By Teresa Pereira, Conservation Programs Coordinator & Cora Greenisen, Farm Production Coordinator
Originally Published in Seedhead News No. 132, 2026.
Rows of green corn stretched across the Conservation Farm, growing taller by the day under the Arizona sun. In every row, an irreplaceable genetic snapshot is preserved, whose cultural significance holds generations of connections. The corn—two landrace maize varieties, San Xavier and Mojave—was grown at the Conservation Center during the 2025 monsoon season as part of a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) and the Office of Tribal Relations.
We seeded the first week of July. First to flower was the Mojave: short and compact, averaging 4 feet tall. Tassels emerged (male parts) which produced viable pollen, and shoots formed (female parts) which eventually developed into the ear. We followed detailed hand‑pollination protocols to ensure successful pollination and genetic maintenance, often in the field by 6am, as pollen becomes nonviable at 90 degrees. Mornings began before heat settled over the field, wearing aprons with paper bags, staples, snips, and flagging tape down rows. Some days brought hours of pollinating work, while others were spent monitoring and recording observations: from flowering to signs of stress on the population.
Growth of silk on the ears was noticeable within hours, even minutes, as if noticing their breathing. We developed a synchronicity with the corn, and with each other. We moved through rows harmoniously, listening closely to the rhythm they created. As the Mojave finished tasseling, the San Xavier entered its flowering stage. Once again, the cadence of their growth in sync with each other and allowed us to care for the two varieties more feasibly and with thoughtful attention.
The San Xavier was tall and dense, some plants reaching 13 feet tall. A variety of colors appeared on the silk and tassels, including gold and pink. The ears were significantly larger than the Mojave, some shaped like a football. Because maize is wind‑pollinated, every variety must be carefully isolated to prevent cross‑pollination. During flowering, pollen and silks are bagged individually the day before, then the next day, pollen bags are collected and applied to the silk, one ear at a time. The work is repetitive, meticulous, and entirely dependent on timing and close observation. The flowering window is critical for a successful grow‑out.
Working so closely with these accessions also gave us a new appreciation for maize diversity. One of us came from the Midwest, seeing corn as a carbon copy of the same plant, uniform in color, height, and form. These two varieties were certainly anything but uniform. Ears varying in size and shape, carrying traits shaped by generations of adaptation to the arid landscape we live in. Looking across the field, it was impossible to think of corn as a single crop. Instead, a collection of stories, each one reflecting the people and places that stewarded these varieties long before they arrived at the Conservation Farm.
during the 2025 monsoon season.
For a single growing season, we became part of a longer chain of stewardship. As gardeners, we’re used to tending many crops at once. Through this grow‑out, we got to know two living varieties deeply, day by day. Seeds harvested were returned to the USDA, and a portion is stored at the NS/S Seed Bank, where it remains available to communities with ties to them. Our role is temporary, but the impact extends beyond one harvest. We often wonder as seasons change and carry forward, if we’ll meet these two corn accessions again or if this experience was singular. It has certainly become a permanent time stamp on our lives and our friendship.
Conservation doesn’t just happen in a seed vault—it takes many forms, people, and processes, spanning vast timelines. As stewardship today helps ensure these remarkable varieties continue to grow and adapt, so does our relationship to the sentient beings around us.
For more information about this grow‑out, as well as the USDA‑ARS click here.
This article was originally published in 2026 Seedhead News No. 132. Read the full newsletter here