OAR 603-052-0870: General Production Area

All lands in Oregon constitute the General Production Area for the purposes of controlling pests and diseases of the Brassicaceae. Brassicaceae production in the General Production Area is subject to the following best management practices: (1) All Brassicaceae seed stock intended for planting for commercial or home use in the General Production Area must be accompanied by an official test report stating that the untreated seed is from a seed lot that has been tested and found free from blackleg. Only seed stock or transplants from seed stock that has tested free of blackleg may be planted or sold within the General Production Area. Producers must maintain a copy of the official test reports for a minimum of three (3) years from the time of planting ; (2) To prevent buildup of blackleg, blackrot, and other diseases and pests, plants of the Brassicaceae may not be grown i n the same field more often than two years in every five years; (3) All planting, harvest, and transportation equipment shall be cleaned to prevent any inadvertent spread of Brassicaceae plant material from the field; (4) All unbagged loads of Brassicaceae seed stock transported must be in enclosed bins or in containers lined and covered in a manner to prevent seed loss; (5) Any volunteer or uncontrolled Brassicaceae in or around producer’s fields must be prevented from flowering by the producer; (6) The Department may, as it deems necessary, inspect or cause to be inspected any field, crops, areas in or around production fields, or any other area within the General Production Area for Brassicaceae infected with blackleg. Such inspections will be carried out during normal business hours and consent may be sought for entry into fields or other areas. Inspection may include the taking of samples as may be necessary to determine whether plants are infected with blackleg ; (7) Any volunteer or uncontrolled Brassicaceae in and around production fields that are determined by the Department to be infected with blackleg may be declared a public nuisance as described in Section ( 8 ) and, as such, must be rogued out or otherwise eliminated by the producer or the land manager; (8) Any field that is determined after official inspection and testing by the Department to be infected with blackleg may be determined to be a Public Nuisance subject to the Public Nuisance abatement processes described in ORS 570.170 through 570.180 . (9) The Department shall review these General Production Area requirements every five (5) years for accuracy and effectiveness. NOTE: Information on laboratories in Oregon approved by the Department for conducting official seed tests is available from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol St. NE, Salem, OR 97301, 503-986-4620.