It’s the busiest time of the year for the Organic Seed Production Research on Economics and Yield (OSPREY) project. With the replicated and participatory trials underway with seed processing and the many field days and workshops being held across the country, our schedules are jam-packed!
OSPREY, a multi-year project funded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and spearheaded by Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), is bringing together a team of researchers, educators, and organic seed stakeholders from across the country to address critical needs in the organic seed sector, advance organic seed production practices, and expand the availability of high-quality organic seeds.
For more information, please visit our previous posts since our project kick-off last Autumn 2024.
What We’re Currently Doing: Field Updates
Multi-Location Replicated Trials
OSA and our research partners at Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Colorado State University, Cornell University – Cooperative Extension, Oregon State University – Cooperative Extension, and University of Vermont – Cooperative Extension, are collaboratively developing seed harvesting and cleaning protocols and other reference materials based on our replicated trial research.
Throughout the growing season, trial locations have been in contact with each other about field observations regarding pests and disease pressure, phenotypic off-types, and other management practices. Each site has dealt with its share of successes and challenges. In turn, there’s been a wealth of information developed by and shared among the project team.
At this point in the season, most locations are focused on harvesting ripe fruit and pods for a preliminary rough cleaning. Each of the four core seed crops – broccoli, lettuce, summer squash, and tomato – is ripening and maturing at different times, both within crop types and also due to differences in growing conditions across the geographic areas. Despite the busy field season, all locations (CA, CO, NC, NY, OR, VT, WA) held engaging field days and workshops for seed growers, farmers, researchers, and others involved in organic research.
Multi-Location Participatory Trials
We’ve also passed the midway point with the current Participatory Trial growing season. OSA and SeedLinked are providing trial protocols and quick reference guides for core crop seed harvesting and cleaning, while developing more data collection strategies around seed yield measuring and reporting.
Growers are starting to submit observations and data from their yield trials, including labor and input tracking, which will lead to a variety of seed yield-specific resources. The database and economic toolkits that will be further developed in future years with Highland Economics, SeedLinked, and Seed Savers Exchange would only be possible from the valuable time and effort our participatory growers give to this project.
Stakeholder Advisory Committee
OSA is excited to introduce our Stakeholder Advisory Committee, made up of seed growers and seed industry specialists. We held a kickoff meeting over the summer and will reconvene at the end of the first project year with Aaron Varadi (High Mowing Seeds), Ben Wight (former seed production manager), Elena Bird (University of Wisconsin Madison), Emily Pence (Fedco Seeds), Heron Breen (Fruits of Our Labor), Lucas Nebert (Oregon State University), Reiley Carney (Snake River Seed Cooperative), and Shelby Mandonado (Utopian Seed Project/Appalachian Seed Growers Collective). OSA is sincerely grateful for our amazing advisory team.
The committee, OSA project director and manager, and Rhizobia, our external evaluator, will determine the full impact of our program and research for our stakeholders and the greater organic seed industry. We expect this to lead to greater availability of high-quality, regionally adapted organic seed for all organic producers.
Historic Yield, Seed Cleaning, and Equipment Surveys
OSPREY is reaching a key point in preparing for the upcoming Historic Yield and Seed Cleaning Interviews. If you grow seed commercially, please visit our interest survey for more information about historic yield activities and how to sign up. You don’t need to be involved in our current participatory yield trials to sign up for upcoming historic yield and seed cleaning data collection efforts.
Later this year, we plan to survey organic seed producers and seed companies to collect historic seed yield data (mass of seed remaining after seeds are processed and prepped), as well as data on seed cleaning equipment usage and seed-borne disease challenges.
As we work to build resilient organic seed systems, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of reliable data on seed yields and production costs. We will obtain data from a variety of seed crops and scales of operations, including size of cultivated areas and scale of specialty seed cleaning equipment. Depending on how data needs to be submitted by our participants, we will collect data using an online survey or interview format. Participants will also receive a stipend for their time to submit this data.
What’s Next
Each replicated trial location will finish a rough cleaning of the core crop seeds prior to sending them to an OSA facility for further cleaning. Want to learn more about seed cleaning? OSA and eOrganic will be hosting a seed cleaning webinar towards the end of 2025 that you won’t want to miss! More information will be announced about this event.
Additionally, OSA is already starting to gear up for the 2026 growing season for all of our trials – stay tuned for an interest survey later this year to get involved in our 2026 Participatory Trials.
Get Involved!
For more information about the OSPREY project in general, or to participate in upcoming research and outreach activities, please visit www.seedalliance.org or contact jared@seedalliance.org and molly@seedalliance.org. To connect more with OSA, check out our event offerings such as workshops, webinars, farm tours, research presentations, advocacy hours, educational courses, conferences, summits, and more. We’d love to interact with you in person or virtually!
About Organic Seed Alliance
Organic Seed Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that puts the power of seed into the hands of growers. Our work ensures an abundant and diverse supply of ecologically grown seed, tended in perpetuity by skilled and diverse communities of seed stewards.
—This project was funded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative grant, part of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Grant number 2024-51300-43056.
