John Navazio manages the plant breeding program at Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine.
John takes us on a seedy tour of the early days of organic and local vegetable production, and his journey into the world of variety selection, horizontal disease resistance, participatory plant breeding, and why quality seed and quality varietal maintenance matters for every farmer.
We dig into the modern history of hybrids, why open-pollinated crops can be a competitive alternative, and why some of your favorite hybrid varieties just up and disappear – as well as why some of your favorite open-pollinated varieties devolve over time, while others just get better.
The Farmer to Farmer Podcast is generously supported by Vermont Compost Company.