2002 Minnesota Statutes

     21.90 Hybrid seed field corn variety registration. 

    Subdivision 1.    Growing zones.  The director of the 
 agricultural experiment station at the University of Minnesota 
 shall determine, establish, and number or otherwise identify 
 corn growing zones of the state and determine and publish a list 
 of day classifications for each zone which will approximate the 
 number of days growing season necessary for corn from emergence 
 of the corn plants above ground after planting to relative 
 maturity.  

    Subd. 2.    Fees.  A record of each hybrid seed field 
 corn variety to be sold in Minnesota shall be registered with 
 the commissioner by February 1 of each year by the originator or 
 owner.  The commissioner shall establish the annual fee for 
 registration for each variety.  The record shall include the 
 permanent designation of the hybrid as well as the day 
 classification and zone of adaptation, as determined under 
 subdivision 1, which the originator or owner declares to be the 
 zone in which the variety is adapted.  In addition, at the time 
 of the first registration of a hybrid seed field corn variety, 
 the originator or owner shall include a sworn statement that the 
 declaration of the zone of adaptation was based on actual field 
 trials in that zone and that the field trials substantiate the 
 declaration as to the day and zone classifications to which the 
 variety is adapted.  The name or number used to designate a 
 hybrid seed field corn variety in the registration is the only 
 name of all seed corn covered by or sold under that registration.

    Subd. 3.    Tests of varieties.  If the commissioner 
 needs to verify that a hybrid seed field corn variety is adapted 
 to the corn growing zone declared by the originator or owner, it 
 must, when grown in several official comparative trials by the 
 director of the Minnesota agricultural experiment station in the 
 declared zone of adaptation, have an average kernel moisture at 
 normal harvest time which does not differ from the average 
 kernel moisture content of three or more selected standard 
 varieties adapted for grain production in that particular 
 growing zone by more than four percentage points.  If a new 
 variety when tested has more than six percentage points of 
 moisture over the standard variety, it must have the relative 
 maturity increased by five days in the correct zone of 
 adaptation before it can be sold the second year.  If it does 
 not exceed the standard varieties by more than five percentage 
 points of moisture the second year tested, it can be sold the 
 third year with the same relative maturity.  If upon being 
 tested the third year the moisture percentage points are found 
 to be over the four percentage points allowed, the variety then 
 must have the relative maturity increased by five days in the 
 correct zone.  The varieties to be used as standard varieties 
 for determining adaptability to a zone shall be selected for 
 each zone by the director of the Minnesota agricultural 
 experiment station with the advice and consent of the 
 commissioner of agriculture.  Should a person, firm, originator, 
 or owner of a hybrid seed field corn variety wish to offer 
 hybrid seed for sale or distribution in this state, the person, 
 firm, originator, or owner not having distributed any products 
 in Minnesota during the past ten years, or not having any record 
 of testing by an agency acceptable to the commissioner, then 
 after registration of the variety the commissioner is required 
 to have the variety tested for one year by the director of the 
 Minnesota agricultural experiment station before it may be 
 distributed in Minnesota.  Should any person, firm, originator, 
 or owner of a seed field corn variety be guilty of two 
 successive violations with respect to the declaration of 
 relative maturity date and zone number, then the violator must 
 commence a program of pretesting for varieties as determined by 
 the commissioner.  The list of varieties to be used as standards 
 in each growing zone shall be sent by the commissioner not later 
 than February 1 of each year to each seed firm registering 
 hybrid varieties with the commissioner as of the previous April 
 1.  To assist in defraying the expenses of the Minnesota 
 agricultural experiment station in carrying out the provisions 
 of this section, there shall be transferred annually from the 
 seed inspection account to the agricultural experiment station a 
 sum which shall at least equal 80 percent of the total revenue 
 from all hybrid seed field corn variety registrations.  

    HIST: 1983 c 293 s 49; 1986 c 444; 1999 c 231 s 46