{"id":111792,"date":"2026-01-05T21:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/111792\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T21:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:18:09","slug":"texas-residents-warned-about-mystery-seed-packages-arriving-from-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/111792\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas residents warned about mystery seed packages arriving from China"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEXAS \u2013 Imagine getting a package you didn\u2019t order and opening it to find mysterious seeds and even an unknown liquid inside. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening to Texans and officials are advising residents to be cautious.<\/p>\n

According to Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) <\/a>they have collected more than 1,100 unsolicited seed packages from 109 locations across the state. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt a glance, this might seem like a small problem, but this is serious business,\u201d said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller<\/a>. \u201cThe possible introduction of an invasive species to the state via these seeds poses real risks to Texas families and the agriculture industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first reported case in early February came out of Clute, Texas<\/a>, where a resident received an unsolicited package from China containing unidentified seeds and an unknown liquid. Since then, similar packages have been turning up not just in Texas, but across the country, including Ohio, New Mexico, and Alabama.<\/p>\n

The last unsolicited seed package collection in Texas was conducted on Dec. 29, 2025.<\/p>\n

These mysterious deliveries are similar to other nationwide incidents first observed in 2020 known as brushing scams, where companies send random items to people to boost fake online reviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s part of an ongoing scam or something more sinister, we are determined to protect Texans,\u201d said Commissioner Miller. \u201cUnsolicited seeds coming into our country are a risk to American agriculture, our environment, and public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TDA is working closely with federal partners to collect, test, and safely dispose of all unsolicited seed packages to protect farms, ranches, gardens, and natural ecosystems from invasive species and pests.<\/p>\n

What to do if you receive one:<\/p>\n

Do not open the package<\/p>\n

Keep it sealed in its original packaging<\/p>\n

Contact the TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA for safe collection<\/p>\n

Commissioner Miller emphasized the importance of caution: \u201cTexas isn\u2019t going to take chances when it comes to protecting our people and our food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEXAS \u2013 Imagine getting a package you didn\u2019t order and opening it to find mysterious seeds and even…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2389,39878,49588,39793,17091,2879,31064,4842,27,5875,6605,29,28],"class_list":["post-111792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-agriculture","tag-clute","tag-package","tag-packages","tag-residents","tag-sid-miller","tag-tda","tag-texans","tag-texas","tag-texas-agriculture-commissioner","tag-texas-department-of-agriculture","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}