*Update: The SeedLinked participatory variety trials are LIVE on their website and this year include cherry tomato and colored pepper trials AND a NO-TILL squash trial!*

Nicolas of SeedLinked and Julie of University of Madison Wisconsin are leaders in participatory plant breeding. They are helping develop varieties that are regionally adapted to the traits that matter for direct market growers like most of you! They've developed a platform to make it easier to include farmers in variety trials to select for things like taste. I know everyone listening is involved in farming or gardening, largely because you know that not all tomatoes and carrots are created equal. Variety matters. Production practices matter. How long it takes to get the product into the hands of the customer matters. Truth be told, I do not have the personality to be a direct market farmer, so props to all of you out there, but when I WAS farming and someone would tell me they never liked brussels sprouts until they ate MY brussels sprouts, it was one of the most rewarding feelings. So, what Nicolas and Julie are doing in their participatory plant breeding work is trying to spread that feeling by increasing our collective capacity for developing new and amazing varieties. The website for their project is SeedLinked.com

Their work is truly inspiring and we hope some of you growers out there can get involved!

Mentioned in the show notes...

Download the SeedLinked App

Follow SeedLink on Instagram and keep up with their work

Participate in a Seedlink.com variety trial (sign-ups page)

Organic Association of Kentucky Annual Conference

Folks who make the show possible...

Farmers Friend for caterpillar tunnels, harvest equipment, tarps, & more! Get free shipping through ->> farmersfriend.com/notill 

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

BCS America for two wheel tractors + implements, on sale through the end of the year!

University of Wisconsin-Madison and their new certificate in organic agriculture.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the folks who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers, you can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat (yep, back in stock and shipping now), and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our brand new forum at notillgrowers.community.chat