Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium: Saving Seeds: From Backyards to Seed Vaults

2:45 PM - 4:45 PM
Sun Room, Memorial Union

The Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Program presents Saving Seeds: From Backyards to Seed Vaults with Sara Straate on Wednesday, April 24, from 2:45PM – 4:45PM in the Memorial Union Sun Room.

Schedule for Wednesday, April 24

2:45 – 3:10 PM – Research poster viewing and refreshments
3:10 – 4:15 PM – Colloquium presentation including Q&A session
4:15 – 4:45 PM – Research poster viewing and refreshments

Sara Straate joined Seed Savers Exchange in 2011 as the seed historian.  Sara coordinates the seed history research project which is an ongoing effort to enhance the documentation of each variety in the seed bank collection at Seed Savers Exchange.  This includes gathering stories of garden stewardship and cultural history from seed donors and their families.  Sara has an undergraduate degree in Horticulture from Iowa State University.

Saving Seeds: From Backyards to Seed Vaults will be an overview of how Seed Savers Exchange was founded and the network of home gardeners that was formed with the common interest of growing, saving, and sharing open-pollinated garden seeds.  Sara will also describe the formation and growth of their seed bank collection in the decades since then, plus the ways that they engage with gardeners to teach the importance of seed saving.