A Trial Agreement is a legal document to protect the plant breeder during the crop development process. It basically states that your plant is in the custody of the company evaluating it. This plant and any sports that result from it remain your property for the period of the trial. It should include something about the fate of the plant after trialing; when the trial ends your plants should be introduced to the market, returned to you, or destroyed; in this way protecting you and your investment. With trial agreements there is usually no exchange of money, only an agreement to protect and evaluate a new plant. Contact Proven Winners for a sample trial agreement.
How long does a trial agreement last?
The length of time for a trial agreement is usually at least 2 years, sometimes longer especially if a plant is difficult to produce or has some trick to getting the best performance out of it. In general, perennials and woody shrubs and trees have longer trial agreements than annual flowers because they take longer to reach flowering size.