Organic acreage in the Intermountain West continues to increase alongside the national demand for organic food. For example, in a five-year period, organic vegetable acreage in Montana experienced a five-fold increase. Although the organic seed trade is growing, the supply is still insufficient to fully meet the diverse and regional needs of all growers — including […]
Best Practices for Vegetable Seed Handling in Montana
[…] competitive state in the world of organic seed growing,” says Tessa Peters, lead author of Seed Quality and who also manages OSA’s research and education programs in the Intermountain West. “The resources released today will help Montana’s vegetable seed growers support the burgeoning organic seed industry by filling regional supply gaps.” Seed production requires knowledge and […]
Understanding Best Practices for Seed Production and Handling in Montana
[…] competitive state in the world of organic seed growing,” says Tessa Peters, lead author of Seed Quality and who also manages OSA’s research and education programs in the Intermountain West. “The resources released today will help Montana’s vegetable seed growers support the burgeoning organic seed industry by filling regional supply gaps.” “The quality assurance manual addresses […]
Meet Your Seed Grower: Judy Owsowitz, Terrapin Farm
[…] Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The long-term goal of both projects is to ensure that Montana grown seeds are available for farmers and gardeners across the Intermountain West. Last year OSA partnered with eight Triple Divide growers, including Owsowitz, to coordinate on-farm variety trials and deliver trainings on seed production. This coming year Owsowitz […]
OSA Featured on PBS’s Farm to Fork Wyoming
[…] ingenious growers, ranchers and experts about food and agriculture trends. The latest episode, “Seed Savers,” features OSA’s Tessa Peters, who leads our research and education in the Intermountain West. While attending the High Plains Organic Conference in Cheyenne this past February, Tessa sat down with Farm to Fork Wyoming producers to talk about seed saving […]
Talking Seed Economics with Homestead Organics
[…] as growers.” Since that time, Triple Divide has grown into a thriving collective of growers dedicated to the resilience and availability of organic, open-pollinated seed for the Intermountain West. The co-op owns and shares seed cleaning equipment and manages final cleaning, packing, storage and sales. Vending through Triple Divide has the additional benefit of receiving […]
Tell Montana Legislators to Oppose SB 155!
[…] markets, and may soon merge to sell nearly one-third of the world’s commercial seed and a quarter of all pesticides. ALEC has also led efforts across the West to privatize public lands, advocating for the transfer of federal and public lands to state and private interests. Like many preemption bills, SB 155 is a […]
Sowing Knowledge and Swapping Seeds: Winter Conference Wrap-up
[…] CA The Northern Plains Food and Farming Conference in Fargo, ND Organicology, Portland, OR Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Winter Conference in LaCrosse, WI Mountain West Seed Summit in Santa Fe, NM Free the Seeds in Kalispell, MT Along with our partners Organically Grown Company, the Sustainable Food Trade Association and Oregon […]
Seed Quality: Best Practices for Vegetable Seed Handling in Montana
Farmers need quality seed that is free of disease and that delivers on advertised germination rates, vigor, trueness to type, and specific traits for a particular variety. This manual provides recommendations to assure the quality of seed Montana’s specialty crop growers produce. The recommendations are intended as best practices to assist growers in reducing the risk of producing or selling inferior quality seed. The practices in this guide focus on growers who sell primarily vegetable seed.
» Read more about: Seed Quality: Best Practices for Vegetable Seed Handling in Montana »Meet Your Seed Grower: Dave Victor, Garden City Harvest
Dave Victor, the farm director at Garden City Harvest’s Orchard Gardens Neighborhood Farm and a new father, has a bushy red beard and a straw sunhat. His hands are tanned and calloused. His trusty companion, Sly Dog, pads through the garden alongside him, finally resting under his special picnic table turned dog house –a saving grace in the summer heat. This plot of land seems to radiate calm even though one of the busiest roads in Missoula swarms with traffic just yards away.
» Read more about: Meet Your Seed Grower: Dave Victor, Garden City Harvest »New Toolkit Helps Growers Understand the Economics of Seed Production
Organic Seed Alliance is pleased to announce a new seed economics toolkit. We developed this online tool to help farmers scale up organic seed production, increase their profits, and have more control over their seed supply. You’ll find tools and case studies related to contracting, enterprise budgeting, inventory management, and foundation and stock seed planning.
We know that while organic seed production is a developing industry and a viable economic opportunity for organic growers,
» Read more about: New Toolkit Helps Growers Understand the Economics of Seed Production »Learn How to Breed Crops in Montana
[…] of Wisconsin, Cornell University, Oregon State University, and Organic Seed Alliance will lead this course at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, and on five participating farms in Western Montana’s Mission Valley: Fresh Roots Farm, Polson; Good Egg Farm, Moiese; Foothill Farm, St. Ignatius; Wild Plum Farm, Dixon; and Deluge Farm, Camas Prairie. A full […]
