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Seed Policy · March 8, 2018

Seeds for the Future Act Will Support Public Plant Breeding

Organic Seed Alliance applauds Representatives Pocan (D-WI) and Soto (D-FL) for introducing The Seeds for the Future Act this week (HB 5208). The bill will prioritize US research dollars for the development and release of public cultivars, with an emphasis on projects that use conventional breeding methods and intend to release finished, “farmer-ready” cultivars.

Publicly bred varieties of crops that meet the diverse and regional needs of farmers are more important than ever. Seed is a farmer’s first defense in the field, providing the genetic tools to address production challenges, meet market demands, and adapt to increasingly variable climates. The Seeds for the Future Act helps farms remain resilient and competitive by:

  • Ensuring that federal investments are sufficient to support farmers and researchers in developing seeds that work for a diversity of farming systems and locations
  • Prioritizing “farmer-ready” public cultivar development in federal grant programs
  • Encouraging commitments to seed diversification and regional adaptation
  • Increasing efficiency and improving coordination across federal agencies

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has excellent summaries of the bill here.

Will you help us advocate for this bill? Sign up for policy action updates through our newsletter and you’ll receive alerts specific to your district and state.

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Categories: Seed Policy

Tags: Farm Bill

Kristina Hubbard

Kristina (Kiki) Hubbard is the director of advocacy and communications for Organic Seed Alliance. She currently leads efforts to promote policies and actions that support organic seed systems, including managing OSA’s State of Organic Seed project.

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