USDA Contacts

AASCO Contacts in the USDA

	Seed Control Official: Dr. Richard C. Payne Chief Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch LS, AMS, USDA 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C Gastonia, NC 28054 Telephone: 704-810-8877 Fax: 704-853-4109 E-mail: Richard.Payne2@usda.gov Dr. Richard C. Payne Supervisor, Testing Section Telephone: 704-810-8884 Fax: 704-852-4109 Susan Maxon Laboratory Supervisor/Assistant Chief Seed Regulatory & Testing Branch LS, AMS, USDA 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C Gastonia, NC 28054 Telephone: 704-810-8877 Fax: 704-852-4189 Polly Lehtonen USDA-APHIS-PPQ Permits & Risk Assessment 4700 River Road - Unit 133 Riverdale, MD 20737-1236 Phone: 301-734-4394 Fax: 301-734-4300 Fax#2: 301-734-8700

REFERENCE LINKS for USDA: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/seed.htm

The following information is available at this site: Publications: Federal Seed Act Regulations Current State Noxious-Weed Seed Regulations Items of Interest in Seed Seedsmen's Records and the Federal Seed Act Requirements Under the Federal Seed Act for Labeling Treated Seed Facts About Naming and Labeling Varieties of Seed Information: The Variety Name List for Agriculture and Vegetable Seeds (maintained by SRT Branch) How to check the list for a variety name How to submit a request for the SRT Branch to check a variety name for you Guidelines for naming new varieties Service Testing - How to submit a sample for testing (contains a chart showing the charges for each kind and test)
LABELING & DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION SURVEY The following responses are provided by the USDA Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch. Variety Labeling Does your law allow for "Variety Not Stated" labeling? Answer = YES Arbitration Does your state have "arbitration" legislation in place to arbitrate disputes between buyer and seller? Answer = NO Pre-emption Legislation Does your state have "pre-emption" legislation to restrict local political subdivisions from regulating seed? Answer = NO