Seed Lot Blends

Blend Definitions

InDirt Blend - co-mingling of harvested seed of a single variety from fields that have been inspected and passed as a class of certified seed but were assigned different certification numbers.

Lot Blend - seed lots of the same variety. A lot blend is made by blending different lots of the same variety. Such as different lots of CUF 101 alfalfa OR different lots of Cal Rojo wheat.

Varietal Blend - seed lots of different varieties of one crop type. A varietal blend is made by blending seed lots of different varieties of the same kind of seed and marketed as a “Named Varietal Blend” of certified seed. Such as "Colossus" blend of alfalfa created from 3 different alfalfa varieties. The CCIA staff will verify component varieties, percentages, and certification status in the requested blend.

Mixture - different crop types blended together to form a mixture. A mixture is a combination of seed lots from two or more kinds (species) of seed and marketed as a “Mixture of certified seed”. The mixture may contain two or more varieties of the same species. Example of a pasture mixture may contain several seed lots of clover, vetch, and grasses.

Blend Criteria

A written blend request (from a conditioner or broker) must conform to all blend requirements.
Approval for the varietal blend will be in the form of a letter from the CCIA.
A 100 gram sample of each component variety must be submitted upon approval of the blend by the CCIA.
All blend formulas shall be recorded by the CCIA and shall not vary between lots and years.
Only certified seed of each component variety shall be used in a seed blend
Permission to use a protected or proprietary variety must be obtained from the breeder or owner of that variety for each blend requested.
Only CCIA approved conditioners that demonstrate the ability to blend/mix within specific tolerances will be permitted to do varietal blending or mixing.
Each component of the blend must be 15% or greater of the total weight. This will limit the maximum number of components to 6.
Each component must be present in increments of 5% (e.g. not 3% or 8%).
There must be at least 15% difference in the amounts of each component from other similar blends.

Examples for Blend Configurations

Correct Examples:

	Variety A	Variety B	Variety C
Blend 1	35%	65%
Blend 2	50%	50%
Blend 3	15%	85%
Blend 4	30%	55%	15%

Incorrect Examples:

	Variety A	Variety B	Variety C	Error
Blend 5	45%	55%		There must be at least 15% difference in the amounts of each component from other similar blends (such as Blend 1).
Blend 6	18%	82%		Each component must be present in increments of 5%.
Blend 7	30%	60%	10%	Each component of the blend must be 15% or greater of the total weight.

Tagging a Blend

Blends must be tagged in a manner compliant with the Federal Seed Act and AOSCA operating procedures.

The certification label must carry the phrase "Blend of Certified Seed".
Each tag shall include either the blend/certification number or a series number in the case of series tags. The fictitious varietal blend “Colossus” is used in the examples below.

Certification Tag Colossus Alfalfa Blend Blend of Certified Seed Blend/Certification/Lot Number	OR	Colossus Blend Blend of Certified Alfalfa Seed Blend/Certification/Lot Number
Series Certification Tag Colossus Alfalfa Blend Blend of Certified Seed (Lot number optional) Series Number	OR	Colossus Blend Blend of Certified Alfalfa Seed (Lot number optional) Series Number
Interagency Certification Tag Colossus Alfalfa Blend Blend of Certified Seed Blend/Certification/Lot Number Interagency certification – Australia, Arizona, California, Idaho seed	OR	Colossus Blend Blend of Certified Alfalfa Seed Blend/Certification/Lot Number Interagency certification – Australia, Arizona, California, Idaho seed
Interagency Series Certification Tag Colossus Alfalfa Blend Blend of Certified Seed (lot number optional) Interagency certification – Australia, Arizona, California, Idaho seed Series number	OR	Colossus Blend Blend of Certified Alfalfa Seed (lot number optional) Interagency certification – Australia, Arizona, California, Idaho seed Series number