Integrating Seed Saving Practices into the Farm Business

COABC- March 2015

Mojave Kaplan -Planting Seeds Project and

Mel Sylvestre -UBC Farm Seeds

B.C. Eco Seed Co-op

Why Integrate Seed Production into your System?

Add a new income source during the winter/spring

Assurance against the loss of your favorite

cultivars

Accessing highly viable seeds growing vigorous plants

Reduce expenses related to seeds

Improve the performance of crops within your system and bioregion

Bill C-18 “Agricultural Growth Act”

Adopting UPOV ’91 will immediately

• reduce the freedom and independence of Canadian farmers by making it much more difficult to save and reuse seed forcing them to pay more for seed;

• impinge on the autonomy of independent seed cleaners;

• transfer millions of dollars every year from farmers to plant breeders’ rights (PBR) holders

• consolidate the power and control of world’s largest agribusiness corporations over seed, and thus over the Canadian farming and food system.

http://www.nfu.ca/issues/save-our-seed

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“Giving up our Sovereignty over Seeds

and of our Food” Terry Boehm, NFU president www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seeds

“Control of the Food System, the production of food, in a culturally appropriate way, that’s nutritionally sound, that benefits citizens and those people that produce the food”

“Agriculture is a Public Resource, a Public Wealth.....We’re going to transfer a portion of this

wealth to the private sector....The Marketplace left to apply it’s own values to the food production system...... will not feed a starving world ....The marketplace does not respect history, the marketplace does not have a long term plan....The Marketplace Will remove biodiveristy, .....Will remove the COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF FARMERS AROUND THE

WORLD.....and make the whole system vulnerable to collapse” Fred Tait, Manitoba Farmer

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http://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seedshttp://www.nfu.ca/issue/video-series-save-our-seeds

Steps Towards Seed Production

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Considerations to Evaluate Before Integrating Seed Production

R e g i o n a l c l i m a t e a s s e t s a n d l i m i t a t i o n s / C l i m a t e c h a n g e

N a t u r a l i s o l a t i o n d i s t a n c e

E q u i p m e n t a v a i l a b l e ( r e g i o n a l )

C a p a c i t y t o p r o c e s s s e e d c r o p s a t h a r v e s t t i m e ( A u g / S e p t )

G r o w i n g a n d p r o c e s s i n g s p a c e s

S t o r a g e c a p a c i t y

O u t l e t s a n d m a r k e t

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Field Techniques

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Field and Processing Techniques

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Seed cleaning @ BC Seeds Gathering

AIR SEPARATOR: “THE SUCKIE”

More Electric Equipment Options:

Box fan and bins on a tarp (simple)

Clipper office (table top model with scree

Clipper 2 B with sized pressed screens

Quality Control

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Retail Seed Production

Higher revenue possibility

Create work in the winter

Complex system to be developed (catalog, website, packaging, etc)

Greater diversity, higher resilience

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Bulk Seed Production

Only need selected cleaning

equipment

Focus knowledge

Less intimidating learning curve

Contract possibilities

Less marketing details

Lower revenue per crop

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Production Expectations

• Various guidelines available

• Influencing factors:

o Row and plants spacing

o Soil fertility

o Heat units

o Water

o Seed Compatibility, Adaptability and Vitality

o Seasonal end time due to rains, frost, and other variables

o Completion of dry seed in storage

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The Economics of Seed Production

Desire revenue/acre Income per bed/ft

$10 000 $1.75/bedft

$20 000 $2.50/bedft

$40 000 $5/bedft

$60 000 $7.50/bedft

$80 000 $10/bedft

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Lettuce head production

300 heads/100ft bed x $2.50/head = $7.50/bedft

In the ground for about 2 months

The Economics of Seed Production

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Desire revenue/acre Income per bed/ft

$10 000 $1.75/bedft

$20 000 $2.50/bedft

$40 000 $5/bedft

$60 000 $7.50/bedft

$80 000 $10/bedft

Lettuce seed crop

300 heads/100 ft bed= 6lbs of lettuce seeds = 1oz/bedft

1oz bulk = $12.50/bedft or 1oz packaged = $80/bedft

In the ground for about 4 months

The Economics of Seed Production

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Desire revenue/acre Income per bed/ft

$10 000 $1.75/bedft

$20 000 $2.50/bedft

$40 000 $5/bedft

$60 000 $7.50/bedft

$80 000 $10/bedft

Radish seed crop

100 ft bed= 6lbs of radish seeds = 1oz/bedft.

1oz bulk = $7.50/bedft or 1oz packaged = $11/bedft

In the ground for about 5 months

Record Keeping

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B.C. Eco Seed Co-op

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Questions?

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