SEPTEMBER 2026 SEEDWORLD.COM / 13 Scan here to try the database for yourself! Using the database, the company quickly identified the cor rect regulatory contact and the information needed to resolve the issue. But the experience also highlighted how the problem could have been avoided in the first place. But the bigger lesson came afterward. “It did help facilitate a solution,” Withers says. “But we also said, ‘If you want to use this in the beginning, you might have been able to prevent that issue.’” The experience reinforced the database’s purpose. Rather than replacing regulators, it helps companies answer routine questions before printing labels or shipping seed. Users can compare state requirements, connect directly with the appropriate regulatory agency and verify information without searching dozens of websites. State agencies benefit as well. When companies call with questions about another state's regulations, officials can direct them to the database instead of trying to interpret requirements outside their own jurisdic tion. The shared resource has become valuable on both sides of the conversation, helping regulators answer questions more efficiently while giving companies greater confidence before products move into the marketplace. Traffic continues to grow, and users say the database is changing the way they approach compliance. According to an OSA survey, companies using the database reported efficiency improvements ranging from 10% to 50%. Several respondents also described finding problems they didn't know existed until they began using the tool. “We have found errors with our old method thanks to this database and now use it exclusively,” one respondent wrote. “Our templates have been wrong for years! After using the database, we have been able to fix them and now feel confident our labeling is accurate,” another respondent wrote. “Even on the low end, a 10% efficiency improvement just by using this single tool in their labeling department is still incred ible,” Withers says. “That saves a lot of time.” More Than a Labeling Tool The original grant focused on information required under the Federal Seed Act. Now OSA plans to build something much larger. A newly secured funding source will support development of additional compliance tools over the next two years. While details about the funding partner will be announced later this year, the expansion is already taking shape. Future additions include state quality standards, labeling best practices, regulatory definitions, relabeling requirements, frequently asked questions and downloadable templates. Perhaps the most anticipated addition is a searchable noxious weed seed database. The tool will allow companies to enter a weed species and quickly determine where seed containing that species can or cannot be shipped based on state regulations. For companies navigating increasingly complex compliance requirements, that information could eliminate hours of research. The expanded database also reflects lessons learned during development of the original project. As Withers worked through regulations from all 50 states, she identified recurring questions from seed companies and recog nized information that simply wasn’t available in one place. The next phase aims to close those gaps. Technology Still Needs Human Expertise Artificial intelligence has become part of nearly every business conversation, and regulatory compliance is no exception. Withers believes AI can help users gather information, but she isn't ready to trust it with compliance decisions. “AI is absolutely incredible,” she says. “It will give you lots of information. But from my experience, it’s not always accurate.” She expects AI to become another research tool, not a replacement for subject matter expertise. “I have a hard time seeing it replacing regulatory information accurately or anytime soon,” she says. “There still needs to be a human to interpret and accurately compile information and review it for accuracy.” For an industry built on precision, accuracy remains non negotiable. Seed labels may never attract much attention when everything goes according to plan. But every shipment depends on getting them right. The OSA Seed Labeling Database won’t eliminate the com plexity of state regulations. Withers says it wasn’t designed to do that. Instead, it gives seed companies something they’ve never had before: one place to navigate one of the industry’s most compli cated compliance challenges before a shipment ever leaves the warehouse. SW Every seed lot tells a story but before it reaches the marketplace, it must meet a complex patchwork of federal and state requirements.
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