Agricultural hassling

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:12:14 PST
I wasn't home when the agricultural inspector called the other day, 
but he left a card asking me to contact him, so I did. Turns out he 
was directed to my place by "the seeds you have received from foreign 
countries," meaning, I suppose, the ones that came via the USDA Small 
Lots of Seed permit program. He's worried that I'm introducing 
contamination in the form of weeds, pests, and diseases. Why this 
should be so when the USDA inspects these parcels, I don't know. I 
have written him a very informative and supercilious e-mail and hope 
it will conclude this matter.

Has anybody else had this experience, or is it just Oregon inspectors 
that don't have enough to do? They don't seem to mind that all the 
home stores and garden centers in the state have bins full of 
virus-infected lily bulbs, or that at least one seed company sells 
"medicinal" plant seeds that are on the state and/or federal noxious 
weeds lists.

Jane McGary
Oregon, USA


More information about the pbs mailing list