“The time to revive the Seeds & Breeds Coalition is now. We need coordinated advocacy to secure public plant breeding in the next farm bill—and beyond.”
– Cathleen McCluskey (OSA)
Speakers:
“We can’t afford to treat germplasm as something we only pull out during a crisis. Let’s crowdsource data and connect farmers directly to characterization.”
– Nico Enjalbert (SeedLinked)
“Community involvement in genebanks helps root these collections in use—not just preservation.”
– Mike Bollinger (Seed Savers Exchange)
“The NPGS isn’t static—it’s dynamic, and your input helps shape how it’s resourced and accessed.”
– Sarah Dohle (USDA)
“Public trust and use of the NPGS depends on our ability to be open-source, inclusive, and equipped for climate adaptation.”
– Jim McFerson (National Genetic Resources Advisory Council)
Organic Seed Alliance gathered a powerful cross-section of leaders working at the intersection of policy, public research, and grassroots seed sovereignty. Speakers discussed the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS)—and why this living archive needs a surge of public investment, transparency, and community connection. Continue the conversation on the Organic Seed Commons Seed Policy Space!
RESOURCES SHARED ON THE CALL:
Nico Enjalbert (SeedLinked) Slides
Sarah Dohle (USDA) – Slides
Jim McFerson (National Genetic Resources Advisory Council) – Slides
Seed Savers Exchange Conference coming up August 8 & 9
OSA’s Policy Platform for Seed
Crowdsourced Characterization: A Scalable Model for Unlocking Genebank Potential
No implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill directed 10 year-long National Strategic Germplasm and Cultivar Collection Assessment and Utilization Plan released
USDA restructuring, closing of Beltsville announced July 24, 2025
ASTA letter to Secretary Rollins delivered March 18, 2025
NPGS strategic plan as mandated in 2018 Farm Bill
Report of the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council
America First Memorandum For USDA Arrangements And Research Security released July 8, 2025
The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board
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Have you or seed folks you work with been impacted by changes in the National Genetic Resources System? We are collecting these instances and stories to inform our advocacy work. Please reach out to Cathleen at cathleen@seedalliance.org if you’d like to share.
Suggest a topic or speaker for the next call.
@seedalliance #OrganicSeedAlliance
This program is supported by the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP).
