At the National Plant Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon,
plant pathologist Joseph Postman examines a dwarf blueberry
mutantjust one example of clonal germplasm that is available to
members of the Farmer Cooperative Genome Project for evaluation
or further development. There's nothing more basic to
agriculture than collecting seeds from a crop and replanting
them the next season. Documenting how well the seeds grow brings
science to the venture. Share the results, and you have
education; sell the seeds, and you add business to the equation.
A unique informal alliance between the Agricultural Research
Service and a group of organic farmers pulls these components
together in a manner that may benefit scientists, growers, and
consumers. The Farmer Cooperative Genome Project (FCGP) based in
Junction City, Oregon, seeks to increase the diversity of crop
seeds offered for sale to small farmers and gardeners, teach
organic farmers how to regenerate seed, and eventually provide
the ARS National Plant Germplasm