Organic Seed Usage Farmer Listening Session
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) requires the use of organic seed unless the seeds farmers need, including equivalent varieties, aren’t commercially available. The purpose of the current organic seed exemption is to provide a transition time for the seed industry to catch up to demand and to allow organic growers to find suitable varieties to transition to, with the goal of eventually achieving 100 percent organic seed sourcing. The allowance for non-organic seed is important for growers who lack access to appropriate organic seed for their operations. While it is no one’s intention to force organic growers to use organic seed that may not be optimal for their operations, continuous improvement in organic seed sourcing is essential to incentivizing growth in the organic seed supply and strengthening organic integrity.
This dialogue will guide advocacy for balanced solutions that strengthen organic integrity and the seed supply.
On March 5, NOC, in partnership with Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), Organic Farmers Association (OFA), and Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA), hosted a listening session for farmers and other organic actors to share challenges and opportunities in organic seed use. Discussions from the listening session will help inform resources and future work with the National Organic Program (NOP) and National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) for continuous improvement of organic seed usage.
A summary of the insights gathered in these conversations is outlined below.
Thank you to all who participated in the listening session! As the NOSB takes up this issue in future work agendas, we look forward to more opportunities to gather conversations on this topic.
You can find OFRF’s takeaways of the session here.
SUMMARY FINDINGS
Producer perspectives:
Organic seed value: Many farmers see organic seed as important for soil health, resilience, and expanding organic acreage. However, cost and availability remain major concerns.
Barriers to organic seed Use: High costs, limited availability, and documentation challenges make it difficult for some farmers to use exclusively organic seed.
Recordkeeping & compliance: Some find documentation burdensome, while others see it as manageable or even beneficial for farm planning.
Suggestions for NOP: Farmers suggest stricter organic seed regulations, incentives for seed saving, and better coordination with seed breeders to address regional challenges.
Seed breeding needs: More transparency, regional adaptability, and climate-resilient varieties are key priorities for growers. Many emphasize the importance of seed saving and collaboration.
Seed grower and researcher perspectives:
Organic seed availability: Availability varies by crop and scale. Small-scale farmers can often source organic seeds, but large-scale operations struggle, especially for grains, cover crops, and certain vegetables.
Challenges in organic seed supply: Limited year-round availability, lack of regionally adapted varieties, and difficulties in securing non-proprietary and open-pollinated (OP) seeds.
Improving NOP seed regulations: Calls for 100% organic seed requirements, incentives for seed stewardship, cost reductions for certification, and stricter enforcement of organic seed sourcing.
Handlers & certifiers' role: Processors often dictate seed choices, limiting organic adoption. NOP could regulate processor demands and improve certifier tools for verifying organic seed availability.
Organic seed database: A centralized database could help track seed availability and genetics, but concerns exist over maintenance, participation, and potential large-scale buyouts by industrial players.
Technical service providers’, policy makers, and educators’ perspectives:
Organic seed challenges: Farmers struggle with sourcing organic seed due to cost, limited availability, and contract restrictions. Wholesalers often don’t prioritize organic-specific varieties.
Mentorship & seed production: Limited mentorship opportunities for organic seed growers. Some interest exists, but infrastructure and certification barriers remain.
Certifier & inspector role: Inspectors find it difficult to enforce commercial availability rules and assess variety choices. A shift to acreage-based benchmarks for organic seed use may be more feasible.
Database for organic seed: Need for a centralized, up-to-date seed availability database, but challenges exist in funding, maintenance, and neutrality. Potential for regional databases or collaboration with certifiers.
NOP & seed policy: Calls for stronger organic seed regulations, incentives for growers, and addressing handler influence on seed selection.