Red, White 
and Regulated
Navigating the seed labeling 
maze: how one database 
helps seed companies avoid 
costly delays and keep 
products moving.
By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. Editor
10  / SEEDWORLD.COM  SEPTEMBER 2026
EVERY BAG OF seed shipped across state 
lines carries more than seed. It carries a label.
That label may look straightforward, but behind 
it sits a maze of federal regulations, state-specific 
requirements and countless details that can deter­
mine whether a shipment moves on schedule or 
gets stopped.
Most seed companies know the routine. 
Someone searches state regulations, compares 
requirements, checks websites, makes phone calls 
and hopes nothing has changed since the last ship­
ment.
“It’s mandatory,” says Karen Withers, 
AgCultured Consulting LLC founder. “As boring as 
labeling is, it’s one of the driest topics, but it’s very 
important to every single seed company globally.”
For years, there was no single place to find 
the information companies needed. Every state 
maintains their own regulations, and while federal 
law establishes baseline requirements, states often 
added their own rules.
That reality inspired the Oregon Seed 
Association (OSA) to build something the industry 
had never had before.
The OSA Seed Labeling Database brings 
together state seed labeling requirements from all 
50 states into one searchable resource. Companies 
can compare state requirements, locate regulatory 
contacts and verify labeling information before 
products leave the warehouse. As one survey 
respondent described it, the database has become 
“one stop shopping for current and accurate infor­
mation.”
Karen Withers, founder of AgCultured Consulting 
and OSA Seed Labeling Database Architect.
PHOTO: LACEY PAUL, STUDIO 22, SALEM, OREGON

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