1963 Standardization

In the 1960s, the association moved to a limited generation system and established five certified seed classes. Breeder, Foundation, Registered 1, Registered 2, and Certified classes. Starting in 1963, seed growers could not certify seed unless Foundation or Registered seed stock was used. Varieties of wheat, oat and soybean released before 1963 could continue to grow “Certified-to-Certified.” The certification of blends started in 1961 with Bluegrass varieties. In 1968, the Registered 2 class of certified seed was dropped. In 1969, crop improvement associations began using a uniform color system for the recognized classes of certified seed. White seed tags are for Foundation, purple is for Registered, and blue is for Certified. The association also followed neighboring states in the certification of soybean blends. At the risk of an unwanted language lesson, “Certified with a capital C” is a seed class within the “little c certification system”.