Resources

New Publication: Climatic Considerations and Risks for Seed Production in the Midwest

The capacity of growers in the Midwest region to produce seeds in the future will be impacted by their ability to adapt to extreme weather events, the spread of pests and diseases, as well as the gradual but significant effects of climate change. A new guide, http://seedalliance.org/publications/midwest_climatic_considerations/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">Climatic Considerations and Risks for Seed Production in the Midwest, published by members of the https://eorganic.info/collaborativebreeding. Click or tap if you trust this link.">Upper Midwest Collaborative Breeding Network with funding from NIFA OREI addresses:

  • Effects of climate on pollination, fertilization and seed formation
  • Strategies for managing environmental conditions
  • Crop selection for seed production.

Case studies of on-farm seed production and plant breeding across the region will exemplify five different representative environments. Finally, projections of future climate changes across the region are discussed, along with discussion of how those changes can impact seed production. Read and download the publication on the Organic Seed Alliance website at https://seedalliance.org/publications/midwest_climatic_considerations/. Click or tap if you trust this link.">https://seedalliance.org/publications/midwest_climatic_considerations/. Authors are Michael Lordon and Jared Zystro, Organic Seed Alliance; Julie Dawson, Rue Genger, Marissa Nix, University of Wisconsin Madison; Alice Formiga, eOrganic; Erica Kempter, Nature and Nurture Seeds; Keith Mueller, KC Tomato.

Seed and Potato Trial Results

Seed to Kitchen Collaborative Vegetable and Potato Trial Results: https://seedtokitchen.horticulture.wisc.edu/trial-results.html

Information for Collaborative Breeding Trial Participants

Information on Participatory Plant Breeding and Variety Trials

On Farm Variety Trials: Toolkit for Risk Management of Organic and Specialty Crop Producers. These resources can help you plan, conduct, and evaluate on farm variety trials. It is the result of a is the result of a partnership between the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), University Wisconsin-Madison, Oregon State Univeristy, eOrganic and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services (MOSES). Available at https://eorganic.org/node/24313

Participatory Plant Breeding Toolkit, Organic Seed Alliance. This toolkit includes a background on the theory and practice of PPB, case studies of successful projects, and worksheets to facilitate project planning and execution. Available at https://seedalliance.org/publications/participatory-plant-breeding-toolkit/

Network focuses on adapting vegetables to thrive in Upper Midwest, Organic Broadcaster article by Cathleen McCluskey of the Organic Seed Alliance. November-December, 2020. 

Webinar Series on Practical Training for On-farm and Collaborative Plant Breeding: We presented a series of six webinars in January and February 2023 on organic plant breeding for independent plant breeders, farmers interested in selection, regional seed companies and plant breeding students. The webinars were led by the Organic Seed Alliance, eOrganic and collaborators on a NIFA OREI funded project on collaborative plant breeding project in the Upper Midwest. Find the recordings, slides and additional resources below.

  • January 10, 2023: Goal Setting and Breeding Project Design. This webinar will explore the early stages of developing a breeding project, identifying the market need for certain traits, articulating clear goals, and designing the project to efficiently achieve the goals. We will cover how to set up organizational systems and use tools such as SeedLinked to streamline data collection. Participants will also learn how to connect with on-farm trial sites and partners.
    Presenters: Julie Dawson, University of Wisconsin Madison; Keith Mueller, KC Tomato; Erica Kempter, Nature & Nurture Seeds; Nico Enjalbert, SeedLinked; Jenn Cava, University of Wisconsin; Moderator: Michael Lordon, Organic Seed Allience.

Slides from the webinar

Additional Resources:

  • Organic Seed Alliance Plant Breeding Publications: https://seedalliance.org/all-publications/?fwp_publication_topic=plant-breeding
  • Organic Seed Commons: https://www.organicseedcommons.org/
  • Organic Plant Breeding Resource collection from NOVIC project: https://eorganic.info/node/7609
  • Plant Breeding for Organic Systems Article: https://eorganic.org/node/741
  • January 17, 2023: Selecting High-quality Breeding Material. This webinar will include how to vet and access breeding material from a variety of sources, and how to define criteria for selecting parents. Specific topics will include using the National Plant Germplasm System and international genebanks, accessing germplasm from other breeding programs, how to write and negotiate Material Transfer Agreements, and best practices for intellectual property protection. Presenters: Michael Mazourek, Cornell University, Emily Rose Haga, Julie Dawson, UW-Madison, Rue Genger, UW-Madison, Paulina Jenney, UMadison, Michael Lordon, Organic Seed Alliance.

Slides from the webinar

Additional resources

Slides from this webinar

Additional Resources from this webinar:

Slides from the webinar

Additional resources from the webinar:

  • February 7, 2023: Scaling up Seed Production. This webinar will include how to create an enterprise budget for seed production at different scales, including how to do a cost/benefit analysis for producing seed in-house and selling retail, selling wholesale to larger companies, or licensing a variety and letting a third party handle seed production. It will cover how much stock seed to produce for seed company partners to trial, how to maintain breeder and stock seed, how to contract seed production including example contract terms, how to find organic seed production partners and how to conduct quality control for seed produced under contract. Presenters: Tessa Peters, The Land Institute, Erica Kempter, Nature & Nurture Seeds Julie Dawson, UW-Madison, Michael Lordon, Organic Seed Alliance.

Slides from the webinar

Additional Resources

•Seed Economics Intensive Part 1: Inventory Management https://youtu.be/UAGhpdY2yos
•Seed Economics Intensive Part 4: Enterprise Budgets
•Organic Seed Production Webinar Part 6: Seed Contracting and Economics: https://youtu.be/XUD-m9N4M3Q
•Seed Contracting Webinar and Forum for Midwest Growers: https://youtu.be/8H8GYuUniyY
•Scaling Up Vegetable Seed Production with Steve Peters: https://youtu.be/_TOWOejTdSM
•https://www.organicseedcommons.org/ Organic Seed Commons
https://www.eorganic.info/collaborativebreeding Collaborative Breeding Network Website
  • February 14, 2023: Data Management and Analysis. Specific topics will be determined based on the interests of the Midwest regional seed network on the Organic Seed Commons. They will likely include tracking pedigrees, managing crossing blocks, early generation nursery data management, understanding genotype by environment interactions in multi-locational trials, and how to get the most out of the data analysis tools provided through SeedLinked, and resources for more advanced analysis. Presenters: Nico Enjalbert, Seedlinked;
    Keith Mueller, KC Tomatoes; Jared Zystro, Organic Seed Alliance; Ambar Carvallo, UW-Madison; Michael Lordon, Organic Seed Alliance.

Slides from the webinar coming soon

Additional Resources

 

Funding

This project was funded in 2014 by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative grant, part of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Grant number 2020-51300-32176.