Breeders here sometimes ask whether a modern variety is "allowed" as a parent or to share around. I went through USDA's Plant Variety Protection status report (updated Sep 3, 2026) and pulled out every certificate whose 20-year term (25 for trees/vines) ended between Oct 2025 and Oct 2026. There are 224.
What's in it: 52 common wheats, 36 lettuces, 25 soybeans, 22 cottons, 21 field corns, 8 triticales, 7 common beans, 6 oats, plus forage and turf grasses (tall fescue 'Blackwatch', USDA's wheatgrass 'Beefmaker'). Lettuces like 'Malawi' and 'Rubicon' could be interesting for anyone breeding lettuce.
What expiry does NOT change:
- Saving seed to replant on your own farm was always allowed under PVP (7 U.S.C. ยง 2543). Selling it for planting wasn't; that's the part expiry frees up.
- Brand names stay trademarked. Only the variety name is freed.
- Some of these (especially soybean, corn, cotton) may still be under utility patents or bag-tag licenses.
- USDA itself says it "cannot guarantee the accuracy" of its status data. My dates are calculated from the issue date plus the term.
- Not legal advice. Check with USDA's PVP Office before selling seed.
Disclosure: I built the free searchable list at
https://public-variety-watch.netlify.app. I'm gauging whether a paid monthly "newly expired" alert is worth building. I'm happy to answer questions here, and I'd welcome corrections.
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