Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14858 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 soybean and sorghum acreage, production and sales in 2015. The survey, among other statistics, shows that certified organic farms operated 4.4 million acres of certified land in 2015, repre- senting an increase of 20 percent from 2014. Slightly more than half the land (55 percent) was used to produce organic crops; the rest of the land was pasture and rangeland. Jones-Ellard also says: “U.S. organic corn production for grain or seed, not including corn produced for silage, increased 30 percent between 2011 and 2015; soybean production increased 10 percent; and sorghum production more than doubled.” Industry Challenges While these numbers sound good, Hubbard says the largest organic farms still use relatively little organic seed, and that OSA’s data suggests that organic certifiers’ enforcement of the organic seed requirement is weaker compared to five years ago. “While organic seed research investments have increased, they still pale in comparison to funding directed toward seed developed for conventional systems,” she says. The general public may be surprised to learn that fresh organ- ically certified produce from our local grocery story or farmer’s markets may not have started out that way. With the increased use of genomics and other more expen- sive breeding technologies (that have led to the patenting and consolidation of crop seed stocks by an increasingly small number of private seed companies) more organic farmers lack access to seed stocks uniquely tailored to their growing needs. The OSA report says this is particularly problematic for organic farmers, who use 75 percent organic seed on average for operations under 10 acres, but only 20 percent organic seed on average for operations over 480 acres. Hubbard says organic farmers report that genetically engi- neered (GE) crops harm the integrity of their products, since GE is an excluded method in the organic standards. Another challenge, she says, is broader seed industry consoli- dation, which affects all farmers. Hubbard points out that the conventional seed industry may soon witness two of the biggest mergers in history. “Consolidation, and the restrictive intellectual property rights that incentivize this level of market restructuring, is an injustice to American farmers who experience less choice and pay higher prices for seed,” she says. But the problem also offers an opportunity, she adds, “as the organic community can create a path for organic seed that provides an alternative to the dominant system.” A number of smaller organic seed companies have emerged in response to consolidation, while others have also been moti- vated to take seed into their own hands. “As an organic grower, I started growing my own seed because we were experiencing loss of seed choices as a result of consolidation in the seed industry,” says Dale Coke of Coke Farms in Aromas, Calif. Coke has been farming for more than three decades and grows vegetables, grain, fruit and seed crops on 450 acres. “Now we also grow seed to ensure we have options that are organic, and to help address gaps in organic seed availability,” he says. ASTA’s Klieger says as demand increases, seed companies face two major challenges. “First, the lead time to produce seed is one to two years from when the order is placed until sufficient seed can be produced for delivery,” she explains. “Each season, seed companies pro- duce enough new inventory to meet their estimated demand for the following season. “That estimate is based on their sales in the current season and, like in any industry, seed producers do not want to produce seed they may not be able to sell. So it is imperative that organic producers work with seed companies well in advance of the time they will need seed for planting.” Klieger says that this is especially true in a specialty market such as organic seed, where total units sold is less than 5 percent of the overall corn seed market. The second challenge is breeding varieties that can survive and be profitable even without inputs normally available to conventional farmers. “With the limits on allowable organic inputs, the seeds them- selves must be more resistant to diseases and better adapted for natural pressures,” she says. What’s Next? So, what is next for the organic food and seed industry to over- come these challenges? USDA’s Jones-Ellard says the USDA and several major U.S. food companies have developed initiatives and strategic part- nerships aimed at increasing overall domestic production of these crops, which could spur additional organic production and demand for organic seed. “Seed companies will continue to work with their organic grower customers to meet the demand they have for seed to be used in their organic production,” Klieger adds. “As breeding techniques continue to evolve and provide opportunities to improve varieties, America’s seed companies will continue to strive to maximize the potential that is in the seed.” SW “And the vast majority of respondents believe organic seed is important to the integrity of organic food.” — Kristina Hubbard OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS (2011-2013) HAVE YOU DECREASED/INCREASED THE PERCENTAGE OF ORGANIC SEED THAT YOU USE IN THE FOLLOWING CROP TYPES? VEGETABLES FIELD CROPS FORAGE CROPS COVER CROPS / GREEN MANURE CROPS ACROSS ALL CROPS TYPES Already at 100% 18% 30% 30% 29% 27% Increased the percentage 46% 29% 25% 30% 31% About the same percentage 31% 38% 42% 38% 36% Decreased the percentage 5% 3% 3% 2% 6%