Open Source Seed Initiative Inc.

BREEDER AND SEED COMPANY PARTNERSHIPS: OSSI MAINTAINS A LIST OF CROP VARIETIES THAT HAVE BEEN PLEDGED AS "FREED SEED AND PROVIDES A LINK ON ITS WEBSITE TO COMMERCIAL SOURCES FOR THOSE VARIETIES. FREED SEED IS FREE TO BE PLANTED, SHARED, BRED AND SOLD WITHOUT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RESTRICTIONS. A VARIETY REVIEW COMMITTEE OF FIVE OSSI DIRECTORS, EACH A PLANT BREEDER, RIGOROUSLY REVIEWS ALL VARIETY PLEDGE APPLICATIONS TO ENSURE THAT EACH CULTIVAR IS GENETICALLY UNIQUE AND THAT ITS BREEDERS USED PLANT GERMPLASM THAT WAS NOT LEGALLY RESTRICTED BY IPR. THE PLEDGE IS OSSI'S PRIMARY TOOL TO FOSTER COMMITMENT TO THE UNFETTERED EXCHANGE OF GERMPLASM. OSSI HAS 531 PLEDGED VARIETIES FROM 50 BREEDER-PARTNERS. OSSI HAS 72 SEED COMPANY PARTNERS WITH LINKS TO EACH AND THEIR PLEDGED VARIETIES ON OSSI'S WEBSITE. THROUGH ITS PARTNERS OSSI REACHES A MINIMUM OF 250,000 POTENTIAL SEED CUSTOMERS EACH YEAR WITH AN AGGREGATE POTENTIAL TO BUY MORE THAN ONE MILLION SEED PACKETS OF PLEDGED VARIETIES.

Expenses: $1K

ORGANIC SEED ALLIANCE CONFERENCE, MID-FEBRUARY IN CORVALLIS, OR. THIS BIENNIAL GATHERING BROUGHT TOGETHER MORE THAN 400 STAKEHOLDERS ATTENDING LIVE AND AN ADDITIONAL 100 BY WEBINAR INCLUDING SEED COMPANIES BOTH WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, SEED GROWERS, PLANT BREEDERS, UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS AND INTERESTED NON-PROFITS FROM 36 STATES AND 12 COUNTRIES WITH PRESENTATION TRACKS IN SEED GROWING, PLANT BREEDING, ADVOCACY AND POLICY, AND SEED ETHICS. THREE DIRECTORS AND OSSI'S LARGEST BREEDER-PARTNER PARTICIPATED IN FOUR OF THE PROGRAMS INCLUDING TWO DIRECTLY RELATED TO OSSI'S MISSION. IN ADDITION, OSSI HOSTED AN AFTER-CONFERENCE BREAKFAST WITH A PODCAST TALK ATTENDED BY 30.

Expenses: $5K

FREE THE SEED PODCAST PROGRAM, INITIATED IN 2019, WAS PUT TOGETHER BY RACHEL HULTENGREN AND INCLUDES 12 PODCASTS POSTED ON OSSI'S WEBSITE. THESE TALKS FOCUS ON SPECIFIC PLANT BREEDING PROJECTS AND THE PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES ARE THE COMMUNITY OF SEVERAL HUNDRED FREE-LANCE PLANT BREEDERS AND AN EQUAL NUMBER OF SEED COMPANY TRIALERS AND PURCHASERS INSPIRED BY THEM. OSSI EXPENDED $1,431 FOR CONTRACT LABOR, $144 FOR ONLINE SUPPORT, $109 FOR EQUIPMENT PLUS $375 FOR CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS.

Expenses: $2K

OPEN SOURCE PLANT BREEDING FORUM INIYIATED BY VOLUNTEERS AND MAINTAINED ON OSSI'S WEBSITE, THIS INFORMATION EXCHANGE IS OF PRIMARY BENEFIT TO THE FREELANCE AND UNIVERSITY BREEDING COMMUNITY. IT HAS ATTRACTED 7,918 POSTS GROUPED UNDER THE FOUR MAJOR CATEGORIES PLANT BREEDING, SEED SAVING, COMMUNITY & FORUM BUILDING AND OSSI-PLEDGED VARIETIES ON 523 TOPICS FROM 272 MEMBERS. LATELY IT IS GARNERING AROUND 10 POSTS PER DAY. OSSI EXPENDED $120 FOR WEB SUPPORT.