the Clemson Agriculture Department. Clemson has a huge experimental seed laboratory research facility located on US Hwy 17 about 5 miles south of Charleston, on the way to Beaufort, Savannah or Hilton Head. They have a huge amount of acreage being used for research, testing and instruction. I have had contact with those folks in the past and they are very helpful and supportive assisting you in your endeavor. From time to time they may even allow you to test some new varieties that are soon to be released to the public. Good Luck!

[bigflies]

Originally Posted by rhines81

Oh yea. The germ. test results are only valid for 9 months and you would then need to repeat the process for each lot of seed.

rhines81, I went to the PA Dept of Agriculture website (http://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Protec...s/default.aspx) and found the following:

General Labeling Requirements for VEGETABLE AND HERB SEEDS:

1. Accepted name of kind and variety.
2. Germination percentage: a.) Containers of one pound or less the statement "Packed for ________" and "Sell buy_____" date or the percentage of germination, hard seed, if required, and test date. B.) Containers of more than one pound, the percentage of germination, hard seed, if required, date of test and lot number.

Can someone help to clarify the Germination Test requirements for Seed Sellers?

I see from the PA Dept of Agriculture website that each germination test costs $15, and requires the seed seller to submit 1000 seeds from each lot to be tested.

To be able to legally sell seed in PA, in addition to obtaining the $25 PA seed license, is a germination test required for each variety (i.e. lot) of tomato seed a seller wishes to sell?

For example, if a "backyard tomato gardener/hobbyist" were to grow 30 different varieties of tomatos for purposes of harvesting the seed in order to sell it...Would the seller be required to get 30 germination tests performed, one test for each variety of tomato, in order to be able to properly label the tomato seeds and be in compliance with the PA seed laws?

30 x $15 = $450 plus sending in 1000 seeds of each variety for the test.

In this example, $450 for 30 seed germination tests is obviously nothing for big seed selling companies to pay, but for the backyard gardener wishing to sell seeds to help offset the costs of a gardening hobby, the $450 seems like a fairly steep price for the gardener to put up in order to be able to legally sell the 30 varieties of tomato seed (not to mention having to submit 1000 seeds of each variety for the germination test).

Do I understand the PA law correctly that for 30 different varieties of tomatos, the seller would be required to get 30 germination tests performed, one test for each variety, at $15 per test?

[bigflies]

Originally Posted by rhines81

The germination test result is part of the packet/container labeling requirement for vegetable seed. You send in 1000 seeds to the PA Dept of Ag for testing from each Batch/Lot of seed that you want to sell, along with a $15 fee for each Lot. They test the germination and provide you with a test report with results that need to be included on the labelling of each packet/container that you sell from that Lot within the State of Pennsylvania.

rhines81, Thank you for the explanation!

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by bigflies

In this example, $450 for 30 seed germination tests is obviously nothing for big seed selling companies to pay, but for the backyard gardener wishing to sell seeds to help offset the costs of a gardening hobby, the $450 seems like a fairly steep price for the gardener to put up in order to be able to legally sell the 30 varieties of tomato seed (not to mention having to submit 1000 seeds of each variety for the germination test).

Do I understand the PA law correctly that for 30 different varieties of tomatos, the seller would be required to get 30 germination tests performed, one test for each variety, at $15 per test?

Yep, each variety has to be submitted for testing. You would have to sell about 28 packets of seed of each type (only in PA) to begin to make a profit, assuming you are doing nice printed seed envelope. I've done the math and no, it is not designed for a backyard gardener. You would have to hit the ground running with a good marketing plan (and variety of vegetable seeds) to really make anything out of it. Selling 100 packets of seed (after you break even) at $2/pack would only net you about $150 assuming you weren't driving all over to deliver them. This is also assuming that you own the seed and not buying bulk for redistribution.
Much better to sell started plants and ripe vegetables at the roadside, farmer's market or through a friend network. I can walk into the local bar at the beginning of May on a Saturday afternoon and sell about 100 tomato and pepper plants if I wanted to (as it is now, I give my extra 100+ away to friends/family). Selling seed to the same crowd, probably wouldn't even sell 1 pack.
For seed, go big or don't go at all ... was my conclusion.