Seed Ambassadors Training
Applications closed on Monday, December 29th, 2025.
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If we host another series like this, this page will be updated and we will share with our followers and newsletter subscribers.
Current Applicants: Please reach out to us via email if you are having trouble accessing materials. If you haven’t received correspondence from us by January 8th, check your spam or promotions folders.
Are you a Snake River Seed Co-op fan who wants to share the magic of growing plants from seeds with your community? If so, consider applying to be a part of our inaugural Snake River Seed Ambassadors program!
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Why are we doing this?
We commonly get requests from organizations around our region to offer classes to the public about seeds and how to grow plants from seeds, but our small staff can’t get everywhere. We have Co-op growers, wholesale partners, and SRSC superfans all over the Intermountain West, but because most of our small staff lives in southern Idaho where our headquarters is located, we usually are only able to say yes to class and event requests that happen in that part of the region. We want to change that!
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As a cooperative, we believe that the more hands who hold these seeds—and who know how to grow them—the safer they are…and the more resilient our bioregion becomes!
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That’s where you come in!
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This January, we will select a committed cohort of inaugural Snake River Seed Ambassadors. This chosen crew will join together to complete 4 lively training modules and become certified Snake River Seed Ambassadors who can then teach classes and offer events on behalf of Snake River Seed Co-op in their communities.
Jan-Feb 2026: Online modules will be released weekly for 4 weeks, and will end with a weekly zoom gathering where we’ll get to know each other and answer your questions about that week’s module.
Time commitment: 1 hour/week live zoom gathering + around 2 hrs/week to complete the online modules. Completion date: Feb 6th.
Dates:
- Introductory Zoom Fri 1/9 9amMT
- Jan 10-16 (zoom Friday 1/16 9amMT): Setting the Stage: Seed Literacy
- Jan 17-23 (zoom Friday 1/23 9amMT): Growing a Regional Seedshed: About Snake River Seed Cooperative
- Jan 24-30 (zoom Friday 1/30 9amMT): Seed Starting Success: How to grow plants from seed
- Jan 31-Feb 6 (zoom Friday 2/6 9amMT): Community in Action: How to teach others about seeds
Mar-Sept 2026: We will offer 3 zoom gatherings for SRSAs to reconnect, answer questions, strategize, and organize for upcoming classes & events
- Friday, March 6th 9amMT
- Friday, August 7th 9amMT
- Friday, Sept 4th 9amMT
Cost: Training & followup gatherings FREE for participants, thanks to support from the USDA’s Transitioning to Organics Partnership Program (TOPP)! Upon certification, Snake River Seed Co-op will connect SRSAs with opportunities to offer trainings and events in their communities and can provide class materials and compensation for their event hosting time.
Each week’s module will feature a content video from Casey along with supplemental videos, articles, and other tidbits to round out that week’s content, as well as fun, interactive components to facilitate content comprehension. Each module will also include additional resources for those who wish to take a further deep dive into that week’s topic. Participants will complete their module during the week, and then join together for a live zoom conversation to answer questions about the content and to get to know our fellow SRSAs better.
Module 1: Setting the Stage: Seed Literacy
Topics covered:
- Types of seeds (open-pollinated, hybrid, genetically engineered)
- Plant breeding basics
- Seed patents / Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI)
- Certified organic seeds
- History and legacy of public seed programs
- Threats and opportunities for Indigenous seed sovereignty
- Global seed trade & the business of seeds
- Seed banks
Module 2: Growing a Regional Seedshed: About Snake River Seed Cooperative
Topics covered:
- History of SRSC
- Cooperative philosophies and governance
- Operationalizing shared values
- Producer-driven economic models
- Regional seed adaptation & plant epigenetics
- Organic & low-input seed production
- Community seed stewardship
- On-farm crop improvement
- Population genetics
- Variety trialing
Module 3: Seed Starting Success: How to grow plants from seed
Topics covered:
- Variety selection
- Indoor seed starting basics: soil, light, water, temperature
- Direct-seeding basics
- Seed dormancy
- Techniques to break dormancy (scarification, cold-stratification)
- Successful transplanting
- Organic pest and disease control in young seedlings
Module 4: Community in Action: How to teach others about seeds
Topics covered:
- Coordinating an educational event
- Creating a welcome environment
- Engaging teaching techniques
- The power of telling stories
- Developing curriculum
- Hands-on activity organization
- Event and class preparation
- Event and class logistics
- Coordinating classes with Snake River Seed Cooperative
- Hosting events with SRSC growers
- Opportunities for partnerships & collaborations