Bad seeds?

Sheriff’s Department shares warning about unsolicited seeds from China

news@theeveningtimes.com No doubt. China has taken a bad wrap in 2020.

Already marked as the coronavirus pandemic epicenter, the world's most populous country has now been blamed for shipping unsolicited seeds to unsuspecting household across Arkansas and the country.

The Crittenden County Sheriff Department passed along a bulletin form the state department of agriculture. A bulletin to the public about the real threat of introducing a new invasive species.

The fishing world has seen the damage of the Japanese jumping carp taking over and dominating the ecosystem in some waters around the country, including Horseshoe Lake.

And our Depression era ancestors didn't expect Kudzu to become unmanageable when it was planted as an erosion inhibitor, but it covers fields and hangs from trees all over the south. The same possibility may exist in seed packets shipped to homes without being ordered.

The bulletin asked the public to report getting seed they did not order. Chinese wring is on some of the packages.

'Private citizens in several states have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China,' said the bulletin. 'The types of seeds in these packages are unknown at this time an may be invasive plant species. The packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them.”

The United States Department of Agriculture and the state agriculture department have asked people not to plant the seeds. Seeds turned in have been black, brown or beige in color.

'Place the unopened packages in a sealed bag and contact the Plant Industries Division at (501) 225-1598. Invasive species wreck havoc on the environment, displace or destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops' said the bulletin.

Photos courtesy of USDA