February 12-15, 2020 | Corvallis, Oregon
Register Now
Registration is open to join us for the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference! This may be the best agenda in the history of our conferences. It was developed based on proposal input, and crafted with care and thoughtfulness by an incredibly dedicated team of over 25 organic seed community leaders.
The conference is the largest event focused solely on organic seed in North America, bringing together hundreds of farmers, plant breeders, researchers, certifiers, food companies, seed companies, and others from across the U.S. and around the world. The biennial conference has been convening the organic seed community for nearly two decades and includes a packed agenda of presentations, panel discussions, networking events, and celebration. Farm tours and short courses are held prior to the full two-day conference.
Registration closes February 5, 2020.
Some highlights include:
- The Main Conference – Friday and Saturday includes two dozen in-depth sessions with over 70 speakers, a keynote address from Ricardo Salvador of Union of Concerned Scientists, networking opportunities, celebrations, and an epic seed swap.
- Seed Ethics Participatory Intensive – A daylong pre-conference intensive that will inspire, challenge, and practice allyship among all present. This is being offered free of charge.
- Willamette Valley Seed Tour – A pre-conference tour through the Willamette Valley featuring seed production and cleaning on a number of different scales.
- Organic Plant Breeding Intensive – This crash course in organic plant breeding will provide the basic skills to initiate or advance your organic breeding projects.
- Organic Variety Trial and Culinary Evaluation Intensive – Learn the basics of designing and implementing a variety trial, and setting up a related culinary evaluation.
Travel Scholarship Opportunities through SARE
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program offers conference travel scholarships and past attendees have successfully used this as a resource to get themselves to the event. We’ve compiled a list of SARE travel scholarship details by state and invite participants in need of travel support to explore this opportunity. Not all state SARE programs are offering conference travel support. Click the button below to find details about who to contact in your state and see what’s available.
Ride and Room Share
Looking to share a room or a ride with other conference participants? Connect with other attendees about what you have to offer or what you’re in need of to make it to the event!
Synergy Space
The Synergy Space is an opportunity for participants to self-organize conversations with conference goers outside of the main sessions. This is a space for emerging ideas, issues, and organizing in the organic seed community. For example, in the 2018 Synergy Space a group of farmers interested in flower seed production met in the Synergy Space, formed a collaborative group that continued to meet after the conference, and built momentum/collaborations such that they’ve organized a flower seed production session in the 2020 conference agenda. Back in 2016 a round table of 23 small regional seed companies met in the Synergy Space which resulted in an all day meeting of these companies in 2018 at Adaptive Seeds Farm.
The Synergy Space is self organized. Meetings can be organized before or at the conference. Check out what’s being planned so far and/or recommend to host a topic.
Conference Merchandise
Wear your commitment to the organic seed movement with shirts featuring the inspiring art of Nikki McClure. Proceeds from the sales of these shirts support Organic Seed Alliance and the Organic Seed Growers Conference. There are several styles and colors to choose from – order by January 30th and get yours in time to wear it at the event!
Scholarships
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we’re able to offer a limited number of scholarships to farmers, students, and interns. Scholarships are available to offset registration for the main conference (Friday and Saturday), and don’t include Thursday intensives, travel, or lodging. The application period is now closed.
Conference Center Location
The conference will be held at the Oregon State University CH2M HILL Alumni Center and The LaSells Stewart Center on campus in Corvallis, Oregon. Conference registration will be at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center.
Hotels
Hilton Garden Inn – Official Conference Hotel
2500 SW Western Blvd
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
Phone: (541) 752-5000
Distance from conference center: 0.3 miles
Room discounts are available to all conference participants staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Rooms are limited and will book up quickly. If you are making reservations by phone, please be sure to let them know you are part of the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference. The room block closes on Monday, January 20th.
Book discounted conference rooms here
Oregon State University Scholar Housing
Bloss Hall and Dixon Lodge, Oregon State University Campus
Phone: (541) 737-9195
Distance from conference center: 0.2 miles (Bloss Hall) and 0.7 miles (Dixon Lodge)
Visit website
Best Western Grand Manor Inn and Suites
925 NW Garfield Avenue
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Phone: (541) 758-8571
Distance from conference center: 2.8 miles
Visit website
Corvallis Budget Inn
1480 SW 3rd Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Phone: (541) 752-8756
Distance from conference center: 1.7 miles
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Corvallis Comfort Suites
1730 Northwest 9th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Phone: (541) 753-4320
Distance from conference center: 2.8 miles
Visit website
Days Inn
1113 North West 9th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Phone: (541) 754-7474
Distance from conference center: 2.3 miles
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Holiday Inn Express on the River
781 NE 2nd Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Phone: (541) 752-0800
Distance from conference center: 2.2 miles
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Super 8 on the River
407 NW 2nd Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
Distance from conference center: 1.9 miles
Visit website
Driving Directions to Conference Center
From I-5
Take Exit #228 to Corvallis. Head west 10 miles on Hwy 34. Make a left turn onto Hwy 34 bypass. Go right on 26th St., cross Western Blvd., and the CH2M HILL Alumni Center will be on your right.
From Hwy 99 Southbound
Highway 99W becomes 4th St. Make a right turn on Western Blvd. Take another right turn on 26th St. Travel one block and the CH2M HILL Alumni Center will be on your right.
From Hwy 99 Northbound
Go over the Marys River Bridge. Make a left turn on Western Blvd. Make a right turn on 26th St. Travel one block and the CH2M HILL Alumni Center will be on your right.
From 9th Street Hotels
Drive south on 9th Street, turn right on Harrison, then left on 14th Street. (Note: When 14th crosses Monroe Ave., it becomes 15th.) Turn right on Western Blvd., and right on 26th Street. Travel one block and the CH2M HILL Alumni Center will be on your right.
Parking at the Conference Center
Between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., visitor parking is available in the parking lot across from LaSells Steward Center and in the parking garage north of the Alumni Center with a permit. Visitor parking permits are available at kiosks in the parking areas.
Evenings after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends, center patrons may park in visitor lots at no charge.
For more information about parking, visit the Transit & Parking Services website.
Vehicles without permits parked in permit spaces before 5 pm on weekdays will be ticketed. Bicycle parking is located at the Center’s north entrance.
Traveling to Corvallis from Outside of Oregon
Corvallis relies on Portland and Eugene for the nearest major airports. From either city, you can then arrange transportation to Corvallis. Most participants fly into Portland (PDX) and take a shuttle bus run by Hut Airport Shuttle to Corvallis. Check the current schedule and fees online.
Airports: The Portland Airport (PDX) and Eugene Airport (EUG) are the nearest airports. The Portland Airport is a large international airport with many international flights and is approximately 1.5 hours from Corvallis. The Eugene Airport is a small regional airport with only a few domestic flights available and is approximately 1 hour from Corvallis. From either airport, you can arrange transportation to Corvallis. There is also an airport in Salem, the Salem Municipal Airport (SLE), though this currently only has flights within the U.S.
Transportation to Corvallis from the Airport: There are several options available for transportation from either the Portland or Eugene Airport to Corvallis. The most convenient and efficient transportation to Corvallis is the Hut Airport Shuttle. The shuttle will pick you up at the airport at a pre-arranged time and will drive you directly to Corvallis. The second most convenient transportation to Corvallis is car rental. Traveling by bus or train is also an option. In both Portland and Eugene the bus and train stations are not located near the airports, and do not have direct local bus service to the bus nor train stations.
Bus: For information about bus service from Portland to Corvallis or from Eugene to Corvallis, check the Greyhound website. To travel from Portland Airport to the Portland bus station (Union Station) you can take the light rail system (MAX) or the public bus system (TriMet). There is no bus service from the Eugene Airport to the Eugene bus station. You will have to take a shuttle or taxi from the Eugene Airport to the Eugene bus station.
Cancellation Policy
If you’ve registered for any conference-related events and are unable to attend, we can offer your registration fees returned minus a $30.00 processing fee before February 1, 2020. We are unable to return registration fees for cancellations after the February 1, 2020 date. Registration returns can not be made due to the registrant’s inability to travel to the conference (e.g. weather, flight cancellations, etc).
Conference Sponsorship
There’s still time to celebrate the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference by becoming a conference sponsor for this special anniversary event. Conference sponsorship offers companies many promotional opportunities, while helping keep registration costs affordable and supporting the scholarship fund for farmers and students.
Contact Cathleen McCluskey to learn more and become a conference sponsor.
Who attends the conference?
The Organic Seed Growers Conference strives to create an inclusive forum for discussion, debate, and development within the organic community. We encourage organic gardeners and farmers, researchers, citizens at large, and companies of all sizes and sectors, as well as nonorganic entities interested in moving into the organic industry, to participate. Our goal is to inspire individuals, organizations, and businesses to take actions that support and improve the integrity of the philosophical and practical systems that make up the organic seed movement and trade.
- Farmers, seed producers, plant breeders, and researchers working in organic seed systems
- Organic and non-organic farmers and seed producers interested in organic seed production
- University extension looking to expand organic seed education and outreach
- Farmers interested in on-farm plant breeding
- Organic certifiers interested in learning about organic seed availability and related issues
- Government employees involved in plant breeding or related research and education
- Government employees engaged in food, farm, and rural policy
- Non-government seed advocacy, research, and education organizations
- Food companies, cooperatives, and processors in the organic sector
- Undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers studying organic seed
Many thanks to our generous 2020 sponsors!
Gold Level Sponsors
Oregon Tilth In 1974, Oregon Tilth was founded on the idea that food and agriculture should be equitable and sustainable. Each day, we work with a community of changemakers to transform the food marketplace. We provide certification services that sustain organic agriculture and the people who support it. But we don’t stop there. From education to technical assistance, Oregon Tilth designs strategies and tools that address the challenges faced by farmers and food producers. Visit: tilth.org
Row 7 Seed Company Born from a cross-pollination of chefs and plant breeders, Row 7’s mission is to change how we eat by fixing how—and what—we grow at scale. We work together in the field and kitchen to create, trial and distribute delicious new plant varieties that make an impact in the soil and at the table. All of our seeds are certified organic, unpatented and produced in the United States.
Silver Level Sponsors
Culinary Breeding Network The Culinary Breeding Network (CBN) mission is to build communities of plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, produce buyers, chefs, and other stakeholders to improve quality in vegetables and grains. Formed in 2011, CBN strives to accomplish their goals through engaging public outreach events which are both educational and fun. The events bring many often disconnected individuals together to create change in an engaging, approachable, social format.
Equal Exchange was founded to challenge the existing trade model, which favors large plantations, agri-business, and multi-national corporations; support small farmers; and connect consumers and producers through information, education, and the exchange of products in the marketplace. Underlying our work is the belief that only through organization, can small farmers survive and thrive. The cooperative model has been essential for building this model of change.
Fedco Seeds a cooperative garden supply company focused on cold-hardy selections and dedicated to organic/sustainable agriculture, offers untreated vegetable, herb and flower seeds, soil amendments, cover crops, garden supplies, fruit trees, berries, ornamentals, seed potatoes, garlic, flower bulbs and more.
Gaia Herbs is the leading herbal brand in North America, with more than 200 patented Liquid Phyto-Caps™, liquid extracts, functional powders and herbal teas to help support and maintain optimal health. From seed to shelf, Gaia is deeply committed to the purity, integrity and potency of each product. The company uses only organic methods to cultivate more than 6.5 million plants each year (representing 21 varieties in 2017) on its farms in the US and Costa Rica, and that same organic approach continues through manufacturing, using patented technology to achieve the highest efficacy of each herb, validated by Gaia’s scientists throughout the process.
High Mowing Organic Seeds is an independently owned, farm-based seed company offering 700+ varieties of USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified seeds for farmers, gardeners and homesteaders. We specialize in providing professional grade organic seeds that are selected to thrive in organic conditions and varieties that are widely adapted to perform in all regions of the U.S. and Canada.
Organically Grown Company Founded in 1978, perpetual purpose trust-owned Organically Grown Company (OCG), is the largest organic produce distributor in the Pacific Northwest. For the past 40-years, the company’s progressive and entrepreneurial spirit has fueled its mission and growth, meeting the demand for organics in the marketplace while supporting its community of farmers. OGC has been recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices including sourcing 100% renewable energy in facilities, support for fair trade and charitable giving. When people in the Northwest purchase organic fruits and vegetables at their grocery store, there is a very good chance that it’s there because of OGC.
Seedshed engages communities in seed stewardship practices that strengthen agricultural, cultural, and biological diversity. Our holistic seed literacy programs protect local cultivars and are a catalyst for growing social, food, and seed justice solutions. Growing community through the wonder of seeds. Saving seeds through the power of community.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers 700+ heirloom, organic, and open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower varieties, plus garlic, perennial onions and seed saving supplies. Our mission is to ensure that people retain control of their food supply, conserve genetic resources and offer gardeners the option of saving their own seeds.
Vitalis Organic Seeds Founded in 1994 in The Netherlands, Vitalis Organic Seeds is a global leader in organic seed production and breeding. All Vitalis varieties are certified organic for the US, Canada, Mexico and the EU. We believe in building organic production systems with organically produced seed.
Bronze Level Sponsors
Acres U.S.A.
Albert Lea Seed
Blue River Organic Seed
Clif Bar
Hummingbird Wholesale
Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
Mountain Rose Herbs
Native Seeds/SEARCH
Osborne Quality Seeds
Pacific Botanicals
PCC Community Markets
Straus Family Creamery
Territorial Seed Company
Welter Seed and Honey Company
