The virtual 2026 California Organic Seed Summit will be held Sat June 27 and Sun June 28 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m PST both days. The Summit is a gathering for California-based people working with seed to network, exchange knowledge, and develop collective actions to build equitable, abundant, and resilient seed systems in the state.
Join us for lively discussions on seed production practices, breeding crops for sustainable food production, and seed business basics. We invite you to bring your passion for seed and join us to strengthen bonds across the California seed community.
Speakers: Jared Zystro (Organic Seed Alliance), Laura Roser (UC-Davis), Kia Ruiz (The Local Seeds Coalition), and Kalan Redwood (Redwood Seeds)
Facilitated by: Rhys Thornvald-Hansen (Parallax 49)
Location: Virtual
Date: Sat June 27 and Sun June 28
Time: 10 am – 1 pm Pacific both days
Event Contact: Jared Zystro jared@seedalliance.org
Agenda
Saturday, June 27
Opening and Introductions
10:00-10:30 AM PDT
Lightning Talks
10:30-11:45 AM PDT
In these 10-minute presentations, speakers provide succinct overviews of a wide range of seed-related topics. Topics include:
– Understanding Seed Yields with Jared Zystro (OSA)
– New Varieties and Future Plans for Organic Breeding with Laura Roser (UC Davis)
– Storytelling With Seeds: The Cultural Conversations on Our Seed Packets with Kia Ruiz (The Local Seeds Coalition)
– Growing Flower Seeds with Kalan Redwood (Redwood Seeds)
World Cafe
12:00 – 1:00 PM PDT
The World Cafe features breakout rooms on all lightning talk topics plus an open “networking room.”
Sunday, June 28
Facilitated discussions
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PDT
Through facilitated discussions, participants will be invited to share and learn about:
– Seed-related needs, challenges, and resources
– Seed-related goals and actions
Short breaks will be taken throughout the event, as needed.
The success of the Summit will come in part from what we bring to it. We encourage you to share topics, speaker suggestions, or presentation ideas in your registration form and to register early so the planning team can work with your suggestions.
- Information sharing sessions between seed producers, seed companies, breeders, seed stewards, and other stakeholders on topics such as equipment, collective business models, and cultural connections to seeds.
- Cooperative planning for shared needs.
- Networking between participants to help find opportunities for collaboration.
- Learn about organic seed production.
- And more! If you register to attend, please share your interests in the registration form
Sponsorship Opportunities
Would your company or organization be willing to donate $250 to support the Summit? Part of our mission is to make the event accessible to members of the seed community who may not have the financial means to travel to and attend a conference. To enable a wider range of participation, we are making registration available with a pay-what-you-can model. To support this model, we are seeking sponsors for the event. Sponsors will be thanked on our event web page, and other promotional materials going forward. Contact Jared Zystro at jared@seedalliance.org to become a sponsor.
Contact
If you have any questions or want more information, contact Jared Zystro at jared@seedalliance.org or 707-502-9984.
This event is supported by the following projects and granting organizations:
