Seed Sources
One of our goals at the Hudson Valley Seed Library is to develop a network of organic and certified naturally grown seed growers in the Hudson Valley region of New York State and surrounding areas. For the 2012 catalog, seeds for over 75 Library Packs and six of our Art Packs were locally grown--mostly on our own small farm in Accord. Our purchased seed comes from responsible seed houses not owned by biotech corporations. We do our best to source as much of our purchased seed as possible from certified organic suppliers. We believe in providing as much transparency as possible; we will soon post a chart on this page to allow you to use the codes on our seed packs to figure out exactly where the seed came from. We wrote a blog post titled "Which Way Do You Sow?", which addresses this topic in greater detail; have a read! We do not sell any seed grown by companies engaged in the genetic modification of living organisms. We have taken the Safe Seed Pledge, which states: "Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms poses great biological risks, as well as economic, political and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthy people and communities." Thanks for your support--and please contact us if you have any questions. |