Marie-Claude Comeau of Ferme La Radicule

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Organic Seed Alliance is a US-based nonprofit that advances ethical seed solutions to meet food and farming needs in a changing world. OSA’s work ensures an abundant and diverse supply of ecologically grown seed, tended in perpetuity by skilled and diverse communities of seed stewards. To advance this mission, we serve growers working with seed at any scale through participatory research, practical education, policy advocacy, and network development. Join our online seed community at organicseedcommons.org, search our resources at seedalliance.org and read recommendations for advancing organic seed at stateoforganicseed.org. 

SeedHeads is the cross-pollinating podcast where our Canadian seed heroes tell their stories, share their “how to” tips, and talk about the seeds they love. Join Steph Benoit and Hugo Martorell as they host conversations that are both technically useful and personally inspiring, as guests share the myriad ways that seeds are at the centre of our lives as growers and eaters. If you’re interested in hearing from people who are passionate about saving, stewarding, and sharing seed, subscribe to SeedHeads in your favourite podcast app or go to SEEDSECURITY.CA and get started with seasons 1 and 2 of SeedHeads today. SeedHeads is a podcast inspired by Canadian seed growers, and hosted by The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security — a program of SeedChange. Season 3 is coming in 2022, as always, with episodes in French and English.

Marie-Claude Comeau of Ferme La Radicule is situated in Manseau, Quebec (zone 4B). She grows certified organic seed with draft horses, which she sells exclusively on seed contracts. She talks about why, after working with both vegetables and seeds, she chose to go "all in" on seed production, how and why she came to farm with horses having little previous experience, what considerations go into her choice of seed crops, and the technical details of growing two acres of cucurbits. Hint: there is a log-splitter and shop-vac involved. She concludes with how to finish legume seed crops in a wet-Fall climate and the joy/worry of scaling to enter the US market.

Mentioned in the show...

The Winnow Wizard, one of the machines she uses to process seeds

The Millet Wet Seed Extractor, another seed processing machine she uses

Follow Dan Brisebois on Instagram

Check out Dan's blog Going to Seed

See where Dan farms cooperatively at Tourne-Sol Cooperative Farm