b'Hide-and-Seek with Organic SeedWhats the availability of certified organic corn and soybean seed?Alex Martin amartin@issuesink.comORGANIC PRODUCTS.Theyve been a huge hit with consumers. According to the Organic Consumers Association, sale of organic food has grown dramatically during the past decade, rising from $3 billion in 1997 to $50 billion in 2018. But the big question for some farmers is: Where can you find organic seed, in particular, where do you find organic seed for corn and soybean pro-duction?Its known to be hard to find, but its not impos-sible. Its like a good game of hide-and-seek with work being done behind the scenes to make it not-so-hard to find. In 2012, in tandem with the organic seed indus-try, the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) created a website to help allevi-ate some of the difficulties in finding organic seed across the United States: the Organic Seed Finder. We saw a need for organic growers to find their vendors, says Chet Boruff, CEO of AOSCA. Organic growers need to find the variety of seed to meet their need and the National Organic Program (NOP) requirements, or they at least needfor dairy cows and poultry, which are the two big- STATSto make an attempt. In speaking with the Organicgest users. Acres are rising to meet those needs. Seed Alliance (OSA), we asked the question However, the organic seed sector continuesAccording to the State of could we provide a service for the organic industryto be challenged by some of the loopholes withinOrganic Seed Report: for vendors and customers to find one another? the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) NOP Boruff describes the Organic Seed Finder as arules. According to the NOP, organic seed must beIn2015 , sales ofdating site for seed. This site is designed to find theused when commercially available. However, whenorganic food toppedperfect match for the type of seed youre lookingthe NOP was created in 2001, the organic seed$39 billion .for, specifically, if youre looking for organic cornsector was almost nonexistent, and is still working and soybean seed.to meet demand.In the last5 years , Until recently, more than half of the organicThe loophole: if a grower approaches threefarmers reportseed for corn and soybean grain used in the U.S.seed companies and asks for a variety of organicfewer problems with was imported, but thats really changed in the pastseed, and it isnt found and he is able to provideorganic seed. three years, says Mac Ehrhardt, owner and man- proof of his search, the grower may use conv-ager of Albert Lea Seed. Its created a big oppor- entional, non-treated seed in place of certifiedPublic and private tunity for U.S. farmers. Specifically, U.S. organicorganic seed.investments in organic farmers are filling in the gaps for imported grainsAs the owner of a company that has soldplant breeding andthat there were fraud issues with. organic and conventional non-GMO seed sinceother organic seed Ehrhardt says the organic seed sector is on the1998, this is discouraging to Ehrhardt.research have increased up and up.The OSA continues to show organic seedby$22 millionin the Organic products are going to top $50 billion,usage is not as high as it could be, he says. Its notlast5 yearsalone. he says. Organic corn and soybean grain are feednecessarily about availability. The larger the oper-70/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2019'