To some people that work in agriculture, winter is synonymous with conference season. Agriculture conferences are opportunities to learn the latest in organic farming methods, build community, and shape the future of the organic farming movement. This year, Organic Seed Alliance was well represented in La Crosse, Wisconsin for the 35th Annual Organic Farming Conference hosted by Marbleseed (formerly known as MOSES).
Michael Lordon, OSA’s Midwest Research and Education Associate, presented a research poster in the Organic Research Forum titled, “Participatory Plant Breeding for Organic Systems in the Upper Midwest.” The poster showcased the multi-year, USDA funded project in which OSA has participated, along with collaborators at University of Wisconsin Madison, SeedLinked, eOrganic, Nature & Nurture Seeds, and KC Tomato. Through the project, we demonstrate a publicly accessible model for breeding new vegetable varieties, one that centers the needs of farmers and the realities of growing crops in an ever-changing environment, and we share how small scale farmer-breeders, public institutions, and non-profit organizations can work together to develop and commercialize varieties.
In the Upper Midwest, we are seeing more significant rainfall events and more severe temperature swings, causing many varieties to show weaknesses that were not apparent with more stable weather patterns. The best strategy for dealing with this type of unpredictability is to test varieties over a wider range of environmental conditions, both within and across years. This is difficult for many breeding programs to accomplish, whether they are in the public sector, private sector or independent. This project has supported SeedLinked’s efforts to develop easy-to-use variety trial tools for farmers, breeders, and organic certifiers. SeedLinked can be used to collect, share, and analyze data to support decentralized collaborative breeding. Take a look at the research poster PDF, or the eOrganic project website for more information and resources, including the 2023 webinar series “Practical Training for On-Farm and Collaborative Plant Breeding.”
In addition to sharing results during the poster sessions and seed samples during the Friday evening swap, OSA staff forged new personal connections and re-connected with colleagues and friends. OSA’s recently hired executive director, Laura Lewis, said, “This was my first time attending Marbleseed! It was so inspiring to witness the work being done to support organic and sustainable farming systems in the Midwest and to meet incredible farmers, service providers, and vendors. As a national organization, OSA has so much to gain from participating in this conference and learning about challenges and opportunities that seed growers face regionally.” OSA’s advocacy and communications director, Cathleen McCluskey, also participated in the Marbleseed activities, promoting policies that support organic agriculture and farmers’ rights to save seed.
Don’t wait until next conference season to continue networking and learning about your seed interests! Join more than 2,500 seed growers, seed advocates, and seed enthusiasts in the Organic Seed Commons network. Join for free and access self-guided seed tutorials, discussion boards, regional/international networks, the virtual 2022 Organic Seed Growers Conference recordings, and more! Already have an account? Sign-on again easily using your email address and a magic link, without needing to remember your password. Take advantage of this opportunity to make new professional connections, and contact us if you have any feedback to improve the space!
