Seed Savers Exchange does their part for food security
Heather Thorstensen
Date Modified: 01/21/2010 9:12 AM
E-mail article | Print version
Agri News staff writer
DECORAH, Iowa -- Andrea Springmeier dedicated time Jan. 5 to evaluating week-old lettuce seedlings.
Springmeier, a collection technician for Seed Savers Exchange, was performing a laboratory germination test.
It was like looking at a drop of water out of the entire ocean. SSE's collection of rare seeds is so large that even the non-profit organization's leaders can't say exactly how big it is. The number is estimated to be more than 25,000 varieties. An inventory project is under way to determine how many there are.
It is the largest non-governmental seed bank of its kind in the United States. Their collection mostly comprises heirloom vegetable seeds.
What's exciting for gardeners is SSE wants to share their collection to protect their seeds' genetic diversity.
"Our mission is becoming more important every year," said George DeVault, SSE's executive director and president. "Our food system is built on a narrow genetic base ... The more diversity in our food crops, the safer we'll be (in terms of) food security."
They sell seeds to support their mission through an annual catalog. The 2010 edition is in the mailing process. Of the 600 varieties it lists for sale, 200 are certified organic. Twenty varieties are new to the catalog.
"We're trying to preserve them by making them more popular," said DeVault.
SSE sells about 1 million picture packets of seeds a year, plus larger orders. Besides vegetable seed, the catalog sells transplants, books, flower seed, fruit seed, herb seed, garlic and gifts.
The organization also wants to promote the distribution and sharing of seeds. For this, they've created the Seed Savers' Yearbook, a publication for its members. The 2010 edition lists more than 700 of its 12,000 members who save their own seeds and want to share them.
SSE maintains its seeds on an 890-acre farm near Decorah known as Heritage Farm. It's been called one of the most diverse farms in the world. Here, seeds are regenerated in preservation gardens or through laboratory germination tests. The tests are done to ensure seeds can produce plants with characteristics that stay true to their parent plants.
"It's to maintain the purity of seed," said John Torgrimson, SSE editor.
Varieties sold through the catalog are grown in trial gardens to make sure gardeners receive plants as advertised. The seeds SSE sells are produced on site or by growers around the country and the world.
"If we don't grow it, we have a grower grow it for us," said Torgrimson.
These growers use SSE seed stock and follow the organization's quality control standards.
Heritage Farm is also home to three seed storage vaults, staff offices and a seed house where orders are taken over the telephone, filled and shipped.
Approximately 15,000 people visit the farm each year. It's open to the public from April to December for tours of gardens, orchards and the visitors center. The center has informational exhibits and sells seeds, plants, books, tools and gifts.
Visitors can also use eight miles of hiking trails, see a different type of heirloom poultry each year and view the farm's herd of White Park cattle, an ancient and rare breed.
This year, the farm's event calendar includes a tomato tasting and salsa contest, heirloom apple grafting workshop, spring plant sale, annual conference and campout and a harvest festival.
To learn more, visit www.seedsavers.org.