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Cultivate Oregon
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Pages tagged "Seed Diversity"

Seeds to the People!

Posted on Blog by Laura Jean · May 28, 2020 8:59 PM

This pandemic has brought into even sharper focus the need for resilient local food and seed systems--and a run on seeds across the county. Cultivate Oregon is partnering with Rogue Seed Keepers to immediately get seeds (and some starts) into the hands of those that need them, especially connecting heirloom seed varieties like the Three Sisters (corns, beans, squash) with indigenous communities in Oregon, and potentially beyond.

However, we are also working to simply connect those in need with the seeds that we have available, which include many other seed varieties.

Cultivate Oregon and Rogue Seed Keepers have officially become a “seed hub” for the Cooperative Gardens Commission and we received our first shipment of seeds to share! We have additional seeds and starts from our connections with Oregon’s seed growing community. Thank you #coopgardens!

However, because of the timing of getting seeds dispersed into communities for *this* growing season, we are looking for emergency funding for Phase I of this work, which includes the purchase of additional small envelopes for seeds that are currently in bulk, larger envelopes for mailing, postage costs, and potentially small stipends for people packaging and transporting the seeds. Even small donations will help! Please donate right now if you can. 

If you're in Oregon and in need of seeds to grow food, or if you would like to volunteer for this project, please contact us here.

Phase II will be working on a seed germination project to determine the viability of large stores of seeds that also will be shared with communities in need. Please stay tuned for more information.


Experts Say Saving Seeds Is An Important Piece Of The Food Sovereignty Puzzle

Posted on News by Laura Jean · April 23, 2020 4:21 PM
Gardening is Important, But Seed Saving is Crucial
By Tove Danovich
Civil Eats | April 21st, 2020


The U.S. is in the midst of a gardening renaissance. As the coronavirus pandemic prompts big questions about the future of our food system, people everywhere are buying up seeds, pulling up lawns, building raised beds, and flocking to learn from Master Gardeners.

Most of these new and seasoned gardeners are making careful decisions about what type of plants they want to grow and how to organize the beds, but it’s also a good time to consider another, perhaps more important aspect of food sovereignty: what kind of seeds you’re planting and whether or not you’ll be able to save and share them next year.

To save seeds is to preserve food culture. Heirloom crops wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the gardeners who meticulously grew and saved seeds including the Brandywine tomato, Purple Top White Globe turnip, and many other varieties, passing them on to future generations.

In recent years, many Indigenous groups have also used seed saving as a way to preserve their cultures—as well as important crops like Cherokee White Eagle Corn, the Trail of Tears Bean, and Candy Roaster Squash for future generations.

Perhaps most important in this moment, saving (and sharing) seeds also makes sense economically. “People are having a hard time right now financially,” says Philip Kauth, director of preservation for Seed Savers Exchange. But saving seeds is free and many seed libraries, seed exchanges, and other groups offer packets of seeds at prices that are lower than those offered by retail seed companies. “There are so many economical aspects to it. You don’t have to buy seeds every year and you don’t have to buy produce, depending on the time of the year.”

Read Full Article >>

Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash

Panic Buying Comes for the Seeds

Posted on News by Laura Jean · April 03, 2020 9:01 PM
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a run on vegetable seeds across the nation, which brings into sharp relief the need for resilient local food and seed systems. Cultivate Oregon and its coalition partners have been advocating for protections for the vegetable specialty seed industry so Oregon can ensure a climate-adaptive seed system that improves regional food security. We are also participating in the national Cooperative Gardens Commission #CoopGardens to distribute seeds to people in need.

This eye-opening and informative story from the New York Times, Panic Buying Comes for the Seeds, is a must-read! Hear from our local Victory Seed Company on what they're experiencing during these challenging times and why it's so important to protect our seeds.

Panic Buying Comes for the Seeds
by Kendra Pierre-Louis
The New York Times | March 28th, 2020

I knew firsthand how calming gardening can be, especially when you’re not dependent on the food for your immediate survival. Time slows down a little, thoughts meander, and a feeling of flow can arrive, even when the land you’re cultivating is a tiny patch in earshot of a bus stop.

But as I searched for seeds to grow beautifully swirled red and white Chioggia beets, fiery peppers and enough basil to start my own pesto company, website after website warned that my vegetative dreams may be delayed.

"It feels like we are selling toilet paper," Mike Dunton, the founder of The Victory Seed Company, a small seed company focused on horticultural biodiversity told me via email. (He was too busy filling orders to come to the phone.)

I’d been searching his company’s website for glass gem corn, a popping corn that originated with Carl Barnes, who was a part-Cherokee farmer in Oklahoma. In recent years, the corn has become internet famous because of its kaleidoscopic jewel-like appearance. My pandemic prep included buying four pounds of standard yellow popping corn; glass gem corn felt like a way of stepping up my game.

But the website cautioned that all buyers were agreeing to abide by “pandemic ordering terms,” and warned that the current shipping backlog was 18 to 24 days.

Clearly, I was not the only person who felt that the best path through the pandemic was to panic-buy a bunch of seeds."

....

Noah Schlager, the conservation program manager of a nonprofit seed seller called Native Seeds/SEARCH, said: “I was talking with a colleague who was saying that a lot of elders lived through the Great Depression, and they remember times like this."

“They’ve been saying, ‘This is the time to be saving these seeds and making sure that we can feed ourselves,’” he added.

The mission of Native Seed Search, a nonprofit, is to promote and conserve the crop biodiversity of the arid American southwest. (Native Seed Search is responsible for bringing attention to glass gem corn.) The company sells seeds to the public, “but our priority is seeds for Indigenous communities,” Mr. Schlager said, pointing out that the Navajo Nation is already suffering because of the new coronavirus.

“They’re oftentimes the last place where real aid, or FEMA support, or anything really gets handed out to people,” he said."

Read Full Article >>


Protect Oregon seeds and farmers - Limit Canola acreage in the Willamette Valley

Posted by Laura Jean · May 23, 2019 4:51 PM

The 500 acre cap on canola production in the Willamette Valley sunsets July 1. Additional canola acreage could have disastrous effects on Oregon’s specialty seed industry through increased pest and disease pressures, as well as genetically engineered (GE) and other cross contamination.

Cultivate Oregon is actively working to protect Oregon’s farmers and seeds by lobbying in support of SB 885, the bill to maintain the 500 acre canola cap, as well as requesting that ODA strengthen the agency’s proposed canola rules, which do not offer enough protections against GE and other contamination. 

Cultivate Oregon is looking for members of the seed community to come to Salem on May 29 to speak to why allowing more canola into the Willamette Valley is a bad idea. Funds are available to cover reasonable travel costs. If you or someone you know would be willing and able to come to Salem, please contact us.

Last day to offer public comment on the proposed rule changes: June 21, 2019 at 5:00 pm.


Read ODA’s proposed rules. 

TAKE ACTION! Review Friends of Family Farmers excellent template for submitting testimony and/or talking points if you can testify in person.

 


WHY PROTECTING THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY FROM CANOLA AND GE SEED IS SO IMPORTANT

Oregon is one of the top five specialty seed growing regions in the world. This unique heritage should be protected and expanded. Unfortunately, the potential introduction of thousands of acres of canola could threaten this legacy, as can further genetically engineered (GE) contamination. Other seed growing regions that have allowed extensive canola cultivation have experienced reductions in the varieties of specialty seed crops that they can grow, as well increased cross contamination issues. For example, radish seed can no longer be grown in Europe—only Oregon and New Zealand

Large-scale canola cultivation poses unique threats to the specialty seed industry in Oregon for several reasons:
 
  • Specialty seed needs robust purity—canola for oil does not, thus putting a greater burden on the specialty seed grower to fence out canola contamination.

  • Increased pest and disease pressures (and while this is true of any brassicaceae crop, the risks rise with increased acreage. Specialty seed acreage is arguably less than what is desired by commercial canola production and doesn’t pose as intense a threat.)

  • Strong volunteerism - it is difficult to control volunteer canola plants, which can spread easily.

  • Seed banking - canola seed can remain in fields for several years, even after the canola has been harvested.

  • Various cross pollination concerns--seed purity and GE.

  • It is becoming increasingly difficult to find “clean” GE-free canola seed. For example, in February of 2019 farmers in France and Germany had to rip out thousands of acres of canola fields because the sowed seed was sold as non-GE but was determined to be contaminated with GE-varieties as well.

  • There is a growing need for organic, non-GMO seed. Oregon has the potential to contribute to this, as long as the right protections in place.

  • The U.S. organic seed market for crops was worth more than $460 million in 2015 and is predicted to reach $5.4 billion by the year 2024. However, the supply for organic seed is insufficient. Ensuring protections for organic seed growers could be a major economic opportunity for Oregon. Organic seed can yield between $10K and $50K an acre; GE seed only $1000 an acre. Canola, at best, yields $1500 an acre.

  • Organic seed grower Frank Morton submitted this excellent testimony to Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and it offer a deep dive into why large scale canola production should be kept out of the Willamette Valley.
     
  • Limiting the threat of GE contamination through maintaining a cap on canola acreage is also important to seed growers in other parts of Oregon, like the Rogue Valley. Many farmers in southern Oregon source seeds from the Willamette Valley. Further, GE contamination could drift from northern to southern Oregon, endangering seed growers in the south.

Protect Oregon seeds and farmers - Limit Canola acreage in the Willamette Valley

Posted on Blog by Laura Jean · May 23, 2019 2:53 PM

The 500 acre cap on canola production in the Willamette Valley sunsets July 1. Additional canola acreage could have disastrous effects on Oregon’s specialty seed industry through increased pest and disease pressures, as well as genetically engineered (GE) and other cross contamination.

Cultivate Oregon is actively working to protect Oregon’s farmers and seeds by lobbying in support of SB 885, the bill to maintain the 500 acre canola cap, as well as requesting that ODA strengthen the agency’s proposed canola rules, which do not offer enough protections against GE and other contamination. 

Cultivate Oregon is looking for members of the seed community to come to Salem next week to speak to why allowing more canola into the Willamette Valley is a bad idea. Funds are available to cover reasonable travel costs. If you or someone you know would be willing and able to come to Salem, please contact us. 

Read ODA’s proposed rules. 

TAKE ACTION! Review Friends of Family Farmers excellent template for submitting testimony and/or talking points if you can testify in person.

 


WHY PROTECTING THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY FROM CANOLA AND GE SEED IS SO IMPORTANT

Oregon is one of the top five specialty seed growing regions in the world. This unique heritage should be protected and expanded. Unfortunately, the potential introduction of thousands of acres of canola could threaten this legacy, as can further genetically engineered (GE) contamination. Other seed growing regions that have allowed extensive canola cultivation have experienced reductions in the varieties of specialty seed crops that they can grow, as well increased cross contamination issues. For example, radish seed can no longer be grown in Europe—only Oregon and New Zealand

Large-scale canola cultivation poses unique threats to the specialty seed industry in Oregon for several reasons:
 
  • Specialty seed needs robust purity—canola for oil does not, thus putting a greater burden on the specialty seed grower to fence out canola contamination.

  • Increased pest and disease pressures (and while this is true of any brassicaceae crop, the risks rise with increased acreage. Specialty seed acreage is arguably less than what is desired by commercial canola production and doesn’t pose as intense a threat.)

  • Strong volunteerism - it is difficult to control volunteer canola plants, which can spread easily.

  • Seed banking - canola seed can remain in fields for several years, even after the canola has been harvested.

  • Various cross pollination concerns--seed purity and GE.

  • It is becoming increasingly difficult to find “clean” GE-free canola seed. For example, in February of 2019 farmers in France and Germany had to rip out thousands of acres of canola fields because the sowed seed was sold as non-GE but was determined to be contaminated with GE-varieties as well.

  • There is a growing need for organic, non-GMO seed. Oregon has the potential to contribute to this, as long as the right protections in place.

  • The U.S. organic seed market for crops was worth more than $460 million in 2015 and is predicted to reach $5.4 billion by the year 2024. However, the supply for organic seed is insufficient. Ensuring protections for organic seed growers could be a major economic opportunity for Oregon. Organic seed can yield between $10K and $50K an acre; GE seed only $1000 an acre. Canola, at best, yields $1500 an acre.

  • Organic seed grower Frank Morton submitted this excellent testimony to Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and it offer a deep dive into why large scale canola production should be kept out of the Willamette Valley.
     
  • Limiting the threat of GE contamination through maintaining a cap on canola acreage is also important to seed growers in other parts of Oregon, like the Rogue Valley. Many farmers in southern Oregon source seeds from the Willamette Valley. Further, GE contamination could drift from northern to southern Oregon, endangering seed growers in the south.

Another Bite of the Sandwich: HB 2882 Legislative Update

Posted on Blog by Laura Jean · May 20, 2019 7:28 PM
As a farmer who supports our legislative work says, you have to take one bite of the sandwich at a time. We're happy to say that we took a lot of bites of the sandwich this legislative session—and it isn’t over yet—but we haven’t quite finished the sandwich.

 

Cultivate Oregon and coalition partners put forth identical bills in the House and the Senate that would create patent holder or manufacturer liability for GE contamination events in Oregon. Unfortunately, it is simply not politically feasible to pass a bill that puts liability on patent holders or manufacturers—yet! Salem is a conservative place where business interests are fiercely protected, even by many liberals, and we have to work with legislators and take incremental steps if we want to make progress.
 
However, our issue got the attention of the democratic leadership and they agreed to help, but in order to move the bill forward, the original intent was amended to grant ODA the authority to regulate GE crops in Oregon—still a positive step forward since ODA has long claimed that the agency does not have this authority.
 
Getting an amendment drafted can be a straightforward process but the intent must stay true to the bill’s “relating clause.” All bills are assigned a “relating clause,” which is a summation of what issue the bill relates to. Oregon has a single subject rule, meaning that bills can only relate to a single issue.
 
The relating clause on the GE Liability bills is “Relating to liability for contamination by genetically engineered organisms.” Our legislative champions asked Legislative Counsel (LC) to draft an amendment to accomplish the new intent, but it was eventually determined that there wasn’t a feasible way to amend the bill to grant ODA the authority to regulate GE and stay true to the relating clause.
 
That said, our champions in the House and Senate had already promised to convene an official Work Group in the interim to continue working on GE issues, and we absolutely will be seeing this through.
 
We made several other strides forward too and are in a far better position to get work done in the future. We also were invited to join the Organic Stakeholder group that meets with ODA regularly, so the issues we care about will be better represented in Salem year round.
 
Some of the other accomplishments include:
  • A new coalition member – Oregon Organic Coalition
  • More sign-ons to the bills
  • Support from the Speaker of the House
  • Being assigned a legislative champion
  • Surviving deadlines and having a hearing scheduled
  • Having two legislators testify in support of our bill – a big thank you to Sen. Golden and Rep. Wilde
  • An article in the Statesmen Journal and another story is in the works for a media outlet with national reach
  • We have moved from being on the defense to being on the offense for GE issues
  • A better understanding of how things work in Salem

As for next steps, we are still tracking SB 885, which would maintain the 500-acre limit on canola production in the Willamette Valley, as well as ODA’s proposed canola rules. Canola presents threats to specialty seeds through increased pest and disease pressures, as well as GE and other cross contamination concerns that could spread from the Willamette Valley to the Rogue Valley.
 
There is a public hearing about the proposed canola rules on May 29th from 4 to 7pm at ODA in Salem and we are looking for members of the seed community to attend and have the resources to make this happen! Please message us or text or call Amy at (805) 455 4200. Comments on the rules are also being accepted until June 21st at 5pm. Please contact us if you can participate in either of these important actions and we will coordinate this.  
 
We’re making strides and won’t stop until we finish the whole sandwich. 🥪

HB 2882 Update

Posted on Blog by Laura Jean · May 11, 2019 4:28 PM

Update on HB 2882: First off, a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who showed up and submitted testimony for the GE Liability Bill last Wednesday. It is appreciated and is helping to keep up the momentum on this bill.

And HB 2882 is still alive. However, in order to maintain forward momentum, the bill’s original intent was amended. It is simply not politically feasible to create patent holder or manufacturer liability for genetically engineered (GE) contamination events. Yet. The new intent of HB 2882 is to grant ODA the authority to regulate GE crops in Oregon. This is a positive step forward, as ODA has long claimed that the agency does not have this authority. While many may be disappointed that a bigger step is not being taken, HB 2882 is farther along in the legislative process than ever before.

The GE industry still has incredible political power and it should be considered a win that an incremental step is being made. However, we’re not across the finish line yet. The hearing for HB 2882 will resume on Monday May 13th at 3pm in Hearing Room C. It is our hope that a work session will follow and the bill will be voted out of committee.

Please stay tuned for updates, which hopefully will include doing outreach to the next committee where HB 2882 lands. And you can still submit testimony up until 3pm tomorrow.

 


Hearing Scheduled for HB 2882!

Posted on Blog by Laura Jean · May 04, 2019 10:53 PM

Farmers, seed savers and those who care about the future of Oregon’s seed stocks, take note! HB 2882, the GE Liability Bill is moving forward thanks to the work of all of our coalition partners, especially Our Family Farms. There is a hearing and possible work session scheduled for this Wednesday, May 8th at 3pm in Hearing Room C before the House Rules Committee.

Having a hearing and a work session is a big step forward and we need to keep up the momentum by having the public testify or submit testimony.

If you can come testify THIS WEDNESDAY, please contact our Policy Director, Amy Wong at [email protected] or (805) 455 4200. We have a small travel fund to bring farmers to Salem but we will need to coordinate quickly. Amy can also help you create personalized testimony if you like. In-person testimony is powerful and moving.

If you can’t testify in person, please consider submitting written testimony. We have provided a template and instructions on how to submit on our website. Please also send a message to your Representative and Senator to tell them that you support HB 2882. Find who represents you here.

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HB 2882, the GE Liability Bill, survived the first deadline and is being moved to the Rules Committee!

Posted on Blog by Amy Wong · April 02, 2019 7:44 PM

Update on GE Liability Bill: HB 2882 has been scheduled for a Work Session at 1pm on April 3rd. This alone is a big win because the legislature is overwhelmed with thousands of bills and many pieces of legislation don’t make it though, regardless of their underlying merits. The Speaker of the House helped ensure the forward movement of the bill and we are appreciative of her support.

What will happen at the work session? This work session is different from a public hearing in that no testimony will be taken, although the public may attend if they like. The purpose of this work session is to simply move the bill from the Judiciary Committee to the Rules Committee where it will (hopefully) get a full hearing. That's where you come in!

What you can do: Please do make sure you've filled out our support form and let us know if you can be available to write testimony or testify in person once a hearing does get scheduled.

What this bill does: HB 2882 will create liability for patent holders or licensed manufacturers of genetically engineered products that cause GE contamination events in Oregon. The bill will not pit farmer against farmer. The parties that will be held responsible are the corporations behind genetic engineering, not the farmers who use them since in some instances, contamination is out of the hands of the farmer who planted the GE seed. GE contamination, and the threat of contamination, has cost farmers--including Oregon farmers--billions of dollars. 

What happened to SB 434? We introduced identical GE Liability bills in both the House and Senate—a slightly amended version of the bill that was introduced in 2017. We got off to a great start in terms of getting the bills drafted early and into committees in both chambers where they would have a chance. Because GE issues are incredibly contentious in Salem, some committees would be hostile to the bills and not take steps to move them forward.

We were repeatedly re-assured from our Chief Senate sponsor, Sen. Frederick, that the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Prozanski, would be scheduling a hearing. Sen. Prozanski even signed onto the bill and has long been a supporter of GE issues! However, last week Sen. Prozanski changed his mind because he is concerned that the bill could create negative, unintended legal consequences.

While it is disappointing that the Senate version is not moving forward, we still have the House version, and Sen. Prozanski committed to holding an Informational Hearing followed by a Work Group in the Senate because he does see the need to “draw a line in the sand” with GE issues but wants to make sure that he does so in a way that he is comfortable with. Our Chief Sponsor has gotten pieces of legislation out of Work Groups before, so ultimately, this is a step in the right direction. Sen. Prozanski said that he would schedule this hearing in late April or May so stay tuned.

It often takes multiple tries to get legislation passed, so while some of you may be feeling disappointed, we are still on a good track! We also found new Republican allies—Rep. Findley signed on and Rep. Stark is also supportive of the House version. We also are working with a new coalition partner, Oregon Organic Coalition, and through this relationship, we will be attending quarterly meetings at Oregon Department of Agriculture. These are really great developments.

What About Canola?
SB 885, which will address the sunset on the current limit of 500 acres of canola grown in the Willamette Valley, also has a work session scheduled on April 4th and we will know more after that time.


Why Protecting the Willamette Valley from Canola and GE Seed Is so Important

Posted on Blog by Amy Wong · March 07, 2019 7:48 PM
Oregon is one of the top five specialty seed growing regions in the world. This unique heritage should be protected and expanded. Unfortunately, the potential introduction of thousands of acres of canola could threaten this legacy, as can further genetically engineered (GE) contamination. Other seed growing regions that have allowed extensive canola cultivation have experienced reductions in the varieties of specialty seed crops that they can grow, as well increased cross contamination issues. For example, radish seed can no longer be grown in Europe—only Oregon and New Zealand.

Large-scale canola cultivation poses unique threats to the specialty seed industry in Oregon for several reasons:
 
  • Specialty seed needs robust purity—canola for oil does not, thus putting a greater burden on the specialty seed grower to fence out canola contamination.

  • Increased pest and disease pressures (and while this is true of any brassicaceae crop, the risks rise with increased acreage. Specialty seed acreage is arguably less than what is desired by commercial canola production and doesn’t pose as intense a threat.)

  • Strong volunteerism - it is difficult to control volunteer canola plants, which can spread easily.

  • Seed banking - canola seed can remain in fields for several years, even after the canola has been harvested.

  • Various cross pollination concerns--seed purity and GE.

  • It is becoming increasingly difficult to find “clean” GE-free canola seed. For example, last month farmers in France and Germany had to rip out thousands of acres of canola fields because the sowed seed was sold as non-GE but was determined to be contaminated with GE-varieties as well.

  • There is a growing need for organic, non-GMO seed. Oregon has the potential to contribute to this, as long as the right protections in place.

  • The U.S. organic seed market for crops was worth more than $460 million in 2015 and is predicted to reach $5.4 billion by the year 2024. However, the supply for organic seed is insufficient. Ensuring protections for organic seed growers could be a major economic opportunity for Oregon. Organic seed can yield between $10K and $50K an acre; GE seed only $1000 an acre. Canola, at best, yields $1500 an acre.

  • Organic seed grower Frank Morton submitted this excellent testimony to Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and it offer a deep dive into why large scale canola production should be kept out of the Willamette Valley.
 

Learn more about SB 434 and HB 2882, and how you can support these bills.


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