Don't handle or plant these seeds you got in the mail, authorities caution

The Lake County Farm Bureau has joined other agencies in urging residents to use caution when dealing with unsolicited mailed envelopes containing seeds.

Executive Director Greg Koeppen said several state agriculture departments have issued alerts regarding the deliveries, which appear to come from China. Lake County received its first call from a resident regarding an anonymous package Tuesday.

The mailings appear to have Chinese origins and contain packages of seeds, although the contents have sometimes been described as jewelry, he added.

"It's odd. It sounds like they're just coming into the area," Koeppen said.

In a statement, the Illinois Department of Agriculture said the agency is working with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to address reports for unsolicited shipments of seeds from foreign countries.

Anyone who receives unordered seeds in the mail should contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture by emailing their first and last name, phone number and number of packages received to agr.seeds@illinois.gov.

"Do not open the package, plant the seeds, or throw them out. Please keep all seeds unopened and with their original packaging and labels, including mailing labels, until further instruction is provided," the statement says.

Koeppen said the seeds could possibly be invasive and introduce diseases to local plants or be harmful to livestock. Invasive species can destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops, he added. Anyone in Cook and Lake counties who receives a package they didn't order should call the local state agriculture office at (815) 787-5476.

Koeppen urged residents not to open the seed packets or handle the seeds. He also said not to throw the seeds in the trash because sending them to a landfill where there is soil and moisture is akin to planting them.

"We have the safest and most abundant food supply in the world and we want to keep it that way," he said.

Koeppen said some have suggested the shipments are a "brushing" campaign, a technique sometimes uses in e-commerce to boost a seller's ratings by creating fake orders.