Staff Reports
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University, and its extension offices throughout the state including Bartholomew County, are warning individuals about unsolicited packages of unidentified seeds in the mail appearing to be coming from China.
The Office of Indiana State Chemist, located at Purdue University, is urging Hoosiers not to plant or dispose of the seeds since they could be spreading noxious weeds, plant diseases or invasive species.
Purdue Extension-Bartholomew County is serving as a collection site for seeds. They can be dropped off at the extension office at 783 S. Marr Road during business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 812-379-1665 for more information.
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The USDA said it had no evidence the shipments are something other than a “brushing scam,” in which people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales. Bartholomew County agricultural extension educator Cora Carter says the seed producer may also be attempting to verify addresses before they send further solicitations to your home.
“But we don’t want to take any chances,” Carter said. “We want to be real careful about what we allow into our agricultural and horticultural areas.”
While one Bartholomew County resident said he was going to bring in seeds, Carter said the man had ordered seeds from a company. He was just concerned about the foreign language written on the package, she said.
Some other Indiana counties have already collected seeds, but Carter said she has no evidence at this time that any of the suspicious seeds have been mailed to this particular area.
Anyone in Indiana who receives a package is being told not to open the seed packet and to instead mail it and any packaging materials to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Indiana office. State and federal authorities will work together to identify and properly dispose of all seeds and plant materials.
“It might be tempting to put this into some soil to see what happens, but there’s a lot of damage that can cause,” said Don Robison, seed administrator for the Office of Indiana State Chemist. “We don’t know what these seeds are, and there is potential for doing serious harm to everything from your backyard garden to the commodity and specialty crops that are such an important part of the agricultural economy. The last thing we want is to spread a weed, invasive species or disease, and that’s a real risk if people plant these or throw them in the garbage.”
Weed seeds, invasive species and disease pathogens can spread rapidly, costing millions of dollars annually for just a single plant or disease, and cause billions of dollars of impact overall each year.
“Once a new disease or invasive species is out there, it’s a very costly problem,” Robison said. “It’s like trying to put a genie back in the bottle.”
Anyone who receives unsolicited seeds should:
Keep the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, but do not open the seed packet;
Place all contents in a zip-top bag, then place the bag in an envelope or small box and mail it to: USDA APHIS PPQ, State Plant Health Director, Nick Johnson, 3059 N. Morton St., Franklin, IN 46131.
Or, drop off the seeds at the Purdue Extension office in Bartholomew County in person.
If you cannot mail the items, do not dispose of them. Keep the seeds, packaging and mailing label and contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at 866-663-9684 or DEPP@dnr.IN.gov.
Anyone who has already planted seeds should not dispose of the plants or soil. Contact the Indiana DNR Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology for advice on next steps.
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Anyone who receives unsolicited seeds should:
- Keep the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, but do not open the seed packet;
- Place all contents in a zip-top bag, then place the bag in an envelope or small box and mail it to: USDA APHIS PPQ, State Plant Health Director, Nick Johnson, 3059 N. Morton St., Franklin, IN 46131.
- If you cannot mail the items, do not dispose of them. Keep the seeds, packaging and mailing label and contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at 866-663-9684 or DEPP@dnr.IN.gov.
The seed packets may also be dropped off at Purdue Extension-Bartholomew County. Residents may drop off the seeds to the local extension office at 783 S. Marr Road, Columbus, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Call 812-379-1665 for more information.
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