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Partner Farmer Program

partner farmer kyle swimmer

Native Seeds/SEARCH relies on partnering with a network of farmers throughout the Southwest. These partnerships help to grow out and increase the seed varieties we steward, with a focus on working with Indigenous farmers growing in or near the areas these seeds were collected. We are looking for more farmers to partner with us to do grow-outs, whether through a seed exchange agreement or a contract agreement.

Bulk Seed Exchange
A seed exchange agreement involves farmers receiving seeds from us (at no charge) and at the end of the season they agree to return half (or one quarter for Native Farmers) of their seed harvest to NS/S.

There is no financial penalty for crop failure. The returned seed, as a fraction of the total seed harvested, will allow participants to harvest plenty for food or save seed to plant in the future.

Contract Growing
Experienced farmers capable of growing a quarter acre or more of a particular seed variety may be interested in being paid to grow seed as a part of a contract agreement, where NS/S will pay the grower to grow out select varieties. Interested participants should contact NS/S to discuss the varieties they are interested in growing and the amount of land they plan to cultivate.

Due to limited quantities, not all varieties in the collection may be available, but we will work with participants to match requests with seed availability. If you are interested in partnering please contact us at 520.622.0830 xt.115 or email us at conservation@nativeseeds.org. 

You can view our 2022 Partner Farmer growers here>>

 

Pictured above: Left: NS/S AG Outreach & Education Manager Dr. Andrea Carter. Right: Partner Farmer Kyle Swimmer with his crop of Laguna Corn grown in Laguna Pueblo, NM with the support of Yakanal.