Join OSA and eOrganic for the upcoming “Breeding for Nutrition” webinar on March 23, 2012, at 11 a.m. Pacific. Speakers include Jim Myers of Oregon State University, Phil Simon of University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Walter Goldstein of the Mandaamin Institute. The webinar is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required.
About the Webinar
Organic eaters want nutritious food, but some modern breeding programs may be increasing yields at the cost of nutrition. Learn about breeding programs working with classical breeding methods (non-GMO) to breed nutritionally superior crops.
This workshop was originally presented at the 6th Organic Seed Growers Conference in Port Townsend, WA and is being repeated as an OSA and eOrganic webinar. View selected recordings from the conference here.
About the Presenters
Jim Myers holds the Baggett-Frazier Endowed Chair of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Horticulture at the Oregon State University. He works on a number of crops, including dry and snap bean, edible podded pea, broccoli, tomato, winter and summer squash, and sweet corn. His main interest has been to improve vegetable varieties for disease resistance and human nutrition while maintaining quality and productivity in improved varieties. Jim is also breeding tomatoes, broccoli, and summer squash for organic systems. His latest variety release is the high anthocyanin tomato ‘Indigo Rose’.
Walter Goldstein grew up and received his education in Washington State but now lives in Wisconsin. He has bred corn under organic conditions since 1989. He was Research Director of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute for 25 years. He has recently begun a research and education organization called the Mandaamin Institute for breeding nutritionally valuable crops and promoting healthy farming practices.
Upcoming OSA Events
Arcata, California, March 31, 2012: Humboldt Seed and Plant Exchange Join OSA’s Jared Zystro for his Backyard Breeding class at the Hubmoldt Seed and Plant Exchange. This free event will be held at the Arcata Community Center, 321 Community Parkway, Arcata, CA from 11am – 4pm. Please vistit the Humboldt Permaculture Guild website for more information.
Port Townsend, Washington, June 4-5, 2012: Organic On-farm Breeding short course Learn the fundamental skills to develop and adapt seed varieties for your organic farm conditions at this 2-day workshop hosted by the Organic Seed Alliance. Organic Plant Breeding Specialist Dr. John Navazio will discuss such topics as: the biology of seed production, seed harvest and cleaning, choosing appropriate seed crops for your system and climate, maintaining the genetic integrity of varieties with appropriate population sizes and isolation distances, conducting variety trials, and basic on-farm breeding techniques such as mass selection and progeny testing. Prior experience in basic seed growing is recommended. Pre-registration is require – please register here.
Portland, Oregon, February 7-9, 2013: Organicology Conference Organicology is an interactive conference designed to meet the diverse needs of our rapidly expanding trade. The conference offers educational and networking events that enhance the understanding and skills of our diverse organic community, from seed producers and farmers, to distributors, retailers, researchers, chefs, policy activists, and eaters. The 2013 conference will continue to focus on sustainability, farming and seed issues, and a wide range of timely topics that impact the organic trade.
