North Dakota Administrative Code › Title 74 - Seed Commission › Article 74-03 - Seed Certification Standards › Chapter 74-03-01 - General Seed Certification Requirements › Section 74-03-01-09 - Field inspection

Current through Supplement No. 393, July, 2024
1. Applications.
				Applications for field inspection, accompanied by the correct fees, payment of
				past-due accounts, and proof of seed eligibility, must be received at the state
				seed department office in Fargo not later than June fifteenth. The penalty fee
				will apply after that date. Applications for grass seed must be received by May
				first to avoid late penalty. Applications for hemp must be received by June
				first to avoid late penalty. Applications for millet and buckwheat must be
				received by July fifteenth to avoid late penalty. Applications for soybeans
				requiring only a single inspection (preharvest) must be received by August
				first to avoid late penalty. In case of an emergency or unusual circumstances
				due to weather or crop conditions, the deadline may be extended at the
				discretion of the seed commissioner. In such an event, late application
				penalties may be waived.
2.
				Information required on application. The application shall be completed by the
				applicant and returned to the seed department. All questions must be answered
				completely and correctly. The location of the farm and field, including the
				legal description, shall be given clearly so that the inspector will be able to
				find the farm and field readily without waste of time and extra travel. Farm
				service agency field maps or equivalent must be provided by the applicant. If
				the seed is the grower's own seed, sufficient evidence must be provided to the
				department to verify eligibility. If the seed is purchased, an official
				certified seed tag or bulk certificates must accompany the
				application.
3. Roguing and
				spraying fields. Roguing is essential to maintain the purity of varieties and
				high standards of certified seed. Roguing fields prior to inspection is
				recommended to remove undesirable plants from fields. Plants that should be
				removed include off-type plants, other crop plants, prohibited and restricted
				noxious weeds, and other impurities which may be growing in the field.
Roguing is usually done by pulling off-types or other crop
				  plants or weeds and removing them from the field. In the case of small grain,
				  roguing should be done after heading as foreign plants are seen most easily at
				  this time. In hybrid seed production, fertile off-types and undesirable plants
				  should be removed before pollen is shed. Sterile off-types may be removed any
				  time prior to the final inspection.
Whenever practical and advisable, seed fields should be
				  sprayed with pesticides according to the manufacturer's label to control pests.
				  Growers must follow posting requirements as specified by state and federal
				  agencies responsible for the regulation and use of pesticides.
4. Weeds and diseases.
a. Prohibited noxious weeds under North
				Dakota seed laws and rules are leafy spurge, field bindweed (creeping jenny),
				Canada thistle, perennial sow thistle, Russian knapweed, hoary cress (perennial
				peppergrass), absinth wormwood, musk thistle, spotted knapweed, yellow
				starthistle, and Palmer amaranth.
b. Restricted noxious weeds under North
				Dakota seed laws and rules are dodder species, hedge bindweed (wild morning
				glory), wild oats, and quackgrass.
c. A field may be rejected if it is the field
				inspector's opinion that the amount and kind of weeds present make it difficult
				to conduct the inspection, or the field condition is such that the quality of
				the cleaned seed may be questionable.
d. Objectionable weed seeds are restricted
				noxious weeds under North Dakota seed laws and rules and may include some
				common weeds which cause a specific problem in the conditioning of some
				individual crops.
e. Diseases not
				governed by specific crop standards may be cause for rejection if it is the
				field inspector's opinion that the quality of the cleaned seed may be affected
				or if results of tests made on the seed indicate a disease condition which will
				affect the crop produced from such seed.