Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is pleased to announce the 5th Organic Seed Growers Conference, to be held February 14-15, 2008 at the Salem Convention Center in Salem, Oregon. The Organic Seed Growers Conference, co-hosted by OSA, Oregon State University (OSU) and Washington State University (WSU), is the largest meeting of seed professionals engaged in organic seed production, research, and plant breeding in the United States. Please see our website www.seedalliance.org for our full conference announcement.
Calls for Proposals and Input In preparation for the 2008 Conference, the conference committee seeks input from diverse public and private stakeholders in developing an agenda. Input and proposals for presentations and posters must be submitted by June 1, 2007. Applicants for presentations and posters will be notified by August 1, 2007.
Proposals (presentations and posters): To submit a proposal for a presentation or poster please contact Micaela Colley at micaela[at]seedalliance[dot]org with the following information: contact information, name and title of speaker or author, title of presentation or poster, topic of presentation or poster, target audience, and a brief description (300 words or less). All presenters are required to submit papers for publishing in the conference proceedings. Please inquire if you need assistance in developing presentations, posters, or papers.
Input: We also welcome your ideas for topics and suggestions of speakers. For a list of past speakers and agenda please visit our 2006 Conference Agenda. Please email your input to Micaela at micaela[at]seedalliance[dot]org and include the following information: name and contact information (for follow-up questions), suggested topics, suggested speakers, and any additional input regarding conference format and agenda (note: the date and location are already set).
Fundamentals of Organic Seed Production The 2008 conference will also feature a one day pre-conference Short Course on the Fundamentals of Organic Seed Production to be held on February 13, 2008. Funded by Western SARE, the Short Course will address two major areas:
- Fundamentals of seed production for organic professionals and farmers interested in learning how to grow specialty seed
- Fundamentals of organic production for seed professionals and farmers interested in learning how to grow organically
Both the Short Course and Conference serve complementary audiences of agricultural professionals:
- Organic farmers currently producing seed and those wishing to diversify into seed production
- Conventional seed producers wishing to diversify into organic production
- Seed industry professionals unfamiliar with organic production
- University Extension personnel working in specialty seed production area
Organic Seed Alliance P.O. Box 772 Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-385-7192 fax 360-385-7455