There are over 4,000 certified organic farms in the Midwest, with Wisconsin ranking second in the country only behind California. Like organic farmers throughout the U.S., organic seed availability lags behind in serving vegetable and grain producers in the region.
With the right tools and trainings, Midwest farmers can help close this gap. Organic Seed Alliance is supporting organic farmers in the Midwest through:
- Educational events and farmer trainings
- Research projects
- Midwest seed summit (coming in 2019)
Most notably, our work in the region includes an on-farm variety trial toolkit to help organic and specialty crop producers manage risk. The toolkit includes:
- A new how-to guide available in our online resource library. The Grower’s Guide to Conducting On-Farm Variety Trials provides farmers in the midwest and beyond fundamental skills to conduct on-farm variety trials that reflect their particular goals and farming operations.
- Two-part webinar series that guides farmers through the tools needed to conduct their own on-farm variety trials. The new Variety Trial Tool that walks users through the steps to design a trial, create data sheets and maps, visualize trial results, share results with others, and see the results of other people’s trials.
- A workshop series throughout the region to train farmers how to conduct their own on-farm variety trials.
