Ep. 81 Breeding Adaptive Crops - Brett Grohsgal, Even'Star Organic Farm

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   🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 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     🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 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!