The Seed Farmer Podcast

Kate McEvoy and Ben Gabel run Real Seeds in Pembrokeshire in west Wales.

In this episode, Ben and Kate discuss their company structure that operates without shareholders to prioritize high quality seed, fair staff wages, and customer education over profit extraction.We talk about DIY equipment such as their Zigzag seed cleaner and 3D-Printed Seed Measuring Scoops. That they have shared both these designs with the broader seed community. We get into selecting varieties for cool and humid conditions.

In the deep dive, we discuss growing kale for seed. We tackle the challenge of distinguishing between Brassica oleracea and Brassica napus kale species. Ben and Kate outline their complete process for growing kale in West Wales, covering how they manage severe pigeon pest pressure, their approach to post-winter selection, how they construct field staking, and why harvesting early when seeds just begin turning brown inside the pods is critical for avoiding bird loss and achieving top germination rates.

Enjoy the conversation!

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Episode links

Real Seeds website https://realseeds.co.uk/

Real Seeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/realseeds/

Open-source Seed Cleaning Machine https://realseeds.co.uk/seedcleaner.html

Open-source Seed Measuring Scoops https://realseeds.co.uk/handscoops.html

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Pre-Order The Profitable Farmer Book

Pre-Order the Profitable Farmer from New Society Publishers https://newsociety.com/book/the-profitable-farmer/?aff=90

Pre-Order the Profitable Farmer from Tourne-Sol farm https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/en/collections/books-dan-brisebois

Get The Bonus Case Studies when you pre-order The Profitable Farmer https://www.theprofitablefarmer.com/

Register for the Step Off the Treadmill webinar https://thefarmersoffice.com/freewebinar-tpf/

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The Seed Farmer Mentorship is back. You can get all the details and register at https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/mentorship

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Julia Shanks (from the Farmer's Office) joins me on today's minisode to talk about our soon to be published book The Profitable Farmer: Strategic Business Planning for Profit, Purpose, and Quality of Life.

We get into the importance of running a farm that sustains you and doesn't burn you out, the four pillars that support your farm, and we peek behind the scenes at all the steps that happen between submitting what you might think is the Final Manuscript to get to the actual Final Final Final version of the book.

We also talk about how to get the 3 bonus case studies we've put together for everyone who pre-orders the book. Each case study is designed around a Cost of Production budget. One for a vegetable crop, one for a cut flower, and one for a seed crop.

Enjoy the conversation!

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News links

Pre-Order the Profitable Farmer from New Society Publishers https://newsociety.com/book/the-profitable-farmer/?aff=90

Pre-Order the Profitable Farmer from Tourne-Sol farm https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/en/collections/books-dan-brisebois

Get The Bonus Case Studies when you pre-order The Profitable Farmer https://www.theprofitablefarmer.com/

Register for the Step Off the Treadmill webinar https://thefarmersoffice.com/freewebinar-tpf/

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Lane Selman is the founding director of the Culinary Breeding Network based in Portland, Oregon. She is also a professor of practice at Oregon State University and the co-author of the brand new book Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable.

In this episode, Lane and I talk about the origin story behind the Culinary Breeding Network. We get into the importance of connecting plant breeders and farmers with chefs. And we talk about the importance of good open pollinated varieties in a shifting landscape where your favourite hybrids can suddenly disappear.

And then it is Radicchio time: we unravel the confusing nomenclature that surrounds this deliciously bitter vegetable, the precision of planting dates to get these plants to head up the right way, and the art and science of forcing Raidicchio.

I also gush quite a lot about Lane's new book. I really loved reading it and it answered so many chicory questions that I've had for the longest time and so many questions I hadn't even considered formulating.

Enjoy the conversation!

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The Seed Farmer Mentorship is back. You can get all the details and register at https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/mentorship

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Episode links

Get the book Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable https://www.culinarybreedingnetwork.com/radicchio-book

Culinary Breeding Network website https://www.culinarybreedingnetwork.com/

Culinary Breeding Network on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/culinarybreedingnetwork

Culinary Breeding Network on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CulinaryBreedingNetwork

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Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Seed Farming is about building a relationship with different crops. Learning how they grow, what they want, how to work with them … and it can take many years to build this relationship. Sometimes you think you figured them out but then you realised you hadn't. Other times, you think you figured them out, you realise you didn't, and then you discover you actually had figured them out.

This is a story about an open pollinated Chinese Cabbaga I was trying to figure out.

Enjoy the minisode!

And don't forget The Seed Farmer Mentorship is back. You can get all the details and register at https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/mentorship

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

September is a busy month on your farm with to-do lists stretched to the limit and weather constantly on your mind. Even so, now is the ideal time to take a few moments to think about your season review. Waiting until November means dealing with missing information that is impossible to recover once the fields are clear. This minisode will set you up with what field records you want to have for the season, and how to go back and complete them if you have partial records (or even no records!)

Enjoy the show!

Also, The Seed Farmer Mentorship is also back!

You can get all the details and register at https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/mentorship

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Carol Deppe is on the pod this week to talk about a new grant from OSSI (Open Source Seed Initiative) for Independent Plant Breeders Developing Organic-Adapted Open Source Varieties.

The deadline to apply is Sept 15 and is open to all farmers and freelance breeders.

All the details are in the episode and on OSSI's website

https://osseeds.org/ossi-plant-breeder-grants/

A head's up that though this episode does get a bit into Carol's personal seed story, this episode focuses on OSSI. Carol will come back in the future to talk about her seed work and her books (including Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties).

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Episode link

OSSI website

https://osseeds.org/

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Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Brett Grohsgal runs Even'Star Organic Farm in Lexington, Maryland alongside his wife Dr. Christine Bergmark. They grow vegetables for CSA and farmers markets but they also keep a number of their own seed lines that are a large part of the success of their farm.

In this episode, Brett and I talk about how to breed adaptive crops for a region and for extreme weather resilience. Brett has also eliminated most overhead irrigation and significantly reduced the amount of fertilizer that he applies on his fields, which adds even more selection pressure to his crops. We get into his work with brassicas, especially his Icebred and Coyote Arugula. We also talk about when you should keep your own seeds and when you might rely on purchased seeds.

In the deep dive, Brett and I discuss cherry tomatoes for seed: how he dehybridized two hybrids by crossing them with op varieties, how he's been selecting them for years for exceptional flavor and disease resistance, and what seed harvest looks like, Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Episode links

Even'Star website https://evenstarfarm.bigcartel.com

Even'Star on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/evenstarfarm.org/

You can find some Even'Star brassicas at Fedco https://fedcoseeds.com/search?search=Brett+Grohsgal

You can read Brett's seed articles in the Growing For Market Archives https://growingformarket.com/?s=Brett+Grohsgal

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Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

The fruiting seed crops are starting to pile up in buckets and it's time to decide whether to ferment or not! In this minisode we get into why you might want to ferment a wet seeded crop, what crops are generally fermented, and why you should be cautious with squash.

Enjoy the show!

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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News links

Thursday Aug 20 at 7pm Eastern Seed Growers Open House Call https://seedalliance.org/osa-quarterly-calls/

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Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Gregg Muller operates Useful Seeds out of Bendigo, Australia. His seed journey began when Carol Deppe's writing inspired him to start breeding colorful snowpeas right in his own yard. This home-scale plant breeding effort quickly expanded into many different breeding projects and running a small seed company.

In this episode, Gregg shares how his breeding work has shifted from selecting for specific traits to developing resilient landraces tuned for local adaptation. We discuss the logistics, challenges, and opportunities behind grassroots seed distribution and community-based breeding. Gregg also highlights some of his breeding projects, including red-podded peas and compact, drought-tolerant butternut pumpkins.

In the deep dive, Gregg and I explore growing fava beans (broadbeans) for seed. Gregg tackles the challenge of selecting for culinary traits within a diverse genetic mix sourced from global gene banks. He explains his practical approach to breeding for multi-use value from tender green shoots and edible baby pods to rehydratable dry beans, not to mention beautiful flowers. And we get into threshing and winnowing favas too.

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Episode links

Useful Seeds website https://www.usefulseeds.com/

Useful Seeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/useful_seeds/

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News links

Thursday Aug 20 at 7pm Eastern Seed Growers Open House Call https://seedalliance.org/osa-quarterly-calls/

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

In this minisode, we head into the field to evaluate eight bok choy varieties and see how they fared in the summer heat. This was part of a national variety trial organized by CANOVI, a collaboration between the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm and the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security at SeedChange. Let's break down how you can run quick small-scale trials that don't take much space on your farm. Then we'll see how the different F1 and OP Bok Choy varieties performed.

Enjoy the show!

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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News links

Thursday Aug 20 at 7pm Eastern

Seed Growers Open House Call

https://seedalliance.org/osa-quarterly-calls/

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!