| July 24, 2007 - Organic Seed Partnership Vegetable Variety Selection Workshop (Flanders Bay Farm, Flanders, NY) 3 - 6 PM
* Folks on Long Island also have an opportunity for hands-on training in selecting for improved vegetable varieties—from an expert grower/breeder. Host Ken Ettlinger, founder of the Long Island Seed Project and conserver/creator of much vegetable crop diversity, has set up plantings of broccoli, squash, and other crops to help participants learn the selection process firsthand. You’ll come away with techniques that you can put to use on your farm or in your home garden. Also on hand will be two other breeders working to help organic growers: Jim Myers from Oregon State University and George Moriarty from Cornell University. Learn about their breeding projects on blight-resistant tomatoes, powdery mildew tolerant Costata Romanesca squash, and more. Take advantage of this rare confluence of expertise and vegetable crop diversity!
* Flanders Bay Farm is located on Rte 24 in Flanders. Contact Ken at ken@liseed.org for directions and more information.
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 From Left to right: farmer-breeder Ken Ettlinger and public sector breeder's Jim Myers (OSU) and George Moriarty (Cornell). Jim and George have been involved in breeding projects on blight-resistant tomatoes, beans for the processing industry, powdery mildew tolerant Costata Romanesco squash, earlier cucumbers, anthocyanin-rich tomatoes and more. What a rare treat to hear from two of America's foremost plant breeders.  Organic farmer, Phil Barbados, participant in the Organic Seed Partnership sells his produce at farmers market in Westhampton, NY   Naturalist and Garlic Grower Tom Stock can't resist Vanguard 75, contributed to the OSP program by USDA-Salinas. Now difficult to find seed of unless you raise your own, Vanguard is a crisphead lettuce that is disease resistant and performs well on Long Island's sandy soils.  Elizabeth Dyck coordinates the OSP (Organic Seed Partnership) program for NOFA-NY and is an important link between the organic farming community, small seed companies and plant breeders. The OSP is in it's last year of funding.  Mindy Block, owner of "Parsley's Garden", Port Jefferson and farmer advocate.   Organic Insect Control  Founder of the Historical Society Westhapton Beach, NY, Farmers Market, Elsa Collins 
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Scenes From July, 2007
Organic Seed Partnership Breeder's Workshop
 Over 40 people turned out to tour the gardens at Flanders Bay Farm and learn about breeding for organic systems. Farmers and NOFA Folks on Long Island had an opportunity for hands-on training in selecting for improved vegetable varieties—from two outstanding public sector (university) vegetable breeders. Jim Myers from Oregon State University and George Moriarty from Cornell University.  Scott Chasky, president of the Long Island NOFA chapter and manager of the Peconic land Trust's Quail Hill Preserve operates a large CSA.  NOFA members learn about the history of the Oregon State University Broccoli that has been selected for it's performance in organic systems both in the northwest and northeast U.S.  Jim Myers from Oregon State University talks about record keeping in the field using a hand held PDA and Spreadsheet Software.  Once a cucumber or melon flower is pollinated, to protect it from insect crossing George Moriarty demonstrated the use of large gel capsules which are placed over the female blossoms.  East meets West: Cross made on Flanders Bay Farm in 2006 uses OSU 19 as female and Cornell's Harlequin as the male. The third year of selecting OSU Broccoli seems to be showing two potential breeding lines: a very tender long neck kind and a very large beautiful domed head kind. The group spent time talking about characteristics that make the best broccoli for both consumer and organic grower.   Rows of bush squash ready to practice hand pollination on.   New Zealand Kiwi Vines don't escape notice now in the seventh year from seed and full of fruit. |