The Seed Farmer Podcast

Dan Brisebois

The Seed Farmer Podcast with Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm. Every episode I'm going to bring you a conversation with a grower who has integrated Saving Seeds into their own farm systems. Some grow seed crops to sell commercially and some do it just for their own farm use. I'm hoping their stories will make you want to save seed on your own farm... and if you already save seed on your farm, I hope it makes you want to save more!

  1. 5D AGO

    Ep. 53 Collard Greens: The Jazz of American Cuisine - Bonnetta Adeeb, Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance

    Bonnetta Adeeb is a founding member of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a program of the non-profit STEAM Onward based in Maryland. Bonnetta is dedicated to increasing the number of BIPOC seed farmers stewarding culturally meaningful crops and liberating seeds from "seed jail".   In this episode, Bonnetta shares her journey to find the Stone Mountain Watermelon, a variety mentioned in family lore that allowed her ancestors to purchase land after slavery. We discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed a local gardening project into the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a regional network for seed production and training through the Ira Wallace Seed School.   In the deep dive, Bonnetta and I get into Collard Greens. We cover using Ultra Crosses as a community breeding method, the necessity of cold snaps for seed production, and why Bonnetta describes collards as the Jazz of American Cuisine. We also explore how the rhythmic movements of harvest are like dancing.   At the end, Bonnetta also talks about the upcoming Seeds & Culture 2026 Conference on March 6-7 in Washington DC. Enjoy the conversation! Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast         Episode links Ujamaa Seeds website   Ujamaa Coop Farming Alliance on instagram   Seeds & Culture 2026 Conference  March 6–7, 2026 Washington DC. Columbia   Ira Wallace Seed School   Heirloom Collard Project   Steam Onward website      News Link   Northern Latitudes: Sourcing and Saving Seeds from Similar Climates     Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram Get my weekly seed newsletter Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)   Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/   ❤️ Thanks for listening!

    1h 17m
  2. JAN 28

    Ep. 51 Looking For Hakurei Turnip Alternatives - Shannon Jones, Broadfork Farm

    Shannon Jones runs Broadfork Farm with Bryan Dyck in River Hebert, Nova Scotia. They grow vegetables and cut flowers for market. I've been trying to get Shannon on the podcast since the beginning of the pod because Broadfork is a great example of how a market farm can integrate seed production into their vegetable and flower fields. And we finally found a time that worked for us to have a conversation. In this episode, Shannon shares how she and Bryan choose the seed crops they grow and how they manage seed harvest through the season, and clean seeds in the off season. She also explains about how they sell some of their own seeds during their spring seedling sales. In the deep dive, we explore growing Salad Turnips for seed. We start with why Shannon was looking for a Hakurei turnip alternative, then get into trialing different OP salad turnips to figure out which variety to work with, and finally cover planting, harvest, and cleaning. We also talk about Bupleurum and Onions for seed.   Enjoy the conversation! Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast   Episode links Broadfork's website Broadfork Farm on instagram Freed Seed workshop: Botany of Seed Formation    Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram Get my weekly seed newsletter Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)   Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/   ❤️ Thanks for listening!

    1h 20m
  3. JAN 7

    Ep. 48 Crop Planning with the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy

    It's crop planning time!   I'm sharing the spreadsheet system I've been evolving on farms for over 20 years. These sheets start with your financial goals and work backwards through your sales plan to your field plan. You end up with field schedules, nursery schedules, and a seed order.    Crop planning can feel overwhelming, but when it's done right, it brings clarity, confidence, and less stress to your growing season. And ultimately, when you grow the right amount of crop for your sales channels without extra work, you're on the road to a more profitable farm.   In this episode, you'll hear about two sets of spreadsheets: 🌱 The Basic Farmer Spreadsheet Academy Crop Plan templates. 📊 The Full Crop Plan & Harvest Management Framework that are part of my Farm Spreadsheets for All Seasons course.   You can use these spreadsheets to plan your market garden, your cut flower production, or even your seed crops.  I'll share how these systems work, why pivot tables are a game-changer, and how you can use spreadsheets to plan, track, and grow smarter this season.   It's time to figure out what to grow next season. Enjoy the minisode!       Episode links   Pivot table tutorial   Basic Farmer Spreadsheet Academy Crop Plan Templates   My crop planning course Farm Spreadsheets For All Seasons is open for registrations. It comes with a full set of crop planning and harvest management spreadsheet templates.   News Links Find our more about Permastead:https://github.com/curvedspace/Permastead   Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast     Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram Get my weekly seed newsletter Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)   Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/   ❤️ Thanks for listening!

    22 min
  4. 12/31/2025

    Ep. 47 Learning to Be in Place Through Seeds - Janisse Ray, author of Journey in Place

    I invited Janisse Ray for this New Year's Eve episode because I wanted to start the year grounded in the idea of place, rooted in connection, and inspired in your seed work.   Janisse is a writer, naturalist, and farmer based in south Georgia.She is the author of The Seed Underground and Journey in Place, and writes the Substack Trackless Wild.   In this episode, Janisse and I talk about how you learn to be in place and the concept of place-keeping. We explore how this works its way into seed work and foodways. We also dive into the tension between trying to save every seed and focusing on growing a few crops.   In the deep dive, we talk about growing okra for seed.   I invited Janisse for this New Year's Eve episode because I wanted us to start the year grounded in the idea of place, rooted in connection, and inspire you in your seed work. Enjoy the conversation and happy new year! Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast     Episode links Janisse Ray website  Janisse Ray on substack  Janisse Ray on instagram The latest issue of Crop Stories from Utopian Seed Project features an article from Janisse Ray. News Links   My crop planning course Farm Spreadsheets For All Seasons is open for registrations. It comes with a full set of crop planning and harvest management spreadsheet templates.   Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram Get my weekly seed newsletter Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)   Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/   ❤️ Thanks for listening!

    1h 3m
  5. 12/24/2025

    Ep. 46 Words Of Advice For Seed People

    As we wrap up this year, I want to do something a little bit different. At the end of every Seed Farmer conversations I ask my guests two questions   1- What would you tell your younger seed-growing self? 2- What would you say to market growers & gardeners to inspire them to start growing seed?   The answers I get are really wonderful and I often think about them afterwards.   I've decided to take the answers from episodes 1-10 and put them together to share with you.   In this episode we hear words of advice from … • Frank Morton of WIld Garden Seeds • Adrianna and Joelene of Empowered Flowers • Marie-Claude Comeau of Semences St-Laurent • Kristyn Leach of Second Generation Seeds • Annie and Nathaniel of Deep Harvest Farm • Helen Skiba of Artemis Flower Farm • Liz and Matthew of Muddy Fingers Farm • Robin Tunnicliffe of Sea Bluff Farm • Chris & Owen of Truelove Seeds • Rowen White of Sierra Seeds Enjoy the episode! Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast         Episode links Holiday Special - My Harvest System Design is 50% off!   My crop planning course Farm Spreadsheets For All Seasons is open for registrations. It comes with a full set of crop planning and harvest management spreadsheet templates.   Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram Get my weekly seed newsletter Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)   Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/   ❤️ Thanks for listening!

    47 min
5
out of 5
32 Ratings

About

The Seed Farmer Podcast with Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm. Every episode I'm going to bring you a conversation with a grower who has integrated Saving Seeds into their own farm systems. Some grow seed crops to sell commercially and some do it just for their own farm use. I'm hoping their stories will make you want to save seed on your own farm... and if you already save seed on your farm, I hope it makes you want to save more!

You Might Also Like