50th Anniversary Celebration and In-Person Conference
Join us at Heritage Farm to celebrate half a century of mission-driven preservation of America’s diverse and endangered garden and crop legacy.
Welcome
To commemorate the Seed Savers Exchange network—and all that it has accomplished since 1975—SSE will host a celebration and in-person conference on August 8-9, 2025, at its Heritage Farm headquarters outside Decorah, Iowa. The event will feature speakers, farm and garden tours, workshops, demonstrations, seed swaps, and live music.
Our featured sessions are being finalized, and descriptions will be added and updated as information is confirmed. Check back for more details and subscribe to Seed Savers Exchange event emails to stay up to date on all 50th anniversary event news.
Thursday, August 7
12:00 – 4:30 PM CT
Conference and campground registration and check-in at Heritage Farm, 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101.
6:00 PM CT
Lawn chair night and trivia on Washington Street hosted by Impact Coffee, sponsored by Seed Savers Exchange, in downtown Decorah.
Friday, August 8
8:00 AM – 7:00 PM CT
Conference and campground registration and check-in at Heritage Farm, 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101.
9:00 AM CT – KEYNOTE – Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder of Seed Savers Exchange, in conversation with Mike Bollinger, executive director
10:15 AM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Hand Pollinating Corn” with Briana Smorstad, seed bank manager, Seed Savers Exchange.
- “Indigenous Seed Knowledge: Exploring Traditional Seed Practices” with Luke Black Elk, Lakota farmer and seedkeeper, and Linda Black Elk, ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist.
- “The Prairie and Oak Savanna: Essential Ecosystems in Need of Intervention” with Corey Brink, district conservationist, Iowa NRCS – Decorah Field Office.
11:30 AM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- Seed Saving & Adaptation Demos
- “Seeding Our Communities with the Future in Mind” with Matthew Raiford, sixth-generation African American chef and farmer.
- “Low-Water, High-Yield Gardening for Any Space” with Peg Davis, founder and owner, Snow Spring Farm.
12:30 PM CT – Lunch Break
On Friday, food trucks will be available on Heritage Farm for guests to purchase lunch. You may also want to try one of Decorah’s restaurants or bring your own food.
2:00 PM CT – KEYNOTE – Alice Waters, chef, author, and food activist
3:15 PM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Don’t Be So Serious, Just Save Some Seeds!” with Michael Washburn, preservation director, Seed Savers Exchange.
- “Reconnecting Our Seed Heritage to the Future: How We Are Building a Future with Culturally Meaningful Seeds and Indigenous African Knowledge” with Bonetta Adeeb, founder and president of STEAM ONWARD, Inc.
- “Native Seed & Pollinator Workshop: A Guide to Native Restoration” with Jessi Strinmoen, operations manager, Shooting Star Native Seeds.
4:30 PM CT – Tours/Seed Swap/Pollination Stations
- Garden and Property Tours
- Seed Swap—It’s not required to bring anything to the seed swap. If you have seeds you’d like to share, please bring them! If possible, bring them in a labeled container with the crop type, variety, and year grown. If you have extra ziplock bags, paper packets, or other potential seed containers for seeds you receive, bring those as well. Seed Savers Exchange will provide empty, blank packets and writing utensils for participants to use. Please review this blog for guidelines on the types of seeds that are allowed and prohibited at seed swaps hosted by Seed Savers Exchange.
- “Pollination Stations.” This time is set aside for a more relaxed, conversational style, providing a collaborative opportunity for guests to gather and discuss shared interests.
5:30 PM CT – Dinner Break
On Friday, food trucks will be available on Heritage Farm for guests to purchase dinner. You may also want to try one of Decorah’s restaurants or bring your own food.
7:00 PM CT – KEYNOTE – John Coykendall, head gardener at Blackberry Farms, in conversation with Michael Best, director, Executive Farm Management Program, North Carolina State University
8:30 PM CT – Film Showing
Documentary film showing with panel: Peg O’ My Heart
Saturday, August 9
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT
Conference and campground registration and check-in at Heritage Farm, 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101.
9:00 AM CT – KEYNOTE – Amy Goldman Fowler, gardener, author, artist, and philanthropist
10:15 AM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Growing, Harvesting, and Stewarding Cut Flowers in the Home Garden” with Sydney Weldon, evaluation manager, Seed Savers Exchange.
- “How to Start a Seed Library for Your Community” with Bevin Cohen, owner of Small House Farm and host of the “Seeds and Weeds” podcast.
- “Perennial Plant Propagation” with Lindsey Lee, orchard and horticultural advisor, Seed Savers Exchange
11:30 AM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Seed Selection for Climate Resilience: Choosing Seeds for Local Conditions” with Nicolas Enjalbert, CEO, SeedLinked
- “Desert-Adapted Heirlooms for Growing and Cooking in a Hotter, Drier World” with Beth Dooley and Gary Nabhan, co-authors, Chile, Clove, and Cardamom: A Gastronomic Journey into the Fragrances and Flavors of Desert Cuisines.
- “Historic Orchard Tour” with Jamie Hanson, orchard manager, Seed Savers Exchange
12:30 PM CT – Provided Lunch Break
Owamni and NATIFS will provide Saturday lunch. This meal is included in your ticket price.
Owamni is an award-winning, full-service Indigenous restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded by James Beard award-winning chef Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef. In 2023, Owamni was acquired by nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). NATIFS is dedicated to addressing the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways.
2:00 PM CT – KEYNOTE – Sean Sherman, founder/executive director, NATIFS & Owamni, founder/CEO of The Sioux Chef, in conversation with Linda Black Elk, ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist
3:15 PM CT – Workshops/Tours/Demos
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Seed Preservation Techniques: Adopting the Mantra—’Make It Dry, Keep It Dry’—in a New Way” with Denise Costich, senior scientist, Buckler Lab, Cornell University, and Seed Savers Exchange board member.
- “From Story to Seed Bank: The Hidden Work of Seed Historians at Seed Savers Exchange” with Sara Straate, seed historian, and Eduardo Fernandez, assistant seed historian, Seed Savers Exchange.
- “Cold Water Stream and Riparian Restoration on an Active Agricultural Landscape” with Cameron Aker, Iowa driftless outreach coordinator, Trout Unlimited
4:30 PM CT – Tour/Pollination Stations
- Garden and Property Tours
- “Pollination Stations.” This time is set aside for a more relaxed, conversational style, providing a collaborative opportunity for guests to gather and discuss shared interests.
5:30 PM CT – Dinner Break
Wisconsin Foodie Luke Zahm will create this ticketed dinner and highlight food grown on Heritage Farm—menu details to come. Tickets must be purchased in advance. We will not be able to accommodate requests after August 1, 2025. You must register for the two-day or Saturday-only events to be able to purchase tickets for this dinner.
You may also want to try one of Decorah’s restaurants or bring your own food.
6:30 PM CT – Musical Entertainment
Lissie to perform.
7:30 PM CT – Barn Dance
Barn Dance with Western String Home Band.
Plan Your Trip
Everything you need to know to plan your weekend in Decorah, Iowa for the 50th anniversary conference and celebration.
Accessibility
We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event environment for all attendees. We strive to provide an event that is welcoming, accommodating, and supportive of diverse accessibility needs. If you have questions, please feel free to contact events@seedsavers.org.
Join Us!