Seed Producers Database Survey
OSA is in the process of evaluating, and potentially upgrading, our Seed Producers Database. Whether you’ve used this online tool before or not, please take two minutes to answer this short survey to help us determine the value of this database.
Now Hiring: Operations Manager
Organic Seed Alliance is seeking an Operations Manager to work from our Port Townsend, WA, office. We are seeking a highly organized individual with strong technology and organizational skills and a positive, professional presence. This successful candidate will support the organization by managing our on-site office space and human resources as well as supporting staff workflow and project timelines, managing grant contracts and tracking deliverables, leading technology, and assisting with additional program operations organization-wide.
New Publications Help Farmers Breed the Seed They Need
OSA is happy to announce the release of four organic plant breeding manuals that walk farmers through the methods of breeding new crop varieties on their farm. They include an introduction to on-farm organic plant breeding and three crop-specific breeding manuals covering carrots, sweet corn, and tomatoes.
Lear more and download the new publications
Spring 2014 Newsletter
Our work would not be possible without your support. This spring we’re sending contributors our limited edition 'Abundant Bloomsdale' poster (available while supplies last). Please help “seed” our work at whatever level you can afford.
New Publications
2013 California North Coast Organic Wheat Trials: This report includes data results from 2013 organic wheat variety trials conducted in Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Humboldt counties. Results include data on lodging, rust, plant height, yield, moisture, protein, and informal baking trials on harvested wheat.
Pollinator Management for Organic Seed Producers: This new publication from The Xerces Society and Organic Seed Alliance aids organic seed producers in understanding the role and diversity of seed crop pollinators, as well as strategies for reducing pollen movement between organic and conventional farms. Profiles of common pollinators, strategies for managing pollination, and guidelines for specific crops are all included.
Climatic Considerations for Seed Crops: Guidelines and Field Trainings for Organic and Specialty Vegetable Seed Producers (also availble in Spanish): This guide provides detailed climatic considerations, including environmental influences on pollination and fertilization, and the influence of temperature, day length, frost-free days, precipitation, and wind on seed production, for organic and specialty seed production in the Northwest U.S. The guide also includes sections on environmental management, crop selection for seed production, and history and geography of seed production in the Northwest.
5 Reasons to Be Thankful for Organic Seed
Farmer Seed Stewardship Initiative
Farmers who save and improve seed are innovators in their own right. Their seed decisions and practices impact the quality and integrity of the food we eat, the health of our environment, and the viability of this invaluable natural resource. The Farmer Seed Stewardship initiative represents a network of farmers who identify themselves as "seed stewards."
About Us
Organic Seed Alliance advances the ethical development and stewardship of the genetic resources of agricultural seed. We believe seed is part of our common cultural heritage – a living, natural resource that demands careful management to meet food needs now and into the future. We accomplish our mission through research, education, and advocacy.
“Organic seed is the foundation of organic agriculture and sustainable food systems, and the only true response to GMOs. I support OSA because it provides the technical expertise and organizational structure to establish regionally appropriate organic seed systems.”
Tony Kleese
The Earthwise Company
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
