Seed Permit expired: How to renew?

[Jan Jeddeloh]

My Small Lots of Seed permit has expired.  Does anyone know if there's an easy way to renew it or do I have to apply anew all over again complete with authentication hassle?  I know I hadn't logged on to the site in over 400 days but it still seemed to recognize my name. The whole USDA website does not seem designed for easy communication.

Anyone else renewed an expired permit?  As per usual the government doesn't make the process clear or easy.

Thank you,

Jan

[Jan Jeddeloh]

Since lots of people looked at my original post but nobody responded I'll take a guess that folks might be interested in Joyce Fingerhut's helpful email to me.  The big "duh" moment came when she told me that the NARGS website had instructions on how to get a permit under the Seed section. I decided to just mail in an application rather than going somewhere to be "verified".

Here's her email:

Hi Jan -

I'm hoping that I can help you.  Part of the issue depends on how you 
obtained your Small Lots of Seed permit in the first place: whether 
you went through the process of getting a Level 2 authentication (by 
showing a photo ID at an APHIS center), or made the application by 
mailing it to APHIS, in Riverdale, MD.

If you made application online (after being authenticated), then you 
can renew online, following pretty much the same process.

If you mailed in your application form, then you can download the 
application and check that it's a renewal, and fill it out as before.

The whole process is explained (I hope clearly, but I made have left 
some things muddled) on the NARGS website:
http://www.nargs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140:small-lots-of-seed&catid=75:seedex&Itemid=123

One caveat, which I sometimes forget about myself: if you are 
authenticated, then you must go to your personal site and keep it 
active (I change a comma here or there) every six months, or your 
authentication will become inactivated. I just did that the other 
night, after suddenly remembering that time was almost up.

If your account has been made inactive, then you will have to begin 
the process all over (sigh), or make your application by mail.  It 
will take slightly longer by mail, but not that much - - and you have 
some time before the Canadian/overseas seed lists are out.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions that I have not answered.
Best regards -
Joyce

[RickR]

Thanks, Jan, for posting this.  I am sure it will help out a lot of inquiring minds...

[bulborum]

For people like me
with a very small memory
there is a perfect free program called stickies
see: Stickies

just make your text in the sticky
right-click on the grey bar
and chose sleep (you chose how long)
and it pops up at the moment you chose
I use it a lot for as I promise sending seeds
which aren't ripe at that moment

I just write the address and the plant-name
sleep for ......
when it pops up and the seeds aren't ripe
I let it sleep again

Roland