How to Purchase High Quality Forage Seed

Here are guidelines on purchasing good quality forage seed from the standpoint of purity and appropriate grade for farm use, including aspects such as land reclamation, soil conservation, green cover, wildlife grazing or habitat and wetland restoration.

Farm users are particularly concerned that forage seed does not contain unwanted weed seeds. It is best to purchase forage seed that is completely weed free. However while some weed-free seed lots are available,it is impossible to achieve this goal in most cases. So it is necessary to know how to determine what types of weed seeds are present in forage seed offered for sale. By also knowing which weed seeds are undesirable on the field to be seeded, producers can then buy the appropriate seed.

Weed Control Legislation in Alberta

The province of Alberta protects the productivity of agricultural land by regulating weed distribution and growth through the Alberta Weed Control Act. Plants are categorized as restricted, noxious or nuisance weeds, depending on the degree of threat they present to farmland. In addition, a local municipality may elevate weeds to a higher category for land under their jurisdiction. Contact local agricultural fieldmen or other appropriate local authorities to determine which weeds are restricted or noxious in specific municipalities.

Canada Seeds Act

All seed in Canada is graded according to the Canada Seeds Act and Regulations. An abbreviated Table VIII from the Regulations is included in this factsheet to show the present grade standards for the different classes of common legume seeds (Table 1). Forage seed tables of grade standards appear in Tables VIII to XII of the Seeds Regulations and vary slightly depending on the legume or grass crop to which they apply.

Weed seeds are categorized asClass 1 prohibited noxious, Class 2 primary noxious, Class 3 secondary noxious, Class 4 secondary noxious,Class 5 noxious, or Class 6 other weed seeds in the Canada Seeds Regulations and are listed in the Weed Seeds Order. The Canada Seeds Regulations has recently been revised to upgrade standards of purity, especially in regard to weed seed type and content.

However, weed seeds that are acceptable in seed as regulated by the Canada Seeds Act and Regulations may be unacceptable as weeds under the Alberta Weed Control Act or in a specific municipality. Avoid planting seeds of restricted or noxious weeds in the applicable municipality or any weed seeds not present in the field to be planted.

Determine the weed seed content of graded seed by examining seed testing certificates before buying seed. The seller must make seed testing certificates available within 30 days of a written request by a buyer.

Table 1. Canada Seeds Regulations, Grade table applicable to alfalfa, red clover, sweetclover, andcicer milkvetch

Maximum number of seeds per 25 g except where otherwise stated
Noxious weeds						Other crops
Grade name		Primary	Primary plus secondary	Total weeds	Sweet-clover	Brassica crops including S. alba	Other non-brassica crops	Minimum per cent germination
1	Canada Foundation No. 1	0	0	5	1	0	5	85
2	Canada Foundation No. 2	0	2	30	2	2	20	70
3	Canada Registered No. 1	0	0	5	1	0	5	85
4	Canada Registered No. 2	0	2	30	2	2	20	70
5	Canada Certified No. 1	0	5	50	20	4	1% by weight	80
6	Canada Certified No. 2	0	10	75	30	6	2% by weight	70
7	Varietal Blend No. 1	0	5	50	20	4	1% by weight	80
8	Varietal Bland No. 2	0	10	75	30	6	2% by weight	70
9	Common No. 1	0	5	75	25	8	2% by weight	80
10	Common No. 2	5	10	100	50	10	3% by weight	70

i. For any kind or species not set out in Schedule I and having 251 to 600 seeds per gram, seed shall meet the minimum weed seed and other crop seed standards set out in Table VIII. (6(2)(d))
ii. Column 5 of Table VIII to Schedule I does not apply to sweetclover seed. (7(6))

Seed Testing Certificate

A seed testing certificate is available with every lot of seed graded in Canada. The certificate is issued under the authority of the Canada Seeds Act. It enables the seed purchaser to determine the germination and purity of a seed lot. Seed testing is carried out by an accredited laboratory.

The seed testing certificate contains the following:

• Seed testing certificate number, assigned by an accredited laboratory and some authorized establishments.
• A twelve-digit crop certificate number, assigned by the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association for the classes of pedigreed seed. It is not present for common seed. It is also present on the seed bag tags of pedigreed seed. The crop certificate number gives the following:
• The first two digits represent the year in which the crop was produced.
• The third digit identifies the location of the grower who produced the seed. For example, if the third number is eight, the seed was produced in Alberta.
• The fourth through ninth digits identify the grower who produced the seed.
• The tenth digit identifies the pedigreed class of the seed. For example, if the tenth number is four, the seed falls into the certified class.
• The eleventh and twelfth digits are assigned by the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association.
• Seed sealing number (i.e. lot number). This is a number assigned by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the registered seed establishment or the vendor of common seed. It also appears on the seed tags.
• Crop kind. In the case of pedigreed seed, the variety name is also included (i.e. for certified class and higher).
• Grade (e.g. Canada Certified No. 1, Common No. 1 etc.).
• Sample size. The grading is based on 25 grams according to the grade tables.
• Amount and name(s) of prohibited, primary and secondary noxious weeds, other weeds and seeds of other crops. Both Latin and common names are included, except for the other weeds category.
• Per cent pure seed, other crops, weed seeds and inert matter when applicable.
• Per cent germination, hard seeds (applicable to legume seeds) and pure living seeds. Hard legume seeds are included in the per cent germination even though they do not germinate during a germination test.
• Place and date of analysis as well as name of the seed analyst. All seed certificates must be signed and stamped by a seed analyst to be official.

• Crop kind: e.g. alfalfa.
• Variety: e.g. Algonquin. Variety names are applicable only to certified or higher classes of seed, but not to common seed.
• Grade and class of seed: e.g. Canada Certified No. 1.
• Crop certificate number, applicable to certified or higher classes of seed, but not to common seed (see notes above).
• Seed sealing number. Seed from each lot of seed has a different number.

• Select seed ingredients of high quality and have the mixture made up as a custom mixture.
• Supervise the seed mixing if there is any doubt that quality will not be maintained.
• For simplicity and to reduce costs, many farmers purchase pre-mixed seed as advertised in seed catalogues. These are usually Common No. 1 Forage Mixtures, but may be Certified No. 1 or Certified No. 2 Forage Mixtures. The disadvantages of pre-mixed forage seed mixtures are as follows:
• Most mixtures contain seed of several different crop kinds. This mix may reduce yield. Some of the crop kinds may not be suited to the specific environment or use that will be made of the crop.
• Purity and quality levels of common mixtures are often low. For example, a Canada Certified No. 1 Forage Mixture or Common No. 1 Forage Mixture of alfalfa and bromegrass can have 10 secondary noxious weed seeds per 25 grams compared to 4 or 5 when the seeds are purchased separately.
• Mixtures are sometimes made by blending seeds of lower grade or even seed that will not make any grade. As a result, the weed seed content and/or per cent germination will frequently approach the maximum levels allowed for the forage mixture grade.
• Small forage seeds tend to settle out of mixtures during planting. The resulting forage stand will not be uniform.

• Determine the crop kinds, amount and varieties to purchase.
• Contact two or more seed firms or dealers well before seeding time (by March for spring seeding). Indicate the crop species, variety and quantity of seed required. Request that seed certificates be available for examination.
• Based on an examination of seed certificates, determine which lots of seed to buy. Record the crop certificate numbers of the lots selected for further reference and confirmation with the seed tags. Know what minimum quality in terms of variety choice, weed seed content, etc. is acceptable, and do not purchase seed of a lower quality.
• Purchase individual crop kinds rather than pre-packaged mixtures. The purchase of individual crop kinds has the following advantages:
• Higher purity and other quality standards.
• Legume components can be inoculated separately with the appropriate inoculant shortly before seeding.
• Many seed drills require that different seeds be placed in different seed boxes.
• The seed can be mixed shortly before seeding for the specific needs of the field to be planted and the use to be made of the crop.
• Purchase the correct fresh inoculant for legume seeds or buy pre-inoculated seed from a reputable source. When buying inoculant or pre-inoculated seed, always check for the expiry date of the inoculant. Seeding must take place before the expiry date of the inoculant for optimum results.
• Store seed in a dry, cool, rodent-free storage area. Store inoculant in a cool, dark location, such as a refrigerator. Avoid intermittent freezing and thawing of inoculant.

• Describe the seed to be purchased accurately and completely, indicating quantity, crop kind, variety and grade.
• A quality better than the grade indicated may be asked for in the order. For example, no scentless chamomile or sweetclover could be specified in the order even though the grade indicated permits their presence.
• If mixtures are being ordered, it may be specified that components of a specific quality be used. For example, it may be specified that only Certified No. 1 seed with no scentless chamomile be used. It may also be specified that the buyer or an agent for the buyer will supervise the mixing of the seed.
• Inspection of seed certificates to verify quality before making a final decision on purchases is reasonable. For large orders, companies may only hold an option to buy a given lot of seed. In this case, an affidavit indicating the grade, purity and per cent germination is satisfactory to verify quality. Final verification with seed certificates can be made before paying for the seed.
• On very large orders of pre-mixed seed, the mixing can be tendered. This approach will permit the purchase of seed on an ingredient basis from the lowest bidder and then having just one company make up the mixture(s).
• It should be specified if the lowest bidder of each ingredient of satisfactory quality will get the order. To be fair to all sellers, substitution of lower quality seed should not be accepted unless the specified seed is unavailable.