The South Carolina Seed Certification program involves voluntary adherence to a set of standards imposed on the production of seed which ensures its purity and germination.  The standards which must be met by all Certified Seed producers include rigid requirements on planting stock, land history, equipment clean-out, weed management, conditioning, sampling, and labeling.

All fields producing a class of certified seed must pass a field inspection to detect off-types, other crops, noxious or inseparable weeds, and seed borne diseases. Seed conditioning facilities must also be inspected to ensure proper handling to maintain purity of seed lots.  All seed lots are sampled and must meet rigid standards for purity and germination based on laboratory analyses conducted by the SC Department of Agriculture Seed Lab.

All classes of certified seed must carry an official label bearing the variety name and other relevant information. This is the farmer's assurance that the seed is of the quality he expects.