Risky crop

Residents throughout Lincoln County have received unsolicited seeds sent from a variety of countries including China.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Chief of Communications Morgan Vance these seeds are being sent in a variety of packaging, the majority stating the contents are jewelry.

Residents who have received these seeds are being asked to bring them in.

“The scariest thing about these seeds at this point is the uncertainty,” she said. “We don’t know what the seeds are. The tests from the USDA haven’t been completed yet, so we’re not sure if they’re actually hazardous or harmless. However, any seeds that come into the United States that are not labelled as agriculture products are still considered agricultural smuggling. So even if they are harmless, there’s a potential of hidden threats with these seeds that could threaten Oklahoma and the United States agriculture.”

Vance said the results from the USDA tests will be released soon.

“If you get any packages with seeds in them and you did not order seeds, then assume that it’s going to introduce disease or an invasive species and go ahead and bring them in,” Riggins said.

Riggins said not to throw them away, but bring them in.

“If you put them in the trash, they could still grow,” she said.

“We really don’t want them in the trash.”

If thrown in the trash, they could end up in a landfill and still be planted.

Vance said do not burn them or flush them either.

“We are really asking you to get those seeds into our possession so we can do further investigations and send them to the USDA,” Vance said.

Seeds can be mailed to or dropped off at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry or dropped off at the Lincoln County Extension Office.

“We’re asking for all of it,” Vance said.

All contents, including the packaging and the seeds, need to be placed in a ziplock bag and brought in.

Even if the seeds have been planted, Vance said they need to be dug up and sent in.

Vance said the name of the receiver and the hometown on the ziplock bag when sending it in.

This way, they will be able to track what areas are receiving these seeds and use defense tracing in case the information is needed in the future.

“We just want as thorough records as we can,” she said.

Vance said these seeds have been sent to residents who shop online and those who don’t.

“It’s really bizarre,” she said.

Residents in small towns and big cities have received these seeds.

“Large and small, far and wide, every corner of Oklahoma has been impacted,” she said.