Research and Education Seed Farm

On March 1st, 2019 we leased three and a half acres of certified organic land at the Maple Lane Agricultural Innovation Centre in Abbotsford. Our Research and Education Seed Farm has become a nucleus for local seed development where we conduct our public breeding trials. Our team also facilitates citizen learning opportunities in an effort to further engage with city and farm folks on the potential of seed production in BC.

With this, a first-of-its-kind model in BC, we plan to demonstrate that seed production can be economically viable. Our team records the amount of weeding, planting, and irrigation required to grow our crops in a journal which acts as a helpful farm planning tool. We then harvest, count, and record data for particular vegetable varieties like watermelon radish and lemon cucumber as part of our many trials and public seed breeding collaborations. Tools, such as our Seed Enterprise Budgets, helps us monetize inputs, costs, and additional steps required to grow certain crops in order to determine the agro-economics of each variety best suited for BC’s growing conditions

David working on Kale at the Research and Education Seed Farm

We work to advance vegetable seed research through a number of programs and collaborations with growers to analyze plant performance based on regional climate, soil, and growing methods. Currently, it remains difficult to find seed production standards that apply to all farmers. Our team hopes to fill this void and provide useful information from our research. Seeds and resulting produce from our farm and network of breeders contribute to a genetic pool that will create original varieties in BC and ultimately help sustain our local food systems. Some of our seeds are available for sale through BC Eco Seed Co-op.

 

An overhead view of the FarmFolk CityFolk Research & Education Seed Farm in early September 2020.

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