We’re excited to announce that the next California Organic Seed Summit will be held November 15-17, 2024 in Mt. Baldy, California! Registration is open through the button below. We invite all California-based growers working with seed and seed advocates to join us.
As in previous editions, 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. The content will focus on California state.
What: California Organic Seed Summit
When: November 15-17, 2024
In person: Harwood Lodge, Mt. Baldy (Greater Los Angeles area)
Cost: Tiered pricing (see below for details)
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.
Presentations will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
Cost
Summit registration is tiered with a suggested ticket price of $75 per person. This includes food, lodging, and participation in the summit. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the summit location. Lodging includes shared sleeping accommodations on site for Friday and Saturday night, with triple decker bunk beds. Attendees should bring their own bedding (linens, pillows, blankets) as it is not provided. If you are well resourced and would like to support the attendance of another participant, we invite you to choose the $150 Supporter ticket level. And for those for whom a ticket fee presents a financial hardship, there is a free scholarship ticket option available.
Scholarship ticket tier: We kindly ask that you only register for the free ticket option if you are certain you will be able to attend the Seed Summit. Space is limited, so please be considerate of others who wish to participate. In previous years, we’ve had several no-shows who registered for free tickets, preventing others from being able to attend. By only claiming a free ticket if you are committed to coming, you’ll help ensure this event can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Schedule
The Summit begins Friday, November 15th at 4:30 pm and goes through to Sunday, November 17th in the afternoon. The schedule is still evolving, view it here. You can expect the following opportunities for learning and connection:
- 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 form
Sessions will cover topics like the cultural importance of seeds, seed businesses and cooperatives, as well as seed libraries and community seed banking. We’ll also have demos and hands-on activities like seed saving 101, a traditional foods cooking demo, and a seed art workshop (bring a t-shirt to print on!).
Meals
Home-cooked meals will be provided onsite. We will do our best to source organic ingredients and accommodate dietary restrictions. We also welcome any contributions of produce or other ingredients to the cooking pantry.
Contact
If you have any questions or want more information, contact Jared Zystro at jared@seedalliance.org or 707-502-9984.
Register
Carpooling
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.
Summit Planning Committee
Many thanks to the wonderful group of folks who are working with OSA to plan this event: Bianca Bonilla, Kalan Redwood, Lexie Wilson, Brayan Cruz, and Lena Ortega.
