More than 20 years ago the seeds of what is now Organic Seed Alliance were planted on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The history is rich and complex, but as I understand it, our organization was born as a result of the ideas and work of organic farmers who wanted to ensure access to abundant organic seed.
The commitment and love that the Olympic Peninsula community has for organic seed is as alive now as it was 20 years ago. At Organic Seed Alliance, we have been curious to learn what is happening with the seed farmers in our region. Why did they decide to become farmers? Why organic? Why did they decide to produce seed? What brought them to the Olympic Peninsula? What is the vision they have for their business? How can the community support them? These are some of our questions.
Thanks to the generosity of I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation we had the opportunity to explore the history of three organic seed operations on the Olympic Peninsula, and what better way to share what we learned than by hearing their stories through their own words.
It is an honor for me to share with all of you this series of videos featuring some of our Organic Seed Farmers. Each of the videos is a testimony to the work of organic farmers committed to continue the legacy of ensuring access to abundant organic seed in our fields.
In times when social media and other mass media have led our attention span to be relatively short, I am aware that videos between 10 and 15 minutes may feel “painfully boring” for some people. To them, I want to say that perhaps they can see the videos by sessions, or who knows, maybe when they start watching the videos they see their own life reflected in some of the stories and become interested enough to see it in full. I also think there will be others, who will see their friends, neighbors or colleagues there and watching the video will not feel painful but interesting. To them I want to say, enjoy!
Without further ado, here is our series of interviews with some Organic Seed Farmers in the Olympic Peninsula.
