Rocky Mt. Seed Alliance

 

Seedy News Rooted in the Rocky Mountains

eNewsletter for July 8, 2021

Inspiring Farmers and Gardeners to Become Seed Savers Cover art from The White/Wiphala Paper on Indigenous Peoples' food systems;  access the full Paper in the article below

THE NEED FOR INDEPENDENCE OF SEEDS rockymountainseeds.org/no-patents-on-seeds

July is a great time to talk about independence - Seed Independence! For thousands of years, humans and seeds have co-evolved through intentional (and unintentional) plant selection and seed saving. This has resulted in a flourishing diversity of crops and varieties across space and time. Without this symbiotic connection with seeds, our food system would be very different today. The careful observation and seed stewardship by our land-based ancestors has too often been disregarded resulting in a restriction of seed freedoms and the natural co-evolution of humans and seeds. This intentional negligence is shifting our food and seed systems from the freedom of the commons to ownership through seed patents, and to a dependence on modern technologies like genetically modified organisms.  RMSA believes food and seed sovereignty is a right and basic need for human survival. Seed patents create a dependency on corporations and put our food system and seed diversity at risk. Furthermore, we believe ownership cannot be claimed over a living organism, especially one that has been adapted and cultivated over thousands of years of interaction with changing environments. During this July, as we contemplate what freedom means, we wonder if we are truly independent when seed sovereignty is at risk? If you, too, are concerned about the freedom of seeds and the impacts of patents on seed freedom, please make an official pledge to not plant patented seeds.  To learn more about seed patenting, here are a few articles and resources: Open Source Seed Initiative Navdanya Seed Freedom Report Global Coalition of Open Source Seed Initiatives Indra Singh and India's Farmer Protest  Center for Food Safety Atlas Obscura The Guardian Garden Organic

SOLSTICE: CELEBRATING THE GIFT OF THE SUN ALL SUMMER rockymountainseeds.org/solstice-campaign-2021 As the heart and soul of RMSA, your contribution makes a difference! A big thanks to all those who have already donated to our Spring Soulstice Campaign. Because of you, we’ve been able to expand our grain program, protect legacy seed collections, write many new grants, deepen our outreach, teach more seed school students, further our equity and inclusion knowledge, and plant a seed-saving community garden. All within the last six months! It’s not too late to support our Spring Soulstice Campaign. Please consider donating by clicking the button here or returning the campaign flyer sent to your mailbox.

SPECIALTY GRAIN COLLECTION

rockymountainseeds.org/product-category/sgc After five years of trialing grains with 180 incredible Grain Trial Growers, we are offering the most adaptive and delicious ancient grains available for purchase through the Specialty Grain Collection. We have garden-sized packets (~100 seeds) of various rye, barley, and wheat varieties here. Proceeds from sales will go directly to the Heritage Grain Trials Project.

GRAIN SCHOOL IS GOING VIRTUAL rockymountainseeds.org/about-grain-school

RMSA's Grain School explores the world of heritage grains. Students will learn techniques for growing, breeding, and harvesting grains. In between, we'll also learn the history and culture of grain cultivation then enjoy tasty modules on the culinary uses of grains and how to prepare them. Learn from experts in the field, and from one another. Bill McDorman and Belle Starr, RMSA co-founders, first introduced Grain School at Native Seeds/SEARCH in 2012 through the inspiration of Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan and Glenn Roberts. Now, our first Online Grain School will begin on September 30th and offers teachings from special guests and experts involved in regional grain movements. All content is bound to inspire participants. We will meet Thursdays for 8 weeks from 2-4pm Mountain Time via Zoom (note the time change during class from Mountain Daylight to Mountain Standard on November 7th). We will wrap up the course with a virtual, full-day experience with milling, baking, and cooking with grains class on Friday, November 19th. All classes will be recorded for later viewing. For financial assistance, please fill out the Scholarship Form and inquire with Frances (frances@rockymountainseeds.org). We are committed to offering seed-saving education and resources to everyone interested. Check out our site often for updates on Grain School.

GRAIN DAY IN SOUTHWEST COLORADO eventbrite.com

Southwest Colorado Grain Day is taking place on Tuesday, July 27th at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center in Yellow Jacket, CO from 8:30am-1pm MDT (16898 Rd Z, Yellow Jacket, CO 81335). The day will begin with a tour of the grain trial research plots, followed by grain harvest and cleaning demos, and end with a grand and tasty finale of bread trialing with Blue Grouse Bread. For more information, please call the Research Center office at 970-562-4255. Register at Eventbrite.com.

A TASTE OF HERITAGE GRAINS AT ZEPHYROS FARM eventbrite.com

Step into the world of ancient and heritage grains with Zephyros Farm. Local grain growers, bakers, and seed teachers are offering a farm tour, workshop, and lunch on Wednesday, August 4th in Paonia, CO from 10am-2pm MDT. Registration is required to ensure a delicious, locally sourced lunch for participants. Free! Presenters include Chris Sullivan and Dana Whitcomb of Mountain Oven, Steve Zeimer from Immunity Farm, and local seed steward Lance Swigert. Sign up here.

GRAIN & SEED SCHOOLS IN A DAY: LIVE AND IN PERSON! rockymountainseeds.org

We are returning to in-person events! We have two offerings coming up in August: Grain School in a Day and Seed School in a Day. Join us for both!  Grain School in a Day: Thursday, August 12th with Bill McDorman Seed School in a Day: Friday, August 13th with Bill McDorman and special guest Joseph Lofthouse Each class is $90, or you can register for both for $150. Class will be held at Laughing Wolf Farm in Mancos, CO from 8am - 5pm MDT. For financial assistance, please fill out the Scholarship Form and inquire with Frances (frances@rockymountainseeds.org) about availability.

THE MAINE GRAIN ALLIANCE: KNEADING CONFERENCE kneadingconference.com

The Kneading Conference brings together grainiacs and bread buffs from all over the country with virtual workshops, demos, panels, and discussions. From July 27th - July 30th, farmers, bakers, brewers, chefs, cooks, grain researchers, maltsters, food entrepreneurs, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts. Gather and learn about the art and science of growing and milling grains, baking artisan breads, and brewing delicious beer.  More details about the event and schedule.

FAO'S RECENT PAPER ON INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS sc-fss2021.org

We invite readers to reflect on the millions of people around the world who feed their families through food systems that are different from the urban, commercial and value chain food systems with which they may be more familiar. Often these unfamiliar food systems are grouped together as “traditional” food systems. However, as this paper shows, traditional food systems are not all alike, and Indigenous Peoples’ food systems present characteristics that render them unique and must be better understood. -- excerpt from The White/Wiphala Paper on Indigenous Food Systems Read the full paper here.

USDA NEEDS A SEED RESEARCHER IN SOUTH DAKOTA  usajobs.gov

The USDA-ARS Integrated Cropping Systems Research Unit is hiring a full-time, permanent technician in Brookings, SD. The focus is identifying traits and management practices in small grains that improve plant-plant and plant-microbe interactions for broad sustainability goals. The work will be a mixture of field and lab work, including proximal sensing/high throughput phenotyping, plus soil and occasional DNA work. Apply by July 15th. More information can be found here.

PATENT ON BARLEY AND BEER UPHELD JUNE 8, 2021 no-patents-on-seeds.org

The European Patent Office (EPO) rejected an appeal filed by NGOs against a patent on barley owned by Carlsberg. The patent stakes a claim on non-genetically bred barley plants, what is harvested, and the resulting beer.  We must understand the impacts of patents on conventional breeding, and make sure this does not happen to us too.

NO SEEDS NO BEER rockymountainseedalliance.org We love seeds for the food we consume, but we cannot forget another reason we value grains: the beers that can be brewed from them! Whether the base is from popular wheat and barley grains, or perhaps traditional, ancient varieties like buckwheat, rice, and millet, we appreciate these grains for the uplifting beverages we enjoy today. Look at our Merch page to see what we have brewing.

The Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance helps folks find their role in the seed world. Please support the seed saving movement by becoming a seed steward, enrolling as a heritage grain trialist, pledging to the Patent Free Seed campaign, making a donation, or by becoming a Sustaining Member. Thank you for your support!

Stay Connected with RMSA

For questions regarding Patent Free Seeds or technical support, contact Bill: bill@rockymountainseeds.org For questions regarding the Heritage Grains Trial program, contact Lee-Ann: lee-ann@rockymountainseeds.org For questions about seed libraries, contact Jackee: jackee@rockymountainseeds.org For questions regarding the Seed Stewards program, contact Renee: renee@rockymountainseeds.org For general inquiries, contact Frances: frances@rockymountainseeds.org 970-560-5486 | www.rockymountainseeds.org Stay up to date with current seed news by connecting with us!