Department of Agriculture and Forestry, State of Louisiana - Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner

• The crop or variety to be certified must have been approved for certification by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry. Also, the originator, developer, owner or agent shall provide the following to the Department of Agriculture & Forestry:

1. 1. The name of the variety
   2. A statement concerning the variety’s origin and the breeding procedure used in its development
   3. A detailed description of the morphological, physiological and other characteristics of the plants and seed that distinguish it from other varieties
   4. Evidence supporting the identity of the variety, such as comparative yield data, insect and disease resistance, or other factors supporting the identity of the variety
   5. A statement delineating the geographic area or areas of adaptation of the variety
   6. A statement on the plans and procedures for the maintenance of seed classes, including the number of generations through which the variety may be multiplied
   7. A description of the manner in which the variety is constituted when a particular cycle of reproduction or multiplication is specified
   8. Any additional restrictions on the variety specified by the breeder, with respect to geographic area of seed production, age of stand or other factors affecting genetic purity
   9. A sample of seed representative of the variety as marketed.

• To be certified, all crops and/or varieties must conform to (1) all general requirements for certification and (2) all specific requirements for certification of a particular crop or variety. (See §§155-221 of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards for specific requirements. In §§155-221, the percentages shown for pure seed and germination are the minimum acceptable levels of performance required for certification; the percentages shown for all other factors are maximum allowable percentages.)
• The grower must submit the application described in §129 hereof on or before the date specified in §131 of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards for the crop or variety to be certified. (See §129.B and §143.B for provisions concerning late applications.)
• The crop or variety to be certified must be of breeder, foundation or registered seed, or seed approved by the Seed Commission.
• The grower must maintain genetic purity during seeding, production, harvesting, storage, conditioning and labeling.
• The grower must hand-rogue all off-type plants, varietal mixtures, noxious weeds or any other plants producing seed that are inseparable from seed of the crop or variety to be certified.
• Other varieties or crops, volunteer plants and/or off-type plants cannot be present in the field, and seeds thereof cannot be present in seed to be certified, unless permitted under the specific certification standards for the crop or variety entered for certification. Noxious weeds are permitted in the field and seed thereof are permitted in seed to be certified, within the limitations specified in §145 hereof, of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards, unless a specific limitation on noxious weeds is contained in the specific requirements for the crop or variety entered for certification. (See §§155-221 for specific requirements.)
• One or more field inspections will be made to determine genetic identity and purity. The crop or variety to be certified must be standing, reasonably free of weeds and of relatively uniform maturity at the time of field inspection(s). A copy of the field inspection report will be furnished to the grower.
• All planting, harvesting, bin storage and cleaning equipment must be free of contamination by other seeds, insects, or plant diseases.
• Storage facilities must be: (1) suitable for maintaining germination and varietal purity; (2) constructed so that a representative sample can be drawn; and (3) all such facilities are subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture & Forestry.
• The grower must maintain complete records accounting for all production and final disposition of all certified seeds.

Certified Seed Directory

Certified Seed Conditioners

• Onion Bulbs and seed, and shallots – March 1.
• Tissue Culture Sugarcane – April 1.
• Clover (crimson, red, white), Rescue Grass, Harding Grass, Vetch, and Irish Potatoes- April 1
• Oats, Wheat, Ryegrass, Singletary Peas – April 15
• Watermelon – May 1
• Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato plants
  • Greenhouse plantings (virus-tested) – 45 days prior to planting
  • Field plantings – June 1
• Okra – June 15
• Rice – July 1.
• Cotton, Millet, Sesame, Sunflower, Tree – July 15.
• Tomatoes (Spring) – June 1, (Fall) – July 15.
• Soybeans – August 1
• Corn – a minimum of 30 days prior to pollination.
• Cowpeas – a minimum of 30 days prior to harvest.
• Grasses:
  • Bermuda grasses:
    • New plantings – minimum of 30 days prior to harvest.
    • Established stands (fields certified the previous year) – June 1. Renewal application must be submitted.
  • Turf and Pasture Grass:
    • New plantings – at least 15 days prior to land preparation for planting
    • Established stands (fields certified the previous year) – June 1. Renewal application must be submitted
• Clonally propagated plant species, except for plant species for which a deadline is specifically provided in this Section:
  • new plantings – submit application at least 15 days prior to land preparation for planting;
  • established stands (fields certified the previous year) – submit renewal application by April 15.

Field Inspection 

All field inspection fees shall be charged per inspection, both application and field inspection fees are due and payable at the time of application.

• Native Plants (Clonally and Seed Propagated)
  • An hourly fee of $25 per hour, per inspector shall be charged for each inspection of Native Plants, and
  • Mileage for travel to and from inspection location shall be charged at the current state travel regulations mileage re-imbursement rate.
• Rice – $1.15 per acre
• Sugarcane – $3.00 per acre
• Sweet Potato field inspection – $2.25 per acre
  • Greenhouse and Seed Bed Inspections – $62.50 per crop year
  • Seed Storage Inspection
    • An hourly fee of $25 per hour, per inspector shall be charged for each seed sweet potato storage inspection, and
    • Mileage for travel to and from inspection location shall be charged at the current state travel regulations mileage re-imbursement rate.
• Turf & Pasture Grass – $31.25 per acre
• All Kinds not Listed – $1.15 per acre
• The application fee for certification shall be $28 for each variety, per producer. The application fee shall be due and payable upon filing of the application for certification.
• The fee for certification on any application submitted after the deadline shown in §131 shall be $100.
• A fee of $50 shall be charged for each re-inspection of a field.

Phytosanitary Inspections

• A fee of $1.15 per acre shall be charged for phytosanitary inspections.

Certified Seed Re-Sample

• A fee of $30 will be charged for each re-sample, which fee shall be due and payable when the request for re-sample is initially made.

Bulk Sample

• A fee of $30 shall be charged for each bulk sample by vacuum probe, which shall be due and payable when request for bulk sample is initially made.

Seed Certification

• Fees for certified seed shall be sixteen cents per weight unit and be calculated on the total weight units in the certifiable lot. The number of weight units for a particular lot of seed shall be reported when the certified sample is taken. Fees are due when the certified sample is submitted to the State Seed Testing Laboratory.
  • The weight unit for rice is 100 pounds, all other commodity weight units are 50 pounds
• Any person who sells, distributes, or offers for sale certified seed in Louisiana and who has paid certification fees for a particular lot of seed may request a partial refund, not to exceed seventy percent, on the unsold portion of the certified lot from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry. Any person requesting a refund must submit:
  • A written request to the Department within 9 months of the certified test date, stating:
    • Lot number for the seed that the request is being made
    • Number of weight units sold from the certified lot
    • The number of weight units partitioned for refund from the certified lot
  • All unused tags from the certified lot

1. Download a seed certification application (Certification Application) or contact the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry’s Seed Division for certification applications and regulations for seed crops that can be certified.
2. Use production fields that have no history of troublesome or noxious weeds, and that meet the previous cropping and present isolation requirements for the seed crop to be grown.
3. Select a seedstock class such as breeder, foundation, or registered seed for planting that can be recertified. Save one of the seedstock tags and all purchase records for each variety planted and send these in with your application. If you use your own seedstock, submit a letter indicating the source and year of productions for this seed.
4. Send your completed applications, tags and invoices, fees and detailed field maps prior to the deadline dates to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, Office of Management and Finance Accounts Receivable, 5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 3004, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Phone: (225) 925-4733.
5. Thoroughly clean all planting equipment before planting the seedstock. Use chemical weed controls and follow cultural practices recommended by your Parish Extension Agent.
6. Rogue seed fields to remove other crops, off-type plants and noxious weeds before requesting a field inspection.
7. Growers are to call the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry district office in their area at least 10 days before harvest to request and schedule an inspector to make a field or other required inspections.
8. Thoroughly clean all harvesting, transporting and storage equipment before and between harvesting different varieties or other seed crops in order to avoid mixture.
9. Monitor seed moisture, temperature and quality in storage. Aerate if necessary. Send your own service sample ( Seed Sample Submission Form) to the seed testing laboratory prior to conditioning in order to monitor seed quality in storage.
10. Notify the LDAF Office of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Seed Division prior to any “grower to conditioner” transfers, sales, purchases or changes in the ownership of Louisiana Certified seed.
11. Condition all seed at an approved seed plant. A list of approved conditioners is available from the Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Seed Division. Palletize bags or store seed in bulk areas such that representative samples can be drawn.
12.  Contact the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry district office in your area to request an inspector to draw an official certified seed sample for laboratory analysis. Seedsmen should be present at the time of sampling in order to assist the inspector in locating the seed and in recording the correct information regarding variety and lot number identities.

• Certified Seed Application
• Louisiana Certified Seed Program Bulk Transfer Report

Certified Seed Directory
Certified Seed Conditioner List