Organic Seed Alliance and eOrganic bring you selected live broadcasts from the 6th Organic Seed Growers Conference in Port Townsend, WA. This conference brings together hundreds of farmers, seed production and distribution companies, researchers, plant breeders, pathologists, and university extension in two days of informative presentations, panel discussions, and networking events. The webinar broadcasts below are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required for each session.

Register for one or more webinars at: http://www.extension.org/pages/61925/organic-seed-growers-conference:-selected-live-broadcasts  

Find out more about the Organic Seed Grower's Conference and how to register to attend in person at: http://www.seedalliance.org/  

Webinar Schedule 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Introduction to On-Farm Plant Breeding Workshop

9:00 am - 10:30 am PT

Presenter: John Navazio, Organic Seed Alliance and Washington State University

An increasing number of farmers are starting to breed new varieties and reselect older varieties for their farms. This presentation will introduce you to the steps needed to create new crop varieties on your farm with little or no hand-pollination or specialized tools.

Organic Wheat Breeding Workshop

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm PT

Presenters: Stephen Jones, Washington State University; Richard Little, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Dean Spaner, University of Alberta

With the explosion of local organic grains, mills and bakeries, organic farmers are looking for wheat varieties that thrive in their systems. This workshop will take you through the process of creating your own wheat variety and describe some of the current organic what breeding projects.

NOVIC Workshop | 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm PT

Presenters: Jim Myers, Oregon State University; Michael Mazourek, Cornell University; William Tracy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; John Navazio, Organic Seed Alliance and Washington State University

The Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC) is a national project to breed new vegetable varieties for organic agriculture. You will learn from the panelists about the techniques they are using to breed new organically adapted varieties of peas, sweet corn, broccoli, squash, and carrots.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Organic Corn Breeding Workshop | 9:00 am - 10:30 am PT

Presenters: Frank Kutka, NPSAS Farm Breeding Club; William Tracy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

King corn is grown on more acres than any other crop. What is being done to breed corn for organic systems, and how can you take part? This workshop will describe the process of breeding corn for organic agriculture and some of the current organic corn breeding projects.

Breeding for Nutrition | 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm PT

Presenters: Phil Simon, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jim Myers, Oregon State University; Walter Goldstein, Mandaamin Institute

Organic eaters want nutritious food, but some modern breeding programs may be increasing yields at the cost of nutrition. Learn about breeding programs working with classical breeding methods (non-gmo) to breed nutritionally superior crops.

Breeding for Microbial Interaction | 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm PT

Presenters: Lori Hoagland, Purdue University; Phil Simon, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jude Maul, USDA-ARS Beltsville, MD

We know that many beneficial soil microorganisms provide plants with access to nutrients, improve water uptake and even have the potential to suppress certain soil borne diseases. The ability to breed plants to optimize their interaction with the soil microbiology holds great potential to enhance organic farming systems. Hear about the latest studies in this important and expanding field of science.

Register for one or more webinars at: