Growing Season and Weed Free Forage Inspections
Growing season inspections occur prior to harvest in the field where the parent plants are growing. Many foreign countries have pest freedom standards that require such inspections in order to determine the absence of certain plant pests before the seeds of those plants can be imported and planted.
Weed-free forage inspection is a typical growing season inspection, generally for domestic export, and must occur if the forage is to be certified to meet the North American Weed Free Forage program standards. The Kansas Department of Agriculture does not require this weed-free forage certification but, upon request, will conduct a growing season inspection of forage intended for certification under those standards. An inspection report is given to the producer and after harvest a copy to this report is returned to the KDA identifying the number of bales harvested on each inspected site. Based upon the returned report, the amount of certified weed free forage for each site will be recorded and tracked. Producers can then request bale tags and/or make applications for transit certificates for their certified weed free forage.
Growing season inspections must be planned for well in advance. Applications for growing season inspections should be submitted early in order to determine inspection requirements and schedule staff time.
Request for growing Season (Including Weed Free Forage) Inspection (pdf)
Request for growing Season (Including Weed Free Forage) Inspection (online form)