Understanding the National Organic Program Seed Rule and Sourcing Organic Seed Webinar

Watch the webinar on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RaYiY3uKuY

Original air date: June 6, 2014

About the Webinar

The webinar will cover the availability of organic seed, as well as the National Organic Program's 2013 guidance that aimed to clarify the organic seed regulatory requirement. Presenters will share their perspectives on challenges in enforcing this requirement, and recommendations for encouraging increased sourcing of organic seed. Finally, participants will be introduced to tools and resources that support organic seed sourcing and production. This webinar is supported by a contract from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s National Organic Program.

View a pdf of the slides for this webinar

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About the Presenters

Kristina Hubbard is the director of advocacy and communications for Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), a national organization that delivers research, education, and advocacy that advances the ethical development and stewardship of seed. Her work includes the promotion of policies that expand organic seed systems, and improve the availability, quality, and integrity of organic seed. She's a contributing author to OSA's State of Organic Seed report (2011).

Emily Brown Rosen has been at USDA’s National Organic Program in the Standards Division since April 2010, as an agricultural marketing specialist, working on regulations and guidance for organic producers. She has an M.S. from Rutgers University in horticulture, and over 20 years of experience in the organic sector, including as policy director/technical support for Pennsylvania Certified Organic, the Organic Materials Review Institute, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NJ.

Zea Sonnabend is an organic farm inspector and materials policy advisor for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and serves on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). She helped write the first certification handbook and materials list for organic farming in California, is a founder of the Organic Materials Review Institute, and has worked for the USDA and NOSB as a contractor to develop the National List. She is a lifetime member of the Seed Savers Exchange, board member of Organic Seed Alliance, and has taught classes in seed saving at the UC Davis Student Farm and at the UCSC Farm and Garden since 1986. She has an M.S. in Plant Breeding from Cornell University.

Cullen Carns-Hilliker is a Certification Specialist at the Midwest Organic Services Association.

Published May 19, 2014

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.