November 2021 - 12

SEED SHOWCASE
SEED
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
" There's definitely a need to screen
and trial many varieties to see what
types of resistance are out there, or are
already available in the varieties that are
commercially available, " Healy said. " And
then to consider, 'Would it make sense do
a breeding project to develop a new variety
that meets the disease resistance needs
as well as commercial market needs of
growers in the region?' "
On the farm
The growers who hosted the event
shared their experiences in saving seeds for
tomatoes, squash and cucumbers, and kale
and collard greens.
Greg and Mary Reynolds run Riverbend
Farm, an organic vegetable operation that
provides produce to restaurants, schools,
and food co-ops, and through community
supported agriculture subscriptions. Healy
called them pioneers of the organic farm-totable
movement in the Twin Cities area.
" (Greg is) an example of a farmer who
was a pretty dedicated market grower, so
he was mostly focused on produce, but he
got interested in seeds because he couldn't
find the traits that he needed in seed
catalogs, " Reynolds said. " And he found
that he had better luck saving seeds from
Presentations at the field day included seed cleaning using winnowing machines and also a series of sieves.
his farm and adapting seeds particularly to
his environment. "
While tomatoes were open-pollinated,
cucumbers and the leafy greens were
intentionally crossed. Offspring were
selected, in part, for early production. He
discovered many customers weren't as
interested in the consistency of the crop
as supposed.
" He's found that, especially for his
restaurant clients, they're more interested
in seeing a diverse crop of his cucumbers
than when the fruits are all the same, "
Healy said.
Tips and techniques
The event also discussed seed-cleaning
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processes to separate plant material, or
chaff, from the final product. Healy said
these processes are separate from any
attempts to sanitize the seed. Also, wet
seed-cleaning processes for crops such
as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are
distinct from dry processes such as corn,
where the dried material can be crushed
and afterward separated.
Clint Freund, proprietor of Cultivating
the Commons in Fort Atkinson,
Wisconsin, demonstrated a system of two
shallow boxes that fit within each other
and separated round seeds from the chaff
by weight. Winnowing machines that
organize airflow into a consistent stream
for blowing chaff out of the seeds, were
also discussed.
" You can tell, working with seeds, that
this is something people have been doing
for thousands of years because there are
some really beautiful, elegant, simple
ways of doing it by hand, and simple
technologies for doing it by hand, " she
said. " And as you scale up, and as you don't
necessarily have the time or the labor to
do a whole lot of seed cleaning by hand,
there's some beautiful equipment that
some people have invented to help with the
process. "
Expert advice
Field day participants learned from a
variety of other seed experts, including
Koby Jeshkeit-Hagen of Seed Sages
and Julie Dawson of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, about how to make
selections to improve or maintain crop
varieties.
Mike Levine of Michigan's Nature and
Nurture Seeds also spoke, encouraging
growers to consider producing organic
seed commercially for regional seed
companies.
" So, for farmers who may be focused
on market crops but who are interested
in diversifying their income, regional
seed companies are really great places to
start looking for small seed contracts for
trying your hand, " Healy said. " Regional
seed companies are really a great way to
start out. "
The organic seed market remains
complex. Commercial, certified-organic
growers may use untreated, non-organic
seeds when organic seeds aren't available
in the quality, quantity or form needed - a
federal policy that's controversial in the
industry.
Meanwhile, organic seeds have enjoyed
a surge in demand among home growers
and farm hobbyists.
" Everyone is still recovering from the
rush on seeds that happened during the
pandemic, and that continues to define
the garden seed market right now, " Healy
said. " So, a lot of these regional seed
companies were seeing huge boosts in sales
as all of these people were staying home
and needing something to do and also
were feeling fearful about supply, so many
seed companies, regional organic seed
companies, are looking for contract seed
growers. " VGN
Seed cleaning techniques need not be
high-tech, in order for growers to learn
the concept and make a start in seed
production.
Selecting vegetable seeds for desired traits
can result in varieties conditioned for
regional weather and soils.

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November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021