Before Buying Food Plot Seed:
Read the Label!
by Rod Ellwanger

The winter months are a good time to evaluate how effective last season’s food plots were and make any necessary adjustments to your plotting plan’s for next year. Many of you will be attending seminars and outdoor shows and inevitably purchasing seed for next year’s food plots. You’ll have high expectations for the seed mixes you purchase, so I encourage all of you to become educated consumers before parting with your hard-earned cash. “Let the buyer beware” is a statement that is very appropriate when referring to wildlife food plot seed.

I spend a lot of time traveling to retailers around the state and one of my evening pastimes is to wander around a big box outdoor store before returning to my hotel for the night. As a seed salesman, I always end up in the seed aisle to see what our competitors are up to. It’s disturbing to see how Wisconsin’s seed laws are being ignored by some seed companies and retailers. Many violations by small, well-meaning, part-time seed companies are simply a result of ignorance of the law. I also see some very misleading practices that are deliberately opposed to Midwest seed companies that diligently follow the laws.

Wisconsin’s seed laws are enforced by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. I have worked with many DATCP employees over the years. They take their job very seriously and put great time and effort into educating suppliers and retailers while protecting consumers. Unfortunately, these people are spread very thinly and have many other responsibilities that, quite frankly, are more large scale than policing a relatively small food plot seed industry. The bottom line: Don’t assume that someone else is looking out for you. You need to be an educated consumer in order to avoid getting burned.

The Wisconsin Seed Law* requires all seed offered for sale in Wisconsin to have a conspicuous label listing the following information:

• All components in excess of 5 percent, listed by percentage of weight in order of predominance.
• The germination percentage for each component along with the month and year of test completion. (It is unlawful to offer for sale seed that is 12 months past the germination test date, exclusive of the month of testing.)
• The presence of weed seeds.
• The percentage of inert matter.
• If the seed is coated, a statement to that effect must be included.
• If the seed is pre-inoculated, the expiration date of the inoculant must be stated.
• The name of the person who labels, sells, or distributes the seed.

Most seed companies do a reasonably good job of including required items on the label. However, bring your reading glasses or magnifying glass because many times the type is extremely small. You may have to look at the bottom of the package to find the label—hardly a conspicuous location! By far, the most frequent violation I see is in germination dates. Either seed companies fail to list them, don’t list them correctly or retailers don’t pull old seed off the shelf.

Why put all the time and effort into researching which seed mix will attract wildlife to your plot, then pay good money for seed that may not grow? I’ve seen seed on the shelf that is four and five years old. Good luck getting that to grow! Be especially careful when buying in the early spring, retailers are trying to move their old seed first. Some seed companies are omitting the month of test to try and gain an extra year. In January of 2006, I saw seed on the shelf on January 3 that was labeled as germination tested in 2006. In other words, by not listing the month—only the year—they are attempting to dodge the law and gain an extra year of shelf time.

Be sure to read the label so you understand which species or crop items are in the mix and their respective percentages. Take a pen and paper to the store and write down this information. Go home and read your reference books or research each crop species on reliable Web sites like the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and other university sites to learn what you are really buying. For instance, a mix marketed as a perennial may not be winter hardy in your area. While some clovers are perennial in Texas or Arkansas, they cannot survive our Midwest winters. Again, Internet sites can help you sort through winter hardiness information to determine if the majority of your mix is an annual or perennial.

Very few seed company Web sites will tell you what is actually in their mixes, let alone the percentages of ingredients. Don’t be fooled by slick marketing. The mix is no better than the ingredients in the bag regardless of how attractive the packaging. Be aware of seed coatings and inert matter. This may just be filler material, or an attempt to hide undesirable weed seeds. Thirty to forty percent of a quality coating can be beneficial, but 80% inert (I’ve seen this) is obviously not a good buy. There are several quality mixes packaged by reputable seed companies that will produce as expected. Be sure you’re investing your money and fall hunting time on a quality seed that—with Mother Nature’s help—will produce a quality food plot: READ THE LABEL.

Note: *Chapter 94.38 of the Wisconsin Statutes (Seed Law) can be found at www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/stats.html