Radicle Human Connections

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Act Now for Radicle Opportunities!

Are you still on the fence about the Mountain West Seed Summit? We have a few opportunities you won't want to miss!

Mountain West Seed Summit

February 22 – 23, 2019

Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM

Rooms at our partnering hotel – the Santa Fe Sage Inn – have been extended and are available at a discounted rate ($104/night plus fees) until the end of January. Click here to reserve your room now!

Thursday, February 21st finds us traveling to various seed sites – Tesuque Pueblo Seed Bank. Los Luceros Historic Property featuring RMSA Grain Trials and the Tewa Women United Healing Oasis Garden. Our first Seed Summit field trip in 2017 sold out with room for only 60 attendees. We are getting close to capacity, so please register now. (You must be registered for the Seed Summit to take advantage of this opportunity.)

A Seed Slam and Seed Exchange is scheduled for Friday evening, February 22nd with festivities continuing at the Sage Inn for a Seed Jam into the night! The evening soiree is being hosted by our friends at Seed Broadcast. Join in the fun!

The Mountain West Seed Summit: Reunion of the Radicles will feature dozens of presentations and workshops from regional and national speakers covering topics that range from seed sovereignty and regenerative farming to indigenous rights and eco-spirituality. Keynote presenters are author and speaker Charles Eisenstein, seed keeper and activist Rowen White, and the Center for Food Safety’s Andrew Kimbrell. The full list of over 50 additional presenters, as well as the event schedule, can be viewed here.

REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 20TH, 2019.

Learn more and register now!

Two Seed Exchanges Coming Your Way

Seedheads in the Colorado and Utah areas can take part in two fabulous community seed exchanges in the coming weeks!

For Colorado folks, the 9th Annual San Luis Valley Seed Exchange will be held at the Joyful ogden

Journeys Hot Springs Spa on February 9th and 10th. This is a community event which connects seed growers to each other and local farmers and gardeners. Vendors are able to display their seeds for trade.

9th San Luis Valley Seed Exchange

@ Joyful Journeys Hot Springs Spa

Learn more here

And in Utah, the 2019 Annual Ogden Seed Exchange Seed Swap will also take place on February 9th from 10 am to noon. This year, the organizers ask that only locally grown and raised seeds are brought to the swap event for both sale or trade. They will have some seeds available at talks and workshops that have been donated from heirloom quality commercial sources.

2019 Annual Ogden Seed Exchange Seed Swap

@ Ogden Preparatory Academy Prep Elementary School

Learn more here

Gregg Batt of Ogden Seed Exchange will be presenting about "Making Time for Seed Saving" at the Mountain West Seed Summit! Read about his presentation and others here.

Conservation You Can Taste

Talk about heavy hitters! We're thrilled to have renowned naturalist and author Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan as a special guest at our next Grain School. Dr. Nabhan's work has focused primarily on the intersection of biodiversity and cultural diversity of the arid Southwest. He is considered a pioneer in the local food movement and the heirloom seed saving movement. Dr. Nabhan will be presenting on "Restoring Grain Food Chains."

Grain School – Cottonwood, AZ

Eco Learning Center

April 12–14, 2019

Also featuring Don Guerra (Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ)

Register here

This engaging 3-day workshop will teach you expert techniques and hands-on skills to grow, harvest, mill, market, and bake with locally adapted grains. Nutritional values of ancient grains will be presented, along with the ecological benefits of adding grains to your garden or farm portfolio. Don't miss this unique opportunity to dive deeply into the exciting, delicious world of heritage grains!

Housing will be available in tiny houses on site and there are camping options on the farm. Stay tuned.

"Expanding Seed Saving Exponentially"

What if RMSA's almost 100 Seed School Teacher Training graduates could be assisted in spreading the knowledge they've gained where they live? Seed saving could explode exponentially! This was the premise behind a recently funded grant proposal to LUSH Cosmetics—and we are getting to work putting it into action.

By training and supporting Seed Teachers in presenting their own seed saving workshops, we are helping create localized “seed hubs”—collectives of seed growers, seed savers, farmers, and gardeners—that can make our region's food systems more resilient and sustainable.

Email Belle to learn more and be included in this innovative program: belle@rockymountainseeds.org

Big thanks to LUSH for sharing our vision and joining us in this exciting collaboration!

Image: RMSA Seed School Teacher Training in Denver, October 2018

Order Seeds... From Carol Deppe!

It's seed catalog time! We love browsing through the abundant offerings and finding seeds galore to plant in the spring. An amazing resource just out for 2019 is the legendary gardening author and seed saver Carol Deppe's new Fertile Valley Seed Catalog.

All seed is either certified by the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) to be open-pollinated and patent-free, or they are seeds in the public domain. This means no worries for saving seeds!

Support Carol and her incredible work by ordering your spring garden stock from Fertile Valley! Click here to download the catalog.

Acres Away!

acres RMSA's work to secure regional seed sovereignty for the Mountain West is getting some great publicity lately! This month's issue of the eco-agriculture magazine ACRES U.S.A. features a profile on our own executive director Bill McDorman aptly titled "Seedsman on a Mission". It's a great piece that we hope gets widely read.

Here's a link to purchase the issue. We'll get a PDF of the story on the RMSA website soon!


eNewsletter for January 24, 2019
Get Involved with RMSA Seed School Seed Stewards Rocky Mountain Heritage Grain Trials Grown with Local Seeds Million Seed Savers JOIN!
Act Now for Radicle Opportunities! Are you still on the fence about the Mountain West Seed Summit? We have a few opportunities you won't want to miss! Mountain West Seed Summit February 22 – 23, 2019 Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM Rooms at our partnering hotel – the Santa Fe Sage Inn – have been extended and are available at a discounted rate ($104/night plus fees) until the end of January. Click here to reserve your room now! Thursday, February 21st finds us traveling to various seed sites – Tesuque Pueblo Seed Bank. Los Luceros Historic Property featuring RMSA Grain Trials and the Tewa Women United Healing Oasis Garden. Our first Seed Summit field trip in 2017 sold out with room for only 60 attendees. We are getting close to capacity, so please register now. (You must be registered for the Seed Summit to take advantage of this opportunity.) A Seed Slam and Seed Exchange is scheduled for Friday evening, February 22nd with festivities continuing at the Sage Inn for a Seed Jam into the night! The evening soiree is being hosted by our friends at Seed Broadcast. Join in the fun! The Mountain West Seed Summit: Reunion of the Radicles will feature dozens of presentations and workshops from regional and national speakers covering topics that range from seed sovereignty and regenerative farming to indigenous rights and eco-spirituality. Keynote presenters are author and speaker Charles Eisenstein, seed keeper and activist Rowen White, and the Center for Food Safety’s Andrew Kimbrell. The full list of over 50 additional presenters, as well as the event schedule, can be viewed here. REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 20TH, 2019. *Learn more and register now!*
Two Seed Exchanges Coming Your Way Seedheads in the Colorado and Utah areas can take part in two fabulous community seed exchanges in the coming weeks! For Colorado folks, the 9th Annual San Luis Valley Seed Exchange will be held at the Joyful Journeys Hot Springs Spa on February 9th and 10th. This is a community event which connects seed growers to each other and local farmers and gardeners. Vendors are able to display their seeds for trade. 9th San Luis Valley Seed Exchange @ Joyful Journeys Hot Springs Spa Learn more here And in Utah, the 2019 Annual Ogden Seed Exchange Seed Swap will also take place on February 9th from 10 am to noon. This year, the organizers ask that only locally grown and raised seeds are brought to the swap event for both sale or trade. They will have some seeds available at talks and workshops that have been donated from heirloom quality commercial sources. 2019 Annual Ogden Seed Exchange Seed Swap @ Ogden Preparatory Academy Prep Elementary School Learn more here Gregg Batt of Ogden Seed Exchange will be presenting about "Making Time for Seed Saving" at the Mountain West Seed Summit! Read about his presentation and others here.
Conservation You Can Taste Talk about heavy hitters! We're thrilled to have renowned naturalist and author Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan as a special guest at our next Grain School. Dr. Nabhan's work has focused primarily on the intersection of biodiversity and cultural diversity of the arid Southwest. He is considered a pioneer in the local food movement and the heirloom seed saving movement. Dr. Nabhan will be presenting on "Restoring Grain Food Chains." Grain School – Cottonwood, AZ Eco Learning Center April 12–14, 2019 Also featuring Don Guerra (Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ) Register here This engaging 3-day workshop will teach you expert techniques and hands-on skills to grow, harvest, mill, market, and bake with locally adapted grains. Nutritional values of ancient grains will be presented, along with the ecological benefits of adding grains to your garden or farm portfolio. Don't miss this unique opportunity to dive deeply into the exciting, delicious world of heritage grains! Housing will be available in tiny houses on site and there are camping options on the farm. Stay tuned.
"Expanding Seed Saving Exponentially" What if RMSA's almost 100 Seed School Teacher Training graduates could be assisted in spreading the knowledge they've gained where they live? Seed saving could explode exponentially! This was the premise behind a recently funded grant proposal to LUSH Cosmetics—and we are getting to work putting it into action. By training and supporting Seed Teachers in presenting their own seed saving workshops, we are helping create localized “seed hubs”—collectives of seed growers, seed savers, farmers, and gardeners—that can make our region's food systems more resilient and sustainable. Email Belle to learn more and be included in this innovative program: belle@rockymountainseeds.org Big thanks to LUSH for sharing our vision and joining us in this exciting collaboration! Image: RMSA Seed School Teacher Training in Denver, October 2018
Order Seeds... From Carol Deppe! It's seed catalog time! We love browsing through the abundant offerings and finding seeds galore to plant in the spring. An amazing resource just out for 2019 is the legendary gardening author and seed saver Carol Deppe's new Fertile Valley Seed Catalog. All seed is either certified by the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) to be open-pollinated and patent-free, or they are seeds in the public domain. This means no worries for saving seeds! Support Carol and her incredible work by ordering your spring garden stock from Fertile Valley! Click here to download the catalog.
Acres Away! RMSA's work to secure regional seed sovereignty for the Mountain West is getting some great publicity lately! This month's issue of the eco-agriculture magazine *ACRES U.S.A.* features a profile on our own executive director Bill McDorman aptly titled "Seedsman on a Mission". It's a great piece that we hope gets widely read. Here's a link to purchase the issue. We'll get a PDF of the story on the RMSA website soon!
Up Your Garden Game with Don Tipping RMSA board member and Siskiyou Seeds owner Don Tipping has a new live video Garden Coaching Course to help take your gardening skills to the next level! Don has over 30 years of experience growing an incredibly diverse organic seed farm and he’ll be offering his personal tips and tricks gained over the years in this exclusive online garden coaching program. This is a great opportunity to learn from Don directly and join him in the greenhouse, field, and seed room for hands-on demonstrations and real-life experience. The program features live online video tutorials with Don demonstrating specific gardening skills. The Garden Coaching Course is available in two 4-month blocks – each is $100, or $180 if purchased together. Click here to learn more and register for this outstanding course!
Stay Connected with RMSA For questions regarding seed saving and current seed news, contact Bill McDorman: bill@rockymountainseeds.org For questions about seed vaulting or seed libraries, contact John Caccia: jc@rockymountainseeds.org For general inquiries, contact Belle Starr: belle@rockymountainseeds.org For questions about the Seed Stewards or Grain Trials programs, contact Lee-Ann Hill: Lee-Ann@rockymountainseeds.org 928-255-1125 \| www.rockymountainseeds.org Stay up to date with current seed news by checking in regularly with the RMSA Facebook page.