Follow the Law

Harvesting for seed or planting patented seed saved from a prior harvest without the patent owner’s permission is illegal.

• Numerous patented traits are present in alfalfa products and other crops.
• Germplasm may or may not be protected by patents and/or other intellectual property rights.
• Persons who actively encourage or induce farmers to harvest for seed and plant saved seed that is protected may be liable for infringement.
• Growers must follow all terms and conditions in any limited use license, including the Technology Stewardship Agreement (TSA) and Seed & Feed Use Agreement (SFA).
  • These guidelines are in place to help preserve investment and seed trait value for all growers. They also ensure that research and development efforts will continue to bring new innovations to the marketplace.
• For questions regarding seed intellectual property, or to anonymously report a saved seed tip, you can contact FGI in the following ways:
  • Call 1-855-227-8917
  • Send a letter: FGI Trait Stewardship P.O. Box 64101 St. Paul, MN 55164-0101
  • Submit a contact request at foragegenetics.com/contact or scan the QR code

Any seed, regardless of brand, that contains any of the following traits is patented and can only be obtained through and used pursuant to the terms of a limited use license such as the TSA or SFA:

Alfalfa: Roundup Ready® Alfalfa, HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology and UltraCut® Disease Package

A grower harvesting for seed or planting saved seed containing one or more of these traits will be liable for infringement of one or more patents and subject to a monetary judgment and/or injunction.

Most alfalfa seeds containing that trait are still covered by other forms of intellectual property in the United States, including patents on specific alfalfa varieties, native trait patents and Plant Variety Protection certificates that plant breeders obtain when they develop a new variety.

For a list of FGI’s trait patents visit forgagegenetics.com/patents