“Feds” shut down Mechanicsburg’s Seed Library?

August 12th, 2014

Have you read last week’s “viral” Internet reports about how the “feds” stepped in to shut down the Mechanicsburg Simpson Library’s new seed library?

The Simpson Library’s seed catalog.
Credit: Joseph T. Simpson Public Library

Outraged seed-starters, Tweeters, Facebookers, email-forwarders and government fear-mongers have been sharing such posts as “Department of Agriculture Shuts Down Cell of Potential Agri-Terrorists” and “Agri-Terrorism? Feds Shut Down Seed Library.”

The problem is, it’s simply not true. I’m familiar with what really happened and am flabbergasted at the twisted, distorted, inflammatory and outright wrong information flying around.

For one thing, the “feds” are not involved. The real issue that triggered the flap is whether a seed library falls under Pennsylvania’s Seed Act of 2004, which the state Department of Agriculture (not the U.S. Department of Agriculture) believes does.

Second, the state did not and says it has no intention of shutting down the Mechanicsburg seed library. In fact, the library plans to continue a seed-sharing program under a protocol it worked out jointly with state Agriculture Department officials.

What it definitely is not is “another example of the federal government’s war on self-sufficiency,” as one website “news” article stated.

Third, no agri-terrorists have infiltrated the Simpson Library, and that concern is not the impetus behind this whole thing. Anything with “terrorism” in the headline draws a lot of website hits and stirs up people, but making up claims about it is irresponsible, in my opinion.

As a journalist, I have to bow out of writing my own news account because I personally know a state official involved in the case and have talked with him about it.

However, the Carlisle Sentinel did a thorough and accurate article on what’s really taking place. If you want to get a true picture of the case, read that one.

What I can say is that just about everybody agrees that the library’s seed-encouraging effort is a good thing, including the state regulators.

Seed libraries are springing up throughout the country, and Simpson’s is one of the first in Pennsylvania (the first in the Harrisburg area). The library offers seeds that patrons “borrow” and then voluntarily replenish with seeds saved from their crop. More than 300 such seed libraries are up and running nationwide.

The local dilemma largely boils down to one word: distributes.

When I first heard about a possible problem with the library’s seed program, I assumed it was off the hook because it wasn’t selling seeds.

Not so. The seed act explicitly includes any entity that sells or distributes seeds.

If you’re the regulator, that gives you three choices:

1.) Look the other way and let libraries slide.

2.) Take the hard line and send a cease-and-desist order.

3.) Try to work out some middle ground that allows the program to continue without violating the seed act.

The state chose Door No. 3 and sat down with the library folks to come up with a protocol that allows the library to distribute packaged seeds that are tested and labeled and/or to facilitate the swapping of seeds among individuals.

Also a possibility – although it can take a lot of time – is altering the law to either drop the word “distributes” or to specifically exempt libraries and similar non-profits.

You might say, well why not just look the other way? What’s the harm?

Most likely, none. But what can and often does happen is that one person gets indignant about some sort of wrong and files a complaint, a lawsuit and/or in these times, fires off inflammatory web postings.

In the case of seeds, it could be that someone who thought he/she was getting an heirloom or organically grown variety of something finds out he/she got a hybrid grown by someone spraying chemicals.

Or it could be that the library distributes something like datura or castor beans without realizing the potential toxicity and ends up on the defensive when a child or pet eats the plant.

Or it could be something more commercial like a seed-seller complaining about being burdened by fees and regulations while a “competitor” can give away the same product without any oversight.

Far-fetched? I wish it were. But I’ve been in the news business long enough to see that kind of thing happen time and again. It’s really the reason behind most rules and regulations in the first place – to keep people from harming one another.

A fitting example is going on right now in Philadelphia over one of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s pop-up gardens, a Beer Garden in a former abandoned lot on South Street.

PHS wanted to serve beer as an attraction, but that’s not particularly easy given the hefty fees and detailed rules one has to meet to sell beer in Pennsylvania.

But in that case, the Beer Garden was allowed to sell beer from 2 p.m to midnight daily, 7 days a week. How? By contracting with three different taverns who were able to take advantage of a catering exemption that allows them to serve at up to 50 events per year for 5 hours at a time for just a $500 permit.

By piggybacking the “events” and using three taverns, the garden manages to sell beer for what looks like regular hours to the general public.

In that case, the state Liquor Control Board took the lax route, figured it was a good thing, and allowed the piggybacking.

The PLCB is now taking heat from the Philadelphia Licensed Beverage Association as well as legislators who wrote the catering rule as a goodwill exemption to fund-raising event planners. The legislators are saying they have no problem with the PHS Beer Garden but are concerned now about more troubling abuse and where the exemption is headed. It’s not what they had in mind, in other words.

People in Philly are generally outraged that the state is even thinking about shutting down a beer garden.

The moral seems to be that no matter whether regulators take a harder or lax approach, people end up getting outraged. If that’s going to happen, at least it should start with accurate information.