Organic seed growers need more mentorship and courses that are comprehensive in scope and combine theoretical and practical instruction. To address this gap, OSA teamed up with the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA) to help experienced farmers pass on their seed knowledge to beginning farmers through a national internship program. The Seed Internship Program was launched last year and is the first to focus on organic seed production.
The new online course announced today is part of this internship program but available to anyone interested in learning how to grow organic seed. Follow the registration directions below so you can get the most out of this FREE course and other resources.
The Course
The course runs through the end of the year with more trainings planned for 2017. Participants will have access to monthly webinars, reading lists, online discussion forums, multi-media curriculum, and other materials that collectively serve as a comprehensive resource for learning about and teaching organic seed production. The course supports farmers who are teaching interns how to grow organic seed by providing structured and professional instruction on everything from production practices to seed economics. The trainings also help experienced organic seed growers refine their skills and connect with other growers.
More details about the course can be found here: https://learn.mesaprogram.org/courses/organic-seed-internship/
Registration Instructions
To participate, you’ll need to set up an account through the Seed Internship Program even if you don’t plan to participate as a host farm or intern. This requires the simple process of creating a username and password to access resources on the website. Create an account here: https://learn.mesaprogram.org/network/register/
If you’re already a registered host farm or intern in the Seed Internship Program, simply log in with your username and password here: https://learn.mesaprogram.org/courses/organic-seed-internship/
In either case, once you’re logged in, click “take this course” to begin.
Orientation and Webinar Schedule
OSA and MESA will host an orientation on August 15th at 11:00 a.m. PST to answer questions and walk through the online course materials and schedule.
The six-part webinar series is being held throughout the 2016 growing season. Each webinar is led by OSA and other organic seed experts, and focuses on basic skills needed for growing and producing organic seed. Webinars are held at 11:00 a.m. Pacific (12:00 p.m. Mountain, 1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern) on the third Tuesday of each month through November:
- July 19th | Webinar Series #2: Trials and Selection
- August 16th | Webinar Series #3: Diseases and Pests, Case Study
- September 20th | Webinar Series #4: Seed Quality, Harvesting Techniques, and Equipment
- October 18th | Webinar Series #5: Cleaning and Record Keeping, Case Study
- November 15th | Webinar Series #6: Seed Contracting, Economics, and Policy
Questions?
Contact MESA with technical difficulties
Contact OSA’s Jared Zystro with general questions