For Breeders

Production systems of market farms differ widely in management strategies and environmental constraints, and this diversity makes decentralized trials and farmer participation critical to the relevance of breeding programs. The trials conducted in the Upper Midwest are important for breeders and companies based outside of this region, to ensure that the varieties in their catalogs respond to midwestern grower needs. At the same time, on-farm trials give midwestern growers an opportunity to give feedback directly to breeders who may not be based in the midwest.

Independent plant-breeders, farmer-breeders and some university breeders developing cultivars for organic systems may not have resources to thoroughly trial varieties in multiple regions. We hope the information generated by this the Seed to Kitchen Collaborative and the networking between smaller seed companies, independent plant breeders, university plant breeders and farmers increases the availability of varieties that meet the needs of market growers in this region.

Breeders and Seed companies contributing varieties

  • High Mowing Organic Seeds, Jodi Lew-Smith, Wolcott, VT
  • Adaptive Seeds, Andrew Still and Sara Kleger, Sweet Home, OR
  • AP Whaley Seeds, Aaron Whaley, Mount Horeb, WI
  • Commonwealth Growers, Edmund Frost, Culpepper, VA
  • Fruition Seeds, Petra Page-Mann and Mathew Goldfarb, Naples, NY
  • Hudson Valley Seed Company, Ken Greene, Accord, NY
  • Johnny's Selected Seeds, Emily Haga, Lindsay Wyatt, John Navazio, Winslow, ME
  • FedCo Seeds, Heron Breen, Clinton, ME
  • Prairie Road Organic Seeds, Dan and Theresa Podoll, Fullerton, ND
  • Wild Garden Seeds, Frank Morton, Philomath, OR
  • Nature and Nurture Seeds, Erica Kempter, Mike Levine, Dexter, MI
  • KC Tomatoes, Keith Muller, Kansas City, MO
  • Siskiyou Seeds, Don Tipping, Williams, OR
  • Ball/Pan American, several breeders, West Chicago, IL
  • Bejo Seeds, several breeders, Geneva, NY (headquartered in the Netherlands)
  • Vitalis Organic Seeds North American division, several breeders, (headquartered in the Netherlands)
  • Cornell University, Michael Mazourek, Martha Mutchler
  • Oregon State University, James Myers
  • Organic Seed Alliance, Laurie McKenzie, Micaela Colley, Jared Zystro
  • Seed Savers Exchange, Phil Kauth
  • Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Ira Wallace
  • University of Florida, Harry Klee
  • USDA-ARS, Philipp Simon (WI), Yiqun Weng (WI)
  • UW Madison, Irwin Goldman, James Nienhuis, William Tracy, Jeffrey Endelman