By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is one of the states where people have received mysterious packets of seeds. They’re unsolicited, with markings in Chinese on the packets.
“We’re in the process of trying to take reports and gather contact information, and we are working closely with the USDA,” said Scott Schirmer, the state’s plant regulatory official with the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Schirmer says, don’t plant it. If you have, “Pull it out and bag it. That will kill it. If it hasn’t germinated, it’s a non-vianble seed.”
Schirmer says one theory is that the seeds are being mailed out to gin up phony customer reviews online. He says it could be an herb or vegetable seed; nevertheless, don’t plant it.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
