Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-2,147.01

Current with changes through the 2024 First Special Legislative Session

Section 81-2,147.01 - Terms, defined

As used in the Nebraska Seed Law:

(1) Advertisement means all representations, other than those on the label, disseminated in any manner or by any means relating to seed, including farm grain represented as suitable for sowing, within the scope of the Nebraska Seed Law;

(2) Agricultural seed includes the seeds of grass, forage, cereal, oil and fiber crops, and lawn and mixtures of such seeds and any other kinds of seed commonly recognized within this state as agricultural seeds and may include the seed of any plant that is being used as an agricultural crop when the Director of Agriculture establishes in rules and regulations that such seed is being used as agricultural seed;

(3) Blend means seeds consisting of more than one variety of a kind, each in excess of five percent by weight of the whole;

(4) Brand means a word, name, symbol, number, or design to identify seed of one person to distinguish it from seed of another person;

(5) Certifying agency means

(a) an agency authorized under the laws of a state, territory, or possession of the United States to officially certify seed and which has standards and procedures approved by the United States Secretary of Agriculture to assure genetic purity and identity of the seed certified or

(b) an agency of a foreign country which is determined by the United States Secretary of Agriculture to adhere to procedures and standards for seed certification comparable to those adhered to generally by certifying agencies under subdivision (a) of this subdivision;

(6) Conditioning means drying, cleaning, scarifying, or other operations which could change the purity or germination of the seed and require the seed lot or any definite amount of seed to be retested to determine the label information;

(7) Director means the Director of Agriculture or his or her designated employee or representative or authorized agent;

(8) Dormant seed means viable seeds, other than hard seeds, which fail to germinate when provided the specified germination conditions for the kind of seed in question;

(9) Flower seed includes seeds of herbaceous plants grown for their blooms, ornamental foliage, or other ornamental parts and commonly known and sold under the name of flower or wildflower seeds in this state;

(10) Germination means the emergence and development from the seed embryo of those essential structures which for the kind of seed in question are indicative of the ability to produce a normal plant under favorable conditions;

(11) Hard seed means seeds which remain hard at the end of the prescribed test period because they have not absorbed water due to an impermeable seed coat;

(12) Hybrid means the first generation seed of a cross produced by controlling the pollination and by combining (a) two or more inbred lines, (b) one inbred or a single cross with an open-pollinated variety, or (c) two varieties or species except open-pollinated varieties of corn (Zea mays). The second generation and subsequent generations from such crosses shall not be regarded as hybrids. Hybrid designations shall be treated as variety names;

(13) Inert matter means all matter not seed which includes broken seeds, sterile florets, chaff, fungus bodies, and stones as established by rules and regulations;

(14) Kind means one or more related species or subspecies which singly or collectively are known by one common name, such as corn, oats, alfalfa, and timothy;

(15) Labeling includes all labels and other written, printed, stamped, or graphic representations, in any form whatsoever, accompanying or pertaining to any seed, whether in bulk or in containers, and includes representations on invoices;

(16) Lot means a definite quantity of seed in containers or bulk identified by a lot number or other mark, every portion of which is uniform within recognized tolerances for the factors that appear in the labeling;

(17) Mixture, mix, or mixed means seeds consisting of more than one kind, each present in excess of five percent by weight of the whole;

(18) Mulch means a protective covering of any suitable material placed with seed which acts to retain sufficient moisture to support seed germination and sustain early seedling growth and aids in preventing the evaporation of soil moisture, controlling weeds, and preventing erosion;

(19) Native plant species means any grass, sedge, rush, or forb indigenous to North America prior to European settlement;

(20) Nonnative plant species means any grass, sedge, rush, or forb not indigenous to North America prior to European settlement;

(21) Origin means a foreign country or designated portion thereof, a state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a possession of the United States, where the seed was grown;

(22) Other crop seed means seed of plants grown as crops, other than the kind or variety included in the pure seed, as established by rules and regulations;

(23) Person includes any corporation, company, society, association, body politic and corporate, community, individual, partnership, limited liability company, or joint-stock company or the public generally;

(24) Primary noxious weed seeds means the seeds of any plant designated by the director as a noxious weed pursuant to the Noxious Weed Control Act. Pursuant to subdivision (1)(c) of section 81-2,147.06, the director may add to or subtract from this primary noxious weed seeds list;

(25) Prohibited noxious weed seeds means the seeds of plants which are highly destructive and difficult to control in this state by ordinary good cultural practice, the use of herbicides, or both and includes field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), hoary cress (Cardaria draba), Russian knapweed (Centaurea repens), johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) when found in field crop seeds, skeletonleaf bursage (Ambrosia discolor), woollyleaf bursage (Ambrosia tomentosa), serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma), and puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris). Pursuant to subdivision (1)(c) of section 81-2,147.06, the director may add to or subtract from this prohibited noxious weed seeds list;

(26) Pure live seed means the product of the percent of germination plus percent of hard or dormant seed multiplied by the percent of pure seed divided by one hundred. The result shall be expressed as a whole number;

(27) Pure seed means seed exclusive of inert matter and all other seeds not of the seed being considered as established by rules and regulations;

(28) Record means any and all information which relates to the origin, treatment, germination, purity, kind, and variety of each lot or definite amount of seed handled in this state. Such information includes seed samples and records of declarations, labels, purchases, sales, conditioning, bulking, treatment, handling, storage, analyses, tests, and examinations;

(29) Restricted noxious weed seeds means the seeds of plants which are objectionable in fields, lawns, and gardens of this state but can be controlled by ordinary good cultural practice, the use of herbicides, or both and includes dodder (Cuscuta spp.), wild mustard (Brassica spp.), dock (Rumex spp.), quackgrass (Elytrigia repens), pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), purple loosetrife (Lythrum salicaria), and horsenettle (Solanum carolinense). Pursuant to subdivision (1)(c) of section 81-2,147.06, the director may add to or subtract from this restricted noxious weed seeds list;

(30) Sale in any of its variant forms means sale, to barter, exchange, offer for sale, expose for sale, move, or transport, in any of their variant forms, or otherwise supplying. Sale does not mean the donation, exchange, or other transfer of seeds to or from a seed library or among members of, or participants in, a seed library;

(31) Screenings means the results of the process which removes, in any way, weed seed, inert matter, and other materials from any agricultural, vegetable, or flower seed in any kind of cleaning process;

(32) Seed library means a nonprofit, governmental, or cooperative organization, association, or activity for the purpose of facilitating the donation, exchange, preservation, and dissemination of seeds of open pollinated, public domain plant varieties by or among its members or members of the public when the use, exchange, transfer, or possession of seeds acquired by or from the seed library is free of any charge or consideration;

(33) Seizure means a legal process carried out by court order against a definite amount or lot of seed;

(34) Stop-sale order means an administrative order provided by law restraining the sale, use, disposition, and movement of a definite amount or lot of seed;

(35) Tetrazolium (TZ) test means a type of test in which chemicals are used to produce differential staining of strong, weak, and dead tissues, which is indicative of the potential viability of seeds;

(36) Treated means that the seed has been given an application of a substance or subjected to a process or coating for which a claim is made or which is designed to reduce, control, or repel disease organisms, insects, or other pests which attack seeds or seedlings growing therefrom;

(37) Variety means a subdivision of a kind which is distinct, uniform, and stable. For purposes of this subdivision:

(a) Distinct means that the variety can be differentiated by one or more identifiable morphological, physiological, or other characteristics from all other varieties of public knowledge;

(b) uniform means that variations in essential and distinctive characteristics are describable; and

(c) stable means that the variety will remain unchanged in its essential and distinctive characteristics and its uniformity when reproduced or reconstituted as required by the different categories of varieties;

(38) Vegetable seed includes the seeds of those crops which are grown in gardens and on truck farms and are generally known and sold under the name of vegetable or herb seeds in this state; and

(39) Weed seed includes the seeds of any plant generally recognized as a weed within this state as established in rules and regulations and includes the primary noxious weed seeds, prohibited noxious weed seeds, and restricted noxious weed seeds.

Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-2,147.01

Laws 1969, c. 759, § 2, p. 2860; Laws 1980, LB 633, § 3; Laws 1985, LB 460, § 12; Laws 1990, LB 37, § 1; Laws 1992, LB 366, § 25; Laws 1993, LB 121, § 524; Laws 1997, LB 263, § 2; Laws 2012, LB 770, § 1; Laws 2015, LB 175, § 9; Laws 2022, LB 91, § 1.

Amended by Laws 2022, LB 91,§ 1, eff. 7/21/2022.

Amended by Laws 2015, LB 175,§ 9, eff. 5/28/2015.