Seed School students roll up their seed grids in germination paper. We are going to let them germinate and then determine the percentage that did. Seed farms must perform these tests to pass state regulations.

At Seed School we are learning about the science, business and magic of seeds. Bill McDorman has been in the seed business for 30 years and is a passionate lecturer. Our first seminar was on the history and future of the seed business, with an introduction to plant genetics and breeding. The School is in the Verde Valley,  just south of Sedona. This is the high desert, and the Valley is surrounded by magnificent plateaus with sandstone hues that range from black to bright red. There are lots of beautiful wildflowers growing wild around, and we will be wildcrafting some seeds later in the week. The seed business has experienced a frightening level of consolidation in the past few decades, which threatens the diversity of our food crops. Part of the mission of Seed School is to empower communities to select, save and share seeds.