Lessons from Organic Seed Usage Farmer Listening Session

Written by Brian Geier

In the sixth Seeds of Success: Farmer to Farmer Networking Session, held on March 5, 2025, nearly 40 participants gathered virtually to share their thoughts and firsthand experiences using and producing organic seed. The session was co-hosted by the National Organic Coalition (NOC), Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), Organic Farmers Association (OFA), and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA). Like all Seeds of Success sessions, this was a facilitated, farmer-to-farmer conversation designed to support farmer-driven solutions, information sharing, and the identification of areas for future research and support.

Understanding the Organic Seed Requirement

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, per the Seeds and planting stock planting standard (7 CFR 205.204).

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. 

The dialogue from participants in this networking session is summarized below and will help guide advocacy for balanced solutions that strengthen organic integrity and the seed supply.

The State of Organic Seed report from the Organic Seed Alliance provides insights on organic seed usage and an action plan to increase organic seed supply while fostering decentralized organic seed grower networks.

Key Insights from the Listening Session

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.

A Delicata squash seed crop cures in bins at White Oak Farm and Education Center, Oregon.

Producer Insights 

• 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 producers 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.

Voices from Technical Service Providers, Policymakers, and Educators

• 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.

Looking Ahead

We are incredibly grateful to our co-hosts for this session — NOC, OSA, OFA, and OEFFA — whose collaboration, recruitment, and facilitation support made the conversation possible.

We are looking forward to disseminating these findings with the National Organic Standards Board, the National Organic Program, and the entirety of the organic seed industry spectrum (from growers, to seed breeders, retailers, and researchers). Based on the interest of participants and registrants, we are looking at hosting similar iterations of the conversation, making space for more voices and perspectives.

For another perspective and complementary summary, we recommend reading this recap of the listening session from the National Organic Coalition, which includes additional context and reflections.

About the Seeds of Success Series

OFRF has partnered with the Organic Farmers Association (OFA) and National Organic Coalition (NOC) to lead a series of virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions. These facilitated events will be engaging opportunities for farmers to share their challenges and successes, and will be accompanied with relevant resources you can use.

To learn more about these and other events from OFRF visit: https://ofrf.org/events/

Funding for this series is provided by a cooperative agreement between OFRF and USDA- NIFA to highlight research investments made through both OREI and ORG grant programs.

Learn more about the Organic Agriculture program at USDA-NIFA at:  https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/organic-agriculture-program