Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance Newsletter

 

eNewsletter for August 31, 2020

Get Involved with RMSA   Seed School Seed Stewards Heritage Grain Trials Grown with Local Seeds Million Seed Savers

THE TRISKELION HEART OF ANCIENT GRAINS Youtube.com - Share Sin et pheel • Sonoran white • Khorasan • Iraqi durham • Marqui • EBT emmer From Heritage Grain Trialist and Seed School For Farmers facilitator, Evan Sofro: "The triple spiral that we created this year was a way to bring more depth and beauty to the RMSA foundation seed increases at The River Farm. As a work of Regenerative Earth Art, this garden promotes soil fertility and tilth, increases on site diversity, generates abundant nectar for pollinators, generates abundant flower seeds, and produces healthy foundation seed lots of six grains in the RMSA Heritage seed program. Five wheats and an emmer were seeded with love in the 12 beds surrounding the spiraling triangle. The Triskelion itself is planted to Amaranths, Zinnias, Celosias, Marigold, Strawflowers, Phacelia, Poppies, Tithonias, and Asters, although most have not bloomed at the time the video was taken." Read more about the Triskelion here. Seeded by: Evan Sofro and Saralila Kalafat Music by Olivia Blu, "Moons in Aquarius"

SEED SAVING FOR FARMERS (and GARDENERS TOO!) RockyMountainSeeds.org - Share For 10 weeks, dive deep into seed saving in our online, immersive course. Learn the fundamentals of saving seeds to empower you to continue the regenerating cycle of growing food from seeds, starting a seed business of locally adapted seeds, and all the practical skills and policies around seed saving endeavors.  More info on the course found here. Students and mentors will join together live through Zoom from 12-2pm MT on Wednesdays, beginning September 16th and ending November 18th. Recordings will also be offered to those who can’t make the course in real time. Best of all, we’re offering mentorship groups with experienced farmers operating their own seed companies who can help students navigate the ins and outs of the trade. Guest presenters for this dynamic course include: Don Tipping, Siskiyou Seeds Casey O’Leary, Snake River Seed Coop Steve Peters, Seed Revolution Now Chrissie Orr, Seed Broadcast Evan Sofro, Onsen Farm Jill Bishop, Urban Tomato Dr. Brad Tonnessen, Extension Plant Services, New Mexico State University

SEED STEWARDS FEATURE -- TIANA BACA RockyMountainSeeds.org - Share This month we are delighted to feature Tiana Baca for the amazing work and contributions she has made to her community through seed saving. Read about Tiana, the amazing Seed Steward, here.  For her, saving seed has been both an important part of simply accessing regionally adapted seed as well as moving beyond a system which commodifies what is sacred. We appreciate you, Tiana! Learn more about her work at TierraLunaSeeds.com.  For more info on the Seed Stewards program and how to join, check out the page here: rockymountainseeds.org/about-seed-stewards

FOODTANK’S LIST OF 27 ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO CONSERVE SEED BIODIVERSITY FoodTank.com - Share We’re honored to make FoodTank's annual list of international seed protectors. Read about all the amazing organizations working toward global seed diversity via seed banks, exchange networks, and educational programs here. This is what they had to say about the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance: The Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA) is a nonprofit organization working to create a network of seed growers, distributors, and educators in the Rocky Mountain West region of the United States. Founded in 2014, RMSA emphasizes sharing of seed saving knowledge to preserve and promote the use of regionally adapted crops, herbs, wildflowers, and native grass seeds. -- Food Tank

COVID-19 RISKS TO GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY ScienceMag.org - Share Seed savers are fortunately able to maintain a sense of calm when faced with dire warnings about food security and shortages, specially tied to this years’ pandemic. However, there are still many threats from the COVID-19 fallout that people must be prepared for, which Science Magazine delves into here.   Consider signing up for a seed course today or check our directory to find a local seed company near you.

GLOBAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON CROP DIVERSITY SurveyMonkey.com - Share Help share your knowledge by participating in a short questionnaire on the global management of crop genetic diversity and on local initiatives for seed security and diversity. Deadline to submit is September 15th. Access the survey: surveymonkey.com/r/DIVERSIFARM

A MAJOR WIN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GMO GIANTS AND TOXIC PESTICIDES CenterForFoodSafety.org - Share Finally! The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has declared Bayer/Monsanto’s dicamba pesticide illegal -- this is a landmark victory in combating GMOs and pesticides. After four years in litigation, the EPA has determined the use of dicamba to be “irresponsible and unlawful”, placing thousands of farmers and animals at risk.  A big congratulations to our dear friend, Andrew Kimbrell, and his team for their work in court on this case. Read the full article from the Center for Food Safety, here. Read the entire ruling, here.

EFN: EXPERIMENTAL FARM NETWORK ExperiementalFarmNetwork.org - Share Help drive innovation in plant breeding by buying your seeds from USA-grown, non-GMO, and chemical-free seed companies who uphold your values. We would like to highlight our Pennsylvania friends at Experimental Farm Network (EFN) where they support non-profit work facilitating collaborative research & plant breeding to help build a better agricultural system & fight climate change. Check out the diverse and unique seed catalog here.

CAN A LIVING ORGANISM BE CLAIMED AS HUMAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY? TheMedium.com - Share How the past several decades have transformed the agriculture industry, shifting power from farmers to four major agrochemical firms. -- Abbey of The Medium This foreboding article details an unease regarding how our culture shifted from freely sharing seeds and enjoying variations--controlled or wild--to a world where six corporations maintain control over 60% of the world’s seed (and food) supply. Read the full article here.

THE SOBERING DETAILS BEHIND THE LATEST SEED MONOPOLY CHART CivilEats.com - Share Photo by Phil Howard, Michigan State University Many people are concerned with where their food comes from, but at times forget to consider the source for those seeds. As of 2020, 60% of our global seed sources are under the control of just six companies. This is frightening. Historically, the consolidation of seed companies lessens innovation and creativity, minimizes biodiversity, decreases food resilience, and greatly impacts the farmers supplying our food. Read the full article here.

THE GREAT AMERICAN SEED UP GOES ONLINE! GreatAmericanSeedUp.org - Share The Urban Farm, GrowPHX, Seed Save, and The Microfarm Project come together annually to put on the Great American Seed Up, a Phoenix, AZ seed bazaar. This year, the collaborators are still committed to providing adaptable, non-GMO, heirloom seeds to as many people across the nation as possible for growing and saving during this challenging time. Introducing Seed Up in a Box! The group has packaged bulk seed into bundles with enough seed for TEN generous servings (at almost 50% off the already amazingly low in-person prices) and moved access to the seed education component to a Student Portal.  Details found here.

The Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance helps folks find their role in the seed world. Join the alliance of seed stewards to unearth your place in this vast community. Your membership helps seed today and tomorrow!

Stay Connected with RMSA

For questions regarding seed saving and current seed news, contact Bill McDorman: bill@rockymountainseeds.org

For questions about seed vaulting or seed libraries, contact John Caccia:
jc@mountainangels.com

For general inquiries, contact Jackee Alston: jackee@rockymountainseeds.org

For questions about the Seed Stewards or Grain Trials programs, contact Lee-Ann Hill:
lee-ann@rockymountainseeds.org

928-255-1125 | www.rockymountainseeds.org

Stay up to date with current seed news by checking in regularly with the RMSA Facebook page and other social media platforms.