Port Townsend, Washington
November 28, 2007
Source:
Organic Seed Alliance
Organic agriculture continues to
reinvigorate family farms and rural communities. The organic
movement grows in value each season, not only in its twenty
billion dollar economy, but also in the growth of awareness
regarding the ecological and social complexity of our food
systems. Farmer innovation, quality research, education, and
entrepreneurship have lent fertility to the health of organics,
and organic seed is an essential element in the ongoing
momentum. As farmers, the seed industry, and university
researchers continue to invest their energies in the development
of organic seed systems, better plant varieties and higher
quality seed are emerging. For those interested in learning more
about the opportunities and challenges in organic seed, the
Organic Seed Alliance 5th Biennial Organic Seed Growers
Conference is an event not to be missed.
The conference will take place in
at the Salem Conference Center in Salem, Oregon on February
14-15, 2008.
This year Organic Seed Alliance
(OSA) is proud to work with conference partners at Washington
State University, Oregon State University, and the Organic
Material Review Institute. While the conference has had its home
in the Pacific Northwest since its inception in 2000, it has
grown from a small regional conference to become the preeminent
national conference on organic seed. Farmers, university
researchers and students, seed industry professionals and
sustainable food system advocates from throughout the United
States as well as Europe and Latin America will be participating
and presenting.
The conference blends technical sessions on seed production,
breeding, and disease issues along with farmer-fostered sessions
sharing experience from the field. Vendor and nonprofit
information booths, social networking sessions, and a seed
resource room managed by Oregon State University's Alex Stone
further add to the event. In 2008 the conference will bring in
Edith Lammerts van Bueren from the European Ecological Plant
Breeders Consortium, Carlo Leifert from the European Union
Quality Low Input Food Project, Kevin Murphy and Steve Jones
from WSU's organic and perennial wheat program, Joel Reiten
(formerly of Bejo Seed) and Nick Andrews (OSU) on soil nutrition
and seed production, John Navazio of OSA breeding resilient
varieties for organics, Rich Pecoraro on his twenty years as a
seed farmer, Brian Andersen on his transition from conventional
seed production to organic, and a host of other sessions
covering topics on potato, covercrop, grain and vegetable seed.
Farmer Fred Brossy from the Magic Valley of Idaho has attended
two of the last four conferences and says, “Doesn't matter if
you've never produced seed before or you're a veteran at it,
doesn't matter if you're just starting to do it organically or
have always done it that way, the conference has good
information for everyone. And the out-of-session conversations,
in the lobby and at meals, are some of the best business
networking you can do.”
The day prior to the conference, February 13th, there will be a
one-day intensive short course on the Fundamentals of Organic
Seed Production with two focus tracks: one for conventional seed
producers transitioning fields to organics, and the other for
organic farmers with little seed experience who are interested
in moving into seed production.
Vendor-exhibitor booths are available, and the conference is
seeking corporate and non-profit sponsorships. These
sponsorships help provide farmer scholarships and underwrite
presenters' travel and accommodation expenses. To become a
sponsor, vendor, or find out more about the conference and the
other educational and research projects of Organic Seed
Alliance, please visit
www.seedalliance.org or call (360) 385-7192. |
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