Before acquiring seed from Canada, be sure to determine whether the variety is eligible to be exported. Many varieties produced in Canada may be exported only by a Canadian licensee of the owner. In turn, these companies may have a contract with a licensee in North Dakota who will be the sole distributor of these varieties.

In order for Canadian seed to be eligible for recertification, certain steps must be followed to obtain proper labeling for resale, since the Canadian system does not require complete analysis labeling.

Purchasing Canadian seed for resale
Only approved conditioners or bulk retailers are eligible to resell the seed. When seed is delivered to your facility, obtain representative samples from all shipments that will become a lot of seed. Mix these samples together and submit a two-pound sample to the NDSSD for testing. The sample should be accompanied by the Canadian bulk pedigreed seed certificate from each load, the new lot number you assign and the number of bulk certificates you will need. The pedigreed seed certificate is a 4½ inch by 8½ inch form that includes the kind and variety, number of bushels, crop certificate and lot numbers, class, name of vendor and name and address of the purchaser.

The following tests are required for new North Dakota Bulk Certificates:

• Wheat - purity, germ, seed count
• Field peas - purity, germ
• Barley - purity, germ, seed count, loose smut
• Chickpea and lentils - purity, germ, ascochyta

Purchasing Canadian seed to plant for commercial or seed production
A grower planning to purchase Foundation or Registered seed to produce certified seed only needs the pedigreed seed certificate. That certificate will be required for proof of seed source when the application for field inspection is submitted. The grower’s name must be on the certificate as the buyer in order to apply for field inspection.

Exporting seed to Canada
Varieties protected under the Plant Variety Protection Act in the United States cannot be sold into Canada without permission from the owner of the variety.