Bill to increase cost of ag seed testing passes Indiana senate

Bill 1147 calls for a higher minimum charge for seed tests done through the state chemist

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A piece of Indiana legislation designed to bring seed testing fees from the Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) up to industry standards has passed in the Senate.

Bill 1147 passed in the Senate on March 7 with bipartisan support and received Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature the same day.

The bill “requires the state seed commissioner to charge fees for testing seed and purity and germination that are commensurate with fees that are standard in the seed testing industry.”

This means the minimum fee for seed sample test could increase from $6.00 to $25.00.

For context, the Indiana Crop Improvement Association charged $13.50 for most germination tests in 2021.

The House version of the bill passed in January.

OISC reps support the legislation because charging such low fees for seed tests means the department operates at a loss.

“We are too cheap,” John Baugh, director of ag services regulations at Purdue University, where the OISC is stationed, told Indiana Public Radio. “We’re losing money every time we do one of the tests and so it’s time for us to be able to change it.”

Industry organizations are on board with the OISC price increases too.

OISC isn’t “the only option for seed purity and germination testing and are not required to test seed, but when they do, they suffer a loss under their current fee structure,” Jeff Cummins, associate director of policy engagement for Indiana Farm Bureau, told Farms.com. “In order for them to continue the optional service to the industry, we supported allowing an increase to match private sector practices.”