How to read an analysis tag

The analysis tag is a statement declaring the contents in the bag, and the quality of those contents. We are required by law to declare the analysis data for every lot of seed we sell.

Administered at both state and federal levels by the Department of Agriculture and state Crop Improvement Associations. The analysis tag is a regulatory system for informing the customer about what's in the bag. Any person or company who offers "a container of seed that is transported, sold, offered, or exposed for sale within this state shall bear on the container or have attached to the container" an analysis tag.

When we receive seed from native and/or commercial harvests we run the field material through our cleaning facility to remove impurities, contaminates, and any undesirable material. When that process is complete, a representative sample of the seed lot is sent to a certified seed laboratory. Most states have their own seed labs, as do many universities, and there are many private seed labs in the United States. All of them are governed by regulatory agencies like AOSCA (Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies), the ISTA (International al Seed Testing Association) and AOSA (Association of Official Seed Analyst). The regulatory agency assure that all labs are following the same protocols for sampling and testing to assure consistent and accurate results.

Once the analysis is performed we receive an analysis report from the lab. It's usually a one-sheet form that includes the data points above

We put the data from the analysis report on a simple and easy-to-read label or tag that we attache to the bag. Simple cardstock or heavyweight paper is common. Mylar and polypro tags are also common. We add out address and contact information and the net weight of the packages, and it is ready to ship.

PLS vs BULK ratings:

Most of our seeds are sold by the bulk pound. But sometimes, especially on large-scale government jobs, our weights are calculated on a PLS or "Pure Live Seed" basis.

The PLS rating is the percentage of the weight that is viable seed. The calculation is performed as follows:

Purity X Germination (TZ) = PLS
Example using the Eski Sainfoin tag at right: 99.65 X 94 = 93.67% PLS