More than 1.7 million acres of crop land are now devoted to certified-organic production in the United States. Organic seed is used on about 11 percent of that land, despite the requirement by the National Organic Program that organic seed should be used when available. The problem is that organic seed simply isn’t available for most varieties of vegetables and grains.

“There’s a huge gap between the need and the production of organic seed,” said Matthew Dillon, advocacy director of the Organic Seed Alliance. “Because of that gap, there is opportunity for growers who want to get involved in seed production.”

Organic seed production is in its infancy, but it’s gaining a lot of attention. The Organic Seed Alliance, a non-profit organization based in Port Townsend, Washington, recently opened a Colorado office and obtained a grant to buy seed cleaning equipment. OSA helped organize the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative, which is working with individual seed producers and smaller regional cooperatives of seed producers to develop high-quality seeds in sufficient quantities to supply the market.  Seed-growing workshops the past few years have been immensely popular, and some seed companies are working directly with growers to improve their production.

Organic advocates are feeling a sense of urgency about the state of seed today. Not only is there a shortage of organic seed comparable to conventional varieties, there is also a dearth of plant varieties bred specifically for organic production systems. Even more troubling is the contamination of conventional seed crops by genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Genetic contamination of seeds threatens the organic integrity of food crops.

“With contamination at the seed level, you have amplification at the crop level,” Dillon said. “Organic really needs to develop our own breeding material.”

The Family Farmers Seed Cooperative aims to do just that. It is working on a list of 120 varieties that it plans to trial in three locations this season. Some of the varieties are farmer-bred, and some are older, open-pollinated (non-hybrid) varieties. Dillon said the trials are likely to cut the list in half because the group’s emphasis is on quality assurance. They are determined to avoid the quality issues that plagued early organic food production, what Dillon calls the “scabby apple syndrome.” Instead, they want to be sure that any seeds they offer for sale will have high germination and reliably produce high-quality crops.

How much can you make?
Potential revenue from organic seed production varies widely, from $5,000 to $15,000 an acre or more.
“It varies greatly not only by crop, but by variety – and if you are selling it on your own list – speculative – or on contract for a company,” Dillon said. “For example, one variety of lettuce may wholesale for $20 a pound, and other varieties may bring in the range of $60 a pound. Some companies may contract for under 5 pounds (5 pounds of lettuce goes a long way for a garden seed packet company), whereas others want hundreds of pounds of a single variety. Prices are usually linked to how intensive the crop is to produce and bring in (harvest and cleaning can be a real nightmare for certain crops); how much the seed company helps (some may even come plant starts or help with harvest); the seed yield (there are tomato varieties, for example, that produce very little seed – a few seeds per fruit); and how much the seed company values organic production (some companies are willing to pay a higher premium for it than others). Additional value can come if a company is asking a farmer to do “maintenance” – to select against off-types in an open-pollinated variety. So there are no easy rules of thumb.”

Who grows seed?
So far, about 30 farmers are involved in the Family Farmers Seed Coop. A few grow only seed, but most grow seed as one of many farm enterprises, including vegetables. Seven Seeds Farm in Williams, Oregon, is a good example of a diversified farm that includes seed production.

“We grow certified organic vegetables, fruits, berries, seeds, sheep for wool and lamb, and poultry,” said Don Tipping, who with his wife, Kimberly, has farmed there for 13 years. “Our fruits and vegetables are sold through a local farmers market and a cooperative CSA with 150 members. Of our 3 acres of row crop land, about two-thirds is used to grow seeds for commercial contract to Seeds of Change, Johnny’s, Fedco, Turtle Tree Seed, High Mowing Seeds, Uprising Seeds and Renee’s Garden Seeds.

“Seed growing and plant breeding have dovetailed into our vegetable farming nicely because we are able to gather multiple harvests from the same crop in many instances. For example, when growing lettuce for seed we will plant 3 rows on a 4-foot bed, harvest the middle row and any that need to be culled for various reasons and sell them through our CSA; then the remaining 2 rows will mature to seed, growing to about 4 feet high and occupying the space left from the first harvest.  We sell many onions through the CSA that were culls from a plant breeding selection project.  Being culls for genetic reasons, their “issues” generally have something to do with shape, size, color or another trait which doesn’t impinge upon their table quality.
“Another aspect of seed growing which mates well with our fresh market farming is that seed crops take longer to mature, so the effort is concentrated into planting early season, maintenance mid-season, and harvest in later season.  This spares us from the treadmill of constant marketing, harvesting and selling that is truck farming.  However, we have honed our production for our cooperative CSA (www.siskiyoucoop.com) to focus on the early-season crops to carve out more time in September and October when the seed crops demand our attention.  An important aspect of seed growing that makes our farm economy work is that we can prearrange contracts early in the winter and go into the growing season with income figures to budget with, similar to the way a CSA ensures the grower up-front cash. However, with seed crops, the farmer doesn’t get paid until the seed is harvested, cleaned, and germination tested, which means that often we don’t receive payment until January or February.  So, for us, having some fresh market income is crucial to keeping cash flow happening year-round.  We have learned to work around the late payment for seed crops by budgeting it as our start up money for the year.”

This year, for the first time, Tipping will sell retail locally under the name Siskiyou Seeds. “Our goal is to sell the varieties which have proven themselves as performers through a dozen years of Siskiyou mountain farming and homesteading.  This endeavor enables us to further diversify our workload and income streams through the year, so we don’t have such a crunch period at one point in the fall.  It will also help us to focus more directly on doing the necessary work of selection and breeding for organic systems.”
Beth Rasgorshek is another grower who has integrated seed production with organic greenhouse transplant production. At Canyon Bounty Farm in Nampa, Idaho, she is in her 10th year of selling organic transplants locally and seeds on contract to several seed companies. She also is expanding into value-added food products including whole wheat flour, jam, dried beans, polenta, sun-dried tomatoes, and paprika.
“I’m really fortunate to have had grown up on a seed farm, have my family’s expertise with this kind of farming, and to be in a seed-growing community to acquire some of the necessary pieces of equipment,” she said. “Prior to returning to Nampa, Idaho, I farmed for six seasons in Portland, Oregon, raising vegetables for a 100-member CSA. I wouldn’t change anything about my urban farm experience, but the seed farming is a good fit for me: fewer employees, much more mechanized, less crop diversity, and I don’t have to wash/sort/pack veggies. The drawbacks are I don’t really have an off season – just shorter working days in the winter, cleaning seed, and if the seed doesn’t make germ (germination rate), I don’t get paid. So the shared financial risk with the CSA farm community is no longer there.”

Getting started with seed
Dillon warns that there is a steep learning curve for those who want to become seed producers.
“This is one of the longest crops to hit fruition,” he said. “It takes six to 10 years to breed; even just seed production takes several years of intensive work to develop the skills. It takes a certain mindset, too. It’s an opportunity for growers who enjoy diversifying their farms and having a crop that stays in the field a long time. Weeding has to be pristine throughout the season. It’s really for someone who is detail-minded.”
Beth Rasgorshek advises: “Just start by growing one or two crops; preferably ones you have had success with and like to grow. Take small contracts so you don’t over commitment yourself. Chances are when the seed is ready to be harvested the fresh vegetables are also in their prime time, too. You’ve signed a contract to produce the seed, take it serious and communicate with the seed company about the crop’s progress.
Others advise getting into seed growing by producing your own seed, which Pam Dawling writes about beginning on page X. After a few years of growing a few seed crops and using them on your farm, you’ll have a better sense of whether seed growing is right for you.

If you decide to go for it, remember that seed growing has benefits that don’t show up on the bottom line. Don Tipping explains:

“I view seed growing as an exciting challenge to learn more about the plants we work with. It also helps to support the ecology of our farm as it retains more carbon on the farm as we only export a small percentage of the plants’ biomass.  Also, many of the byproducts of seed crops can be used to feed livestock on the farm.  Most importantly for me, growing seeds has enabled us to support a crucial link in community food security in a meaningful way.”

Resources
A list of helpful publications, organizations, and other resources can be accessed at www.growingformarket.com. Look for the link to “Resources for Growers” in the left column under “Free Content.”

Lynn Byczynski is the editor and publisher of Growing for Market. She can be contacted at lynn@growingformarket.com