Once managed as a public resource, seed is now one of the most privatized agricultural inputs today. Public plant breeding programs were originally designed to develop publicly available crop varieties meant to be used freely by farmers and other researchers. However, over the past few decades intellectual property rights policies, the consolidation of the agriculture industry, and declining federal investment in public cultivar research have shifted the balance of plant breeding activity at land grant universities from projects that benefit the public good towards research that supports private enterprise. Public plant breeding programs may now be at risk of extinction, which would have severe implications for the future of agriculture, including organic and regenerative farming practices.
Join us for a lively panel discussion to learn more about the current state of seed policy, public plant breeding and the impact on our food system.
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