Micaela Colley, Executive Director, Research & Education Director micaela@seedalliance.org In addition to being the interim Executive Director, Micaela manages participatory plant breeding, research and education projects with farmers, university researchers and other seed professionals. She is chair of the biennial, national Organic Seed Growers Conference, and has authored several educational publications covering topics on organic seed production, on-farm crop improvement and variety trialing and teaches workshops on seed related topics. Micaela has 11 years of experience in the organic seed field including past experience in the organic seed industry.
Matthew Dillon, Advocacy Director matthew@seedalliance.org Matthew Dillon was the founding director of OSA and the Alliance’s first executive director from 2003-2007. He current focus is on issues of intellectual property and farmers’ rights, consolidation and competition in the seed industry, genetic contamination, and the principles, values and benefits of organic seed systems. Prior to OSA, Matthew was the Executive Director of Abundant Life Seed Foundation, an heirloom seed conservation organization.
John Navazio, Senior Scientist, Research & Education john@seedalliance.orgJohn Navazio, Ph.D. is both the Senior Scientist for OSA and a Plant Breeding and Seed Specialist for Washington State University Extension. John’s trains farmers, university students and others in organic seed production and the fundamentals of participatory, on-farm plant breeding for organic systems. His breeding work includes increasing genetic breadth in a number of vegetable crops for their nutritional quality, flavor, texture, ability to scavenge nutrients, compete with weeds, and resist heat and drought. John develops participatory breeding projects with farmers across North America to improve crop germplasm for regional seed independence.
Dan Hobbs, Advisory Services dan@seedalliance.org Dan has twenty years agricultural and rural development experience in the United States and South America and formerly served as executive director of OSA, NewFarms and Nuestras Raices, all 501(c)(3) organizations, and as a cooperative specialist with the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Dan is a fifth generation Coloradan and operates a 30 acre organic seed and vegetable farm in Pueblo County Colorado.
Jared Zyskowski, Outreach Specialist, Research & Education jared@seedalliance.org Jared is working in California as an outreach specialist for OSA. He has a master’s degree in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin. Jared has worked in the organic seed industry for over 6 years, managing seed production at two farms and conducting research and education projects with OSA. In his work at OSA, he has developed participatory breeding projects, compiled and analyzed seed producer surveys, and presented field days, variety trials, and seed production and breeding workshops. Jared lives in the coastal town of Arcata, CA with his wife Lisa DiPietro.
Kristina Hubbard, Advocacy Program Specialist kristina@seedalliance.org Kristina has worked as an organizer, researcher, and writer on projects ranging from agricultural biotechnology and antitrust issues in the seed industry, to local food systems and rural health care reform. Her organizational experience includes the Center for Food Safety, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Grow Montana, Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering, Organization for Competitive Markets, and Center for Rural Affairs. She recently authored a report about market concentration, titled, Out of Hand: Farmers Face the Consequences of a Consolidated Seed Industry.
Cathleen McCluskey, Operations Manager cathleen@seedalliance.org Cathleen is a graduate of The Evergreen State College where she studied Agricultural Systems Analysis, worked on food sovereignty campaigns, and organized for federal-level public engagement regarding issues of market concentration in the agriculture sector. She is a farmer, processor, cook, organizer, mentor, writer, and researcher dedicated to building socially and environmentally just agricultural systems. Among other things, Cathleen is a lover of working and playing with the earth, catalyzing communication, and etymology.
Staff Updates: New varieties and crop rotations, July 2010
This spring OSA made several shifts and additions to our staff to accommodate our evolving programs.
After 3 years as Executive Director Dan Hobbs passed the torch and shifted his focus to lead our Advisory Services while also returning to his love of farming. You can read Director of Advocacy Matthew Dillon’s introduction of Kristina Hubbard. Kristina joined us as Advocacy Specialist to work on the State of Organic Seed Initiative and launch new Advocacy initiatives. This summer Micaela Colley celebrates her 7th year of working with OSA Research and Education Programs. She’s moved into the Executive Director position while overseeing R&E, working closely with OSA’s Senior Scientist, Dr. John Navazio. We're expanding our reach into Northern California with the addition of Jared Zyskowski, our newest outreach specialist for Research and Education. With field research abundant we are thankful this season for the help of 5 interns from the Evergreen State College. Emily Flam and Marianna Copene helped establish field trials through the spring and passed the torch to Kathleen Petit, Somerset Fetter and Elizabeth Sheldon for the summer season. We’ve also brought on a field technician, Tinker Cavallero, who brings a deep history with OSA’s work dating back to the days of Abundant Life Seed Foundation.
Lastly we’re excited to welcome Cathleen McClusky as our new Operations Manager. She brings strong organizational skills, a passion for sustainable agriculture, and experience in seed advocacy issues from her work with the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA). She has the unenviable task of filling the shoes of Jadyne Reichner, who is retiring to work on her farm after 1 ½ years of managing OSA operations and 2 years serving on the board of directors. We thank Jadyne for 3 years of being the “behind the scenes” anchor that supported the rest of the staff, kept our systems running smoothly, and always brought a warm, enthusiastic voice to phone. We look forward to seeing her with dirty hands and a basket full of seeds.
Video from Organicology 2009 - "Who We Are"
MISSION: Organic Seed Alliance supports the ethical development and stewardship of the genetic resources of agricultural seed. We accomplish our goals through collaborative education, advisory services, and research programs with organic farmers and other seed professionals.
VISION: Seed is both our common cultural heritage and a living natural resource fundamental to the future sustainability of food production. Proper stewardship of our genetic resources necessitates not only its conservation, but careful management in a manner which allows seed to continually evolve with challenges of the environment, cultural practices of sustainable agriculture and the need to feed people. Through advocacy, collaborative education, advisory services, and research we work to restore and develop seed varieties for current needs while safeguarding invaluable genetic resources for future generations.
PROGRAMS:
Education, Information, and Advocacy: Educational opportunities, workshops, and publications aimed at increasing genetic conservation, and improving organic seed production, plant breeding for organic agriculture, and developing healthy seed systems.
Collaborative Research: Research that develops healthy seed systems, improves organic seed production practices and develops new, appropriate germplasm for organic agriculture. Participatory Plant Breeding activities are a core component of our research program, bringing together breeding experts with organic farmers to result in new organic seed varieties adapted to local ecosystems/ecological bioregions and communities.
Advisory Services: Direct technical assistance and consultations to organic farmers, seed producers, and other seedspeople resulting in an over-all increase in the quality, quantity, and diversity of organic seed.
OSA is a 501(c)(3) organization. If you would like to make a donation to OSA in support of our work please click here.
Our work promotes the value of seed and seed saving skills, prevents the erosion of this resource, and expands the benefits and abundance inherent in every single seed. Join us by becoming a seed steward!Donate now
For gardeners: a list of companies selling organic seed.View now For commercial growers: Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) has a seed database View now
OSA regularly receives emails asking how to avoid purchasing Monsanto seed, including vegetable seed from the Monsanto owned company Seminis. Seminis provides a list of their products for both professional growers and home gardeners. This is by no means a list of all Seminis varieties. If you have concerns we encourage you to ask your seed company if they are resellers of Seminis seed. Here is the link for professional growers and for home gardeners.
Seed Producers Database
The Seed Producers Database is designed to facilitate connections between commercial seed growers and seed companies. Both seed growers & seed purchasers can reach a wider audience more easily through our Seed Producers Database.
