Virtual Conference Series
Registration is Open!
Seed Savers Exchange members receive 10% off registration. Not yet a member? Join today!
Embark on a journey through time at our three-day virtual conference series on Zoom, “Growing Together: Past, Present, and Future. ”
Friday, May 2
Friday, June 6
Friday, July 11
Join us for inspiring keynote speakers, informational workshops, and a chance to connect with the larger seed community.
By registering, you will have access to all three days of programming and recordings of any sessions you may miss. There is no need to register for individual days. Featured sessions are listed below.
May 2, 2025, The Past
Day one, “Growing Together: The Past,” is dedicated to honoring the foundations and legacies that have shaped our agricultural practices, connecting us to traditions and ancestries that continue to influence our work today. By examining the past of the seed community through both celebratory and critical lenses, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of our roots and their impact on contemporary practices.
Featured Sessions:
9:00 AM CT – Keynote Speaker Matthew Raiford, chef, farmer, cookbook author
10:30 AM CT – The Heritage Seed Library: Grown in the Past, Sown for the Future, presented by Catrina Fenton, head of Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library, managing the United Kingdom’s national living collection of heritage vegetable varieties.
11:30 AM CT – The Hands That Hold Tomorrow: Women, Keepers of Seeds, Preservers of Culture, presented by Lauren Beatty, program manager for Land Together, where she oversees ecological education, cultural preservation, and leadership programs at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
1:30 PM CT – Seeds of Legacy: Honoring Ancestral Wisdom in Modern Seed Saving, presented by LaNoana Odom, founder and executive director of Sowing Good Seeds, The Butterfly Effect Foundation.
2:30 PM CT – Dr. Albert Yeager and the Quest to Bring Tomato Plants to the Plains, presented by Jeremy Gill, historian and Extension Master Gardener from Kansas.
3:30 PM CT – Seed Savers Exchange’s seed historian, Sara Straate
Bonus Sessions:
Tea: Teaching History Through Food, presented by Gwen Kvavli Gulliksen
Interview with George McLaughlin – George and his wife, Jerreth, have listed on The Exchange, Seed Savers Exchange’s gardener-to-gardener seed swap since 1985.
June 6, 2025, The Present
Day two, “Growing Together: The Present,” will explore the current landscape of seed technology, breeding projects, and the challenges and successes faced by communities worldwide. This day offers a comprehensive snapshot of contemporary advancements and issues in the field, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Featured Sessions:
9:00 AM CT – Keynote Speaker Desirae Abella, enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and of Omaha descent
10:30 AM CT – Meetings with Remarkable Seeds—and the Amazing People Who Nurture Them, presented by Adam Alexander, award-winning film and television producer and author of The Accidental Seed Heroes.
11:45 AM CT – Growing Food, Growing Community, presented by Sarah Salvatore, the director of Eartha’s Farm and Market, a nonprofit in Jacksonville, Florida.
1:30 PM CT – You Can Grow Seed on a Market Farm, presented by Dan Brisebois, author of The Seed Farmer, co-author of Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers, and host of The Seed Farmer podcast.
2:45 PM CT – Tending to Diversity: How Culture Shapes Garden Agroecosystems, presented by Stephen Stresow-Cortez, who began gardening as a middle schooler in El Paso, Texas, and is currently a doctoral student and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Fellow at Michigan State University.
3:45 PM CT – The Greenspace Revolution, presented by Breanna Bertacchi, who resides on the South Side of Chicago, focuses on incorporating greener-living initiatives into their life, including hen keeping, composting, foraging, and seed saving.
Bonus Sessions:
The Garden Club at Belmont Village Senior Care: How Residents With Disabilities Garden Together, presented by Carrol Smith
Common Seed: A Mobilization for Seed Sovereignty in Thailand, presented by Jon Jandai, a farmer, earthen builder, seed saver, teacher, father, and community activist from Thailand’s Isan region.
July 11, 2025, The Future
On the final day of our virtual conference, “Growing Together: The Future,” we focus on the horizon, exploring how the seed community can adapt, innovate, and mentor future generations to cultivate a resilient and thriving agricultural landscape. This day is dedicated to fostering intergenerational collaboration, developing creative partnerships, and implementing sustainable practices that will carry us forward.
Featured Sessions:
9:00 AM CT – Keynote Speakers from the United States Botanic Garden
10:30 AM CT – Addressing Climate Change Through Green Agricultural Solutions, presented by Birndze Bete, an African social entrepreneur and the founder of Green Space Academy, a youth-led climate initiative.
11:45 AM CT -Preserving Our History and Protecting Our Future, One Seed at a Time, presented by Josie Walker and LaShauna Austria, founders of Black Seed Saving Collective.
1:30 PM CT – Finding a Place to Plant a Seed, presented by Mary Ann V. Smith, a biology and chemistry faculty member at Penn State Schuylkill specializing in sustainability education.
2:45 PM CT – Plant It Forward: Expanding Gardening Access One Seed at a Time, presented by Barkha Bishnoi and Maddie Yang, high school students and co-founders of Food to Flourish, an organization dedicated to expanding nutrition access through a sustainable lens.
3:45 PM CT – Heritage and Historic Apples at Seed Savers Exchange with Jamie Hanson, SSE orchard manager
Bonus Sessions:
Bugs as Friends in the Garden: A Young Scientist’s Guide to Amazing Insects, presented by Mimzy Kemp, a six-year-old scientist with a boundless passion for insects and the youngest member of the Vermont Entomological Society.
Cultivating Relationships to Regrow the Past, presented by Joel Barthel, an educator who has served in public and private schools for the past two decades.
