Do you want to learn the fundamentals of breeding for organic production on your farm? Join the plant breeding team of the Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC) for a special two-day in-depth workshop focused on organic plant breeding and variety improvement this August. The workshop will be held Monday, August 5 from 9 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and August 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Chimacum, Washington. The course will include classroom and field-based instruction at OSA’s research farm and Nash’s Organic Produce, and recommended reading materials.
Prior basic seed saving knowledge is recommended. NOVIC is a national initiative to breed vegetable varieties for organic agricultural systems. Workshop instructors will include Dr. Jim Myers, Oregon State University; Dr. Bill Tracy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr Michael Mazourek, Cornell University; Sam McCullough, Nash’s Organic Produce; and OSA researchers Micaela Colley, Laurie McKenzie, and Katie Miller.
The NOVIC project is funded by an Organic Research and Extension Initiative grant, part of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Award number 2018-51300-28430.
Lodging options
There are several hotels and lodging options in Port Townsend, which is within 10 miles of the event locations. Here are a few:
- Fort Worden State Park (camping, dorm rooms, and house rentals)
- Fort Flagler Historical State Park
- Hadlock Motel
- Harborside Inn
- Airbnb (locations in Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Irondale, Marrowstone Island)
