National Native Seed Production Conference, A Success!

Jeff Norcini, University of Florida, (850) 342-0988

Nearly 150 people from across the U.S. came to Orlando this April to attend Seeds for the Future, a 3-day workshop to learn more about native wildflower and grass seed production. Speakers from the federal, state, and private sector presented information on marketing, technical aspects of the native seed business, seed certification, and agencies to contact for advice and information. Dr. Carol Baskin, a widely recognized expert on seed ecology, dormancy, and germination, gave the keynote speech and stressed the importance of understanding germination and dormancy characteristics.

The main messages conveyed at the workshop were

• Demand for native wildflower and grass seed far exceeds the supply. There are markets for this seed in the federal, state, and private sectors. For example, Peggy Olwell (Bureau of Land Mgmt., Washington, DC) reported that native seed is being sought for 647 million acres of federally managed lands.
• The industry is relatively young but continues to emerge.
• Setting seed quality standards is important to ensure that growers are competing on a level playing field.
• Weeds are still the biggest problem in seed production.
• There is a substantial investment in time, money, and character for those in the seed production business. For those entering the business, up to 5 years may be needed from planting to harvesting and selling.

Plans are being made for a follow-up workshop, maybe as soon as next year.
For more information about the conference

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