Defective Seed or Other Farming Materials
A farmer spends countless hours preparing for his or her crop. From researching and choosing the desired variety of seed, from the hours spent preparing the land, to watering and fertilizing the plants, the time, energy, and preparation needed to make a successful crop is great. And the reality is, all of this time, energy, and preparation can be immediately torpedoed if the seeds received and planted by the farmer are bad or defective – a problem a farmer has no control over.
When something is wrong with the seed, entire crops can be lost with the farmer left thinking it was something he or she did to cause the problem. In our experience, the vast majority of time the problem is not because of something the farmer did but rather because the seed supplied by the manufacturer – seed which is oftentimes grown in another part of the world, in a different environment, by individuals who have no experience in growing crops in Florida or other parts of the Southeast – was defective or bad.
What a Farmer Can Do
Below are some immediate steps a farmer should take if he or she suspects they have received bad or defective seed:
- Document, document, document — It is extremely important to start documenting suspected damage as soon as possible. You should immediately walk the entire farm or field and take note of all the damage and:
- Take photographs of the damaged plants or crop.
- Take video of the damaged plants or crop.
- Pull damaged plants as samples to send off to your local extension agent or laboratory.
- Update your spray log.
- Take photographs of all labels/sprays you have used.
- Check for evidence of another cause.
- Call the plant house and see if there are any other reported problems with the seed you purchased.
- Call your seed company and have them visit your farm to inspect.
- Call your State agency and have them visit your farm to inspect. In Florida, you should contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (“FDACS”). Once contacted, FDACS will send its own investigators to help gather information and determine the cause of the problem.
- Contact your local defective seed agriculture lawyer at Slater l Grant – Damages to a crop from defective seed can result in significant monetary losses to the injured farm and farmer. The defective seed agriculture attorneys at Slater l Grant apply real-world knowledge and experience toward solving the legal issues facing farmers, and have years of experience representing farmers and other agri-business landowners in seeking compensation for damages to farms and crops due to defective seed.
Receiving and planting defective seeds can ruin your farm. Understanding the steps one should take can greatly improve your chances of recovering damages because of receiving defective seed.
The attorneys at Slater l Grant have helped numerous farmers fight the large seed companies. Make no mistake, these seed companies are large and powerful. They will fight and fight and blame the farmer and everything else except their own seed. The reality is, we enjoy the fight. We have done it before with great success. Contact us if we can help you and your farm.
