Pa. seed library plan dies on vine

A central Pennsylvania library’s plan to start a seed library has died on the vine after the state Department of Agriculture put a stop to it.

The Cumberland County Library System had been working with the Cumberland County Commission for Women on a new seed-gardening initiative that would allow for residents to take seeds and replace them with new ones harvested at the end of the season. Similar efforts have cropped up around the state.

The (Carlisle) Sentinel reports the library was told by agriculture officials that it would be in violation of a 2004 state law unless library staff tested each seed packet for germination and other information.

The library system’s executive director, Jonelle Darr, says that’s clearly beyond the library’s mission.

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