
Listen to OSA’s Dan Hobbs discuss the role of organic seed production in restoring skills and knowledge at the farm level for both on-farm seed security and commercial seed production.
“In the ‘80s, there was a lot of pressure for farms to grow—and what we’ve seen is farms getting bigger and bigger, and smaller and smaller. The farms in the middle, which in my mind is what needs to be focused on and the people we need to save and support, these medium-sized family based farms have been really squeezed, trying to compete in the wholesale marketplace,” said Hobbs. “And this is where I believe organic seed production or other types of organic farming, coupled with direct marketing, a retail marketing model, can really help these farms.”