UCFA SEED HUBS

UCFA maintains and supports Seed Hubs in the following areas:

NORTHEAST SEED HUB: Based in Wooster, Massachusetts, this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine.

MID-ATLANTIC SEEDS HUB: Based west of Princeton, New Jersey this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Central New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

UPPER SOUTH SEED HUB: Based in southern Prince George's County, Maryland this hub serves seed farmers and growers in southern Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

KENTUCKY SEED HUB: Based in the Berea/Lexington area of Kentucky, this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Kentucky, and Tennessee.

SOUTH SEED HUB: Based in Atlanta, Georgia, this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas.

OHIO SEED HUB: Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, this hub serves seed farmers and growers in the greater Cincinnati area.

ST. LOUIS SEED HUB: Based in East St. Louis, Illinois this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Missouri, southern Illinois, and Kansas.

MID-WEST SEED HUB: Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota this hub serves seed farmers and growers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa.

WESTERN SEED HUB: Based in Olympia, Washington this hub serves seed farmers and growers in, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Arizona.

UCFA SEED HUB SUPPORT

Seed farmers grow crops in a way that increases the quality and expands the quantity of plants for the purpose of selling the seeds to other farmers and gardeners.

Heirloom seed farming can be an additional revenue stream for farmers, gardeners, and growers as demand far outstrips supply. On a small plot of land, farmers and gardeners can make a profit from seed farming. In fact, many folks take up seed growing as a side business, rather than as their sole source of income.

As a BIPOC led collective, UCFA recruits and supports emergent and seasoned growers who cultivate cultivate culturally meaningful heirloom seeds.

UCFA recognizes the need for increased diversity in agriculture and in the seed industry specifically. We are bridging the gap between prospective BIPOC growers and heirloom seed companies.

UCFA identifies and recruits potential BIPOC growers of culturally meaningful seeds through several channels; at agricultural conferences, through UCFA online classes, as well as through regional UCFA Seed Hubs.

Members of the UCFA Seed Operations Working Group provide seed farming technical assistance to UCFA Seed Hubs by:

Providing mentorship and training on the basics of seed growing, seed cleaning, seed processing, and seed storage.

Assisting with the provisioning of seeds, some equipment, and supplies.

Creating opportunities for farmers served by the Seed Hub network to sell their seeds.

UCFA supported seed hubs coordinate growers in their region to collectively process and ship seeds to the seed shop in Maryland. They define their own shared leadership, membership, and organizational structure and organize and run their own day-to-day operations. They develop protocols for use of shared equipment and resources.

Seed Hubs maintain record keeping of incoming and outgoing seeds, and report back to the UCFA Seed Operations Working Group. They also provide multimedia content for UCFA community engagement and public relations. This includes photos of crops at various phases, as well as written and audiovisual content.