The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that a Fulton, Kentucky, seed company has paid USDA $875 to settle alleged violations of the Federal Seed Act.

The company, Ferry-Morse Seed Company, 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 two shipments of lettuce seed and one of melon seed made to Texas. 

The alleged violations, while not the same for all shipments, were:

• failure to keep and/or supply a complete record of the seed;

• false labeling with respect to the variety name; and

• false labeling in regard to germination.

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