An Update from the New Seed Savers Exchange Executive Director

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Mike Bollinger was recently named as the new Executive Director of Seed Savers Exchange. Decorah Rotarians may be familiar with Mike, his River Root Farm certified organic family farm business, and co-owner Katie Prochaska from their visit to our club in September 2018. Mike will join us to provide unique insights into the Seed Savers Exchange organization and operations.

Seed Savers Exchange conserves biodiversity by maintaining a collection of over 20,000 different varieties of heirloom and open-pollinated plants, varieties with the ability to regenerate themselves year after year. These seeds (and tissue cultures or other plant materials, depending on how a plant reproduces) have the power to withstand unforeseen pestilence and plant disease, climate change, and limited habitat, and to stop dinnertime boredom forever. The Seed Savers Exchange Heritage Farm, located near Decorah, serves as the headquarters of Seed Savers Exchange. This facility includes the Lillian Goldman Visitors Center and Gift and Garden Store, miles of hiking trails, a trout stream, display gardens and a historic orchard. The Heritage Farm serves as the principal location for housing the extensive seed collection and for hosting special events. The entire Seed Savers Exchange team (including preservation and education staff, donor and member services, the garden crew, and order fulfillment team) is also based at their Decorah location.

For more information on Seed Savers Exchange visit https://www.seedsavers.org/.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.