TO TAG SEED

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31760, 17 August 1968, Page 10

TO TAG SEED

J?ROM next harvest, small-

seed growers will be responsible for tagging containers and sacks. Mr N. C. Shillito, of the Department of Agriculture’s «eed industry section, told the agriculture section of North Canterbury Federated Farmers this week there was a tremendous overload on departmental officers during January and February. They had to cope with seed inspections, branding and potato inspections. To ease the situation, it had been decided that in future, growers should be responsible for tagging containers and sacks. Mr Shillito explained that officers from the seed industry section would visit growers and make an estimate of crop yields. Thev would be generous in their estimates, so that growers were not under-supplied with tags. The brands would be stamped on the tags at the department’s offices, and mailed I to growers .along with a form for signature. The tags would in effect be a double tag, with one half being sown into the seams of ’ the sack, and the other being i free for outer inspection. This meant that if the free part of the tag was lost, or tom off, identification would still be ’ possible. Mr Shillito said it was ex- ' pected that acreages for seed certification would be coni siderably greater this year. He also explained that i where a paddock had a portion which was not acceptable for certification, the paddock would be turned down, subject to the non-acceptable area being cut and removed.

Asked about the growing of imported seed for re-export, Mr Shillito said growers should be fully aware of the conditions affecting these contracts. There had been cases

where farmers had drilled clover with imported seed, expecting a clover crop later on. but with the conditions requiring a paddock to be ploughed after harvest, a farmer would not get anything out of the white clover.