Johnny s Selected Seeds

Transcription

1 Johnny s Selected Seeds Randy Cummings Area Sales Manager

2 Quick blurb about me -Randy Cummings. 5 years with Johnny s. -Area Sales Manager for the Southwest and lower Midwest. NM, AZ, TX, OK, KS, NE, IA, MO. -Based in Maine so I can walk our trials, facilitate your orders and strategically communicate with my research team. -Pushing for heat tolerant varieties, and varieties that do well in protective culture. Coordinates offsite trials.

3 Our mission is helping families, friends, and communities to feed one another by providing superior seeds, tools, information, and service.

4 History 1973 Rob Johnston, with $500 in savings, starts the company in his parent s attic. He publishes his first catalog The catalog is rewritten as a technical handbook. Bulk seed sizes are offered. MOFGA certifies our operation as organic Johnny s wins its first AAS breeding award for Baby Bear pumpkin. Johnny s catalog is printed in full color.

5 History Johnny s is one of the nine original signers of the safe seed pledge Rob and his wife donate a conservation easement on Johnny s farm to Maine Farmland Trust ensuring the property stays a forever farm Johnny s starts the process of becoming an employee owned company.

6 Johnny s celebrates two milestones: 40 th anniversary and becomes 100% employee owned History Rob wins the 2013 All- America Selections breeders cup award of his achievements in breeding.

7 What makes Johnny s Selected Seeds unique from other seed companies? A strong commitment to organics and traditional breeding methods. 100% employee owned. This creates a resonating sense of pride and accountability. In addition to walking breeder field days, and university trials, we do our own extensive trials to ensure all products are widely adaptable and are best in class. (130 tomatoes, 300 lettuces, 8 different strains of Genovese basil, 5 different strains of Bloomsdale Spinach.) Independent secondary quality testing, often rejecting seed lots that don t meet our higher than federal seed act standards. 100% satisfaction guarantee. (For real)

8 What makes Johnny s Selected Seeds unique from other seed companies? A great balance of industry standard varieties and niche products to help customers stand out at market and win over chefs. Collaborations and seed sourcing from the best breeders in the world. We select varieties with superb flavor that are widely adaptable. We have a strong breeding program. (Peppers, squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes, and some new projects in the pipeline). Same day order shipping. (1:30pm eastern).

9 How is Johnny s helping its customers? Extensive trials, duplicating the growing methods that our customers are using. If our trials don t match what our growers are doing, how good could the data be? Selecting widely adaptable varieties to help a wide range of growers overcome unpredictable environmental changes. Selecting varieties that are designed for fresh market growers, with flavor, consistency, and labor savings in mind. Selecting varieties with increased disease resistance, that perform well in low input situations to help the organic and small operation be successful. Working with breeders to develop traits that growers need to be successful. Clean up, preserve and reduce off types in popular OP

10 New organic offerings for 2017 Skyway 8-12 Oz slicer, determinate. 78 Days to maturity Broad disease resistance package keeps the plant producing over a long period of time. (F3, V, ToANV, N, TSWV, TYLCV) Very good flavor and fruit quality.

11 New organic offerings for 2017 Divergent 75 Days to maturity. Resistance to Fusarium Wilt and Powdery Mildew. Bred to withstand the stresses of organic cropping systems. Excellent, sweet, aromatic flavor. Harvested at forced slip.

12 New organic offerings for 2017 Newham 52 Days to maturity. An improved Little Gemtype. Buttery textured with upright vase shape habbit. Widely adaptable, slow bolting and suitable for the spring, summer and fall production slots.

13 New organic offerings for 2017 Esmee arugula 21 Days to baby, 40 days to full size. Rounded oak leaf shaped arugula with excellent 3D leaf structure that helps provide full looking bunches and volume when bagged. Leaf shape helps improbe shelf life as leaves are less likely to stick together when wet. Excellent flavor.

14 Keys for working with a seed company. Do you talk to your sales rep? You should! Build a relationship with your favorite seed company rep. Ask questions, talk about trends, discuss the challenges that you are facing. They can t help you if you don t ask. Don t be afraid to trial something new ever year. That old standby variety may not hold up to changes in the environment, disease pressure, or has drifted over time. Maybe the market has changed. Hiccups can and do happen in seed production. You should know what your backup variety should be. There may be other resources your sales rep has that you may not be aware of. Trial data, networking opportunities, grants available, other people that can help you, or mentor you. If we don t know the answer to a question, usually we know someone who does.