[Seedgeeks] permie gathering participants

[Nick Routledge]

fyi, this just in from Micaela Colley, who is about as solid a participant
as it gets. I'm sure she'd be part of a group discussion. She raised the
issue of how to apply the permaculture model to seed cycles, which is the
essence of what we'll be addressing, I sense. 

And I'm just heard from Jim Myers at OSU, who sez he does no speaking
engagements during the growing season. Again, I have a sense that if the
platform is hip enough, we'll get him there. He pointed me at Carol Miles
at Washington State. Hooray. Another woman. She's a longish way off, but
I'll drop her a note and see if there's interest. With Micaela basically
on board, and Portland Heather, that's two women where we have no men yet
committed. What a fine position to find ourselves in, eh?

Oh, by the by, the description Frank Morton gave at the last FCGP gig of
his endive breeding struck me as a classic example of ecological breeding
- applying the permie model to seed cycles.

Heather, Taylor. Would y'all endeavor to push forward with your contacts
somewhat smartly. Again, try to work on the assumption that if we get a
"no" just now, we'll be able to shift it to a "yes" over the coming weeks
as things firm up. Walk softly, leave doors open.

Anybody interested in signing up for the trip to Tim Peters in Myrtle
Creek?

n.

--


--- Micaela Colley <mrcolley at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 21:09:18 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
> From: Micaela Colley <mrcolley at earthlink.net>
> To: Nick Routledge <fellowservant at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: bioregional seed stewardship
> 
> Hi Nick,
> Nice to connect with the local community. I'm an Oregonian, but just
> back the last yr and a half after 4 yrs in New Mexico. I managed the
> Seeds of Change Research farm there for the extent of my stay. I still
> work with SOC managing cooperating on-farm variety trials and the SOC
> bulk program. Deborah (one of my favorite people) is one of my
> cooperators (more cooperative than most). Alan is also very dear to me,
> I'm glad he'll be shining. I was exposed to more permaculture
> communities in New Mex than I ever was here in the Willamette Valley.
> Good to know there is an active community. 
> I'd love to attend, but as September is already jam packed for me, I'm
> reluctant to commit to talking too much, though I will bring seeds for
> swaping. One brainstorm: a group discussion of how seeds fit into a
> permaculture model, or rather how to apply the permaculture model to
> seed cycles. We seed people sometimes get caught up in varietal purity
> and a harest-transport-package mentality. Though I've seen farms where
> mixed Italian Rapini's are allowed to go to seed, bulk harvested,
> re-applied in fall (still in pod with stubble etc.) between orchard tree
> rows, and just run through with a golf course aerator, then harvested in
> spring and sold to upscale restaurants in San Fransisco. Makes me think
> we sometimes work too hard. Anyway, food for thought. I think
> permaculture has something to offer the seed community and vice-versa.
> Suggestions of others I know locally: Heather Smith with Oregon Tilth,
> who runs the FCGP (Farmer Cooperative Genome Project). And Frank Morton
> of Shoulder to Shoulder Farm who is an independant seed
> breeder/farmer/perveyor. If you need numbers I can dig them up. Keep me
> posted on the agenda.
> Look forward to meeting you.
> Cheers, Micaela




		
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