Johnny's Donates to FoodCorps

FoodCorps members are making a huge difference nationwide to revitalize garden space; from September through March of the 2015 school year, they have built or revitalized the equivalent of 8.6 NBA basketball courts worth of garden space!

Our Charitable Giving Committee recently partnered with FoodCorps to supply their members with pre-made kits of easy-to-grow seeds.

We can’t wait to see the outcome of their seed kits!

• Learn about the FoodCorps organization »
• Visit FoodCorps' Facebook page to stay up-to-date with their work »
• Find out more about our Charitable Giving Committee » 
• See what else is In The News at Johnnyseeds.com »

Visit to MOSES Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin

By Andrew Mefferd, Johnny's Selected Seeds

DAY 2 — MOSES 2015 Conference

Johnny's at MOSES 2015

The next day I headed to the MOSES (Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services) Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I had packed my plaid, since I'd heard that was the thing to wear to the MOSES conference. And, indeed, there was a lot of plaid being sported. Though it’s hard to say if there was more than any other gathering of farmers.

The first thing that really impressed me was the size of the conference. Organizers said there were more than 3500 attendees over the three days. Besides the sheer number of participants, I was impressed by their positive energy and enthusiasm. There were a lot of good ideas and sharing going on, both at the trade show and at the many workshops scheduled for the conference.

Upper Midwest Territory Sales Rep,
Ken Fine shares some of the finer points
of Johnny's pumpkins

My first stop was the Johnny’s booth, where our upper Midwest sales rep, Ken Fine was manning the booth and talking to customers. One of the best things about trade shows is the opportunity to spend time at the booth meeting our customers. I learn more about growing by talking to customers, and finding out what their challenges and questions are, than any other way.

Though of course there were many other, more formal ways to learn as well. MOSES had organized many educational workshops for growers both days of the conference, plus a pre-conference “Organic University” for those who really wanted to go in-depth.

Sandy Dietz, whom I had visited the day before, gave a good presentation along with her husband, Lonny, about how to transition out of off-farm jobs and into farming full time. They speak from experience, as they both have made the transition.

I also went to an excellent presentation by Adam Montri of Michigan State University, called “Are You Making Any Money in Your High Tunnel?” He pointed out how even though almost anything grows faster and bigger in a high tunnel, profitability is not assured. He presented some practical strategies farmers can use to track expenses and set prices to make sure they are profiting off their high-tunnel produce.

This was a great conference that I would consider attending again in the future. The food was great, and MOSES made every effort to source the food from local farms whenever possible. The other learning and networking opportunity was the huge tradeshow, which took up the entire floor of a basketball court and spilled out into the arena. I headed back to Maine exhausted and at the same time energized by the people I had met and all I learned, ready to put it to good use this coming season.

Sometimes a great conference is just what I need to get ready for another season.

Learn more...

• Visit our Commercial Sales hub to learn more, meet your territory sales representative, or view our upcoming tradeshow calendar »
  
  

Read Andrew's Day 1 Minnesota Blog Post • Visit to Whitewater Gardens' Geoexchange Greenhouse in Altura, MN »

Cedar Ridge Resident Facility Garden

The Cedar Ridge Center, a Johnny’s customer located in Skowhegan, Maine, recently sent us the following review of their successful growing season. Cedar Ridge is a newly renovated, 74-bed facility offering full rehabilitation services, an enhanced meal plan, and 24-hour skilled nursing care.

        

The Cedar Ridge facility’s garden was a project that was started in the spring of 2013 with the assistance of Master Gardener Robert Turner, Johnny’s Selected Seeds Contact Center Specialist Erin Reardon, and the activity department at the Center. Seeds were purchased through Johnny’s in Winslow and started in the facility under grow lights.

   Last spring, the turf at the facility was taken up in 5 strips, 7 feet wide and 50 feet long. This year we added 3 more strips, for a total of 8. The turf was left between the rows so that our residents’ wheelchairs could access the entire garden. 

   Through the direction of Master Gardener Robert Turner the project was taken on with sustainability in mind. No fertilizers were used to amend the soil. The residents assisted with watering, potting seedlings and then, after harvest, they snapped beans, peeled vegetables, and have made pickles and squash pie. 

   Residents have enjoyed watching the garden grow and showing off their garden to family members. The garden for the past 3 months has produced 1,187.58 pounds of fresh produce! Our facility kitchen staff has taken great pride in preparing the backyard fresh vegetables and the residents compliment daily about how much they have enjoyed them. This is a project that speaks of the memories and tastes of home. We have raised broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, summer and winter squash, zucchini, Swiss chard, and lettuce and added raspberries, blueberries, and asparagus this season. 

• Learn more about the Cedar Ridge Center >>>
• Shop Johnny’s vegetables >>>

    

    

Events, Conferences, & Tradeshows We're Attending

2014–2015 Schedule

We'll be continuing to update our 2014–2015 schedule at Johnnyseeds.com — check back at your convenience.

Event Location Dates Hoes Down Harvest Festival Guinda, CA October 4–5, 2014 European Seed Association (ESA) Annual Meeting Lisbon, Portugal October 12–14, 2014 Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Moultrie, GA October 14–16, 2014 Mother Earth News Fair • Topeka Topeka, KS October 25–26, 2014 North Country (NH) Fruit & Vegetable Seminar Whitefield, NH October 29, 2014 Farmer to Farmer (Maine Organic Farmers  & Gardeners) Northport, ME November 1, 2014 Growing Power Urban & Small Farms Conference Milwaukee, WI November 7–9, 2014 Tilth Producers of Washington Annual Conference Vancouver, WA November 7–9, 2014 Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Sustainable  Agriculture Conference Greenville, NC November 10–12, 2014 Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA) Asian  Seed Congress Macau, China November 10–14, 2014 Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association (PNVA)  Conference & Trade Show Kennewick, WA November 12–13, 2014 Mississippi Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Conference Jackson, MS TBD Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional  Network (ACORN) Halifax, NS, Canada November 12–14, 2014 National Young Farmers Conference at Stone Barns Pocantico Hills, NY December 03–05, 2014 Great Lakes Expo (GLEXPO) Grand Rapids, MI December 9–11, 2014 New England Vegetable & Berry Growers  Association (NEV&BGA) Manchester, NH TBD State of Maine Agricultural Trades Show Augusta, ME January 13–15, 2015 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, &  Organic Conference (ISCAOC) Springfield, IL January 07–9, 2015 Great Plains Growers Conference St Joseph, MO January 08–10, 2015 Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference Savannah, GA January 08–11, 2015 Minnesota Organic Conference St Cloud, MN January 9–10, 2015 Northeast Organic Farming Association of  Massachusetts (NOFA–MA) Winter Conference Worcester, MA January 10, 2015 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group  (SSAWG) Conference Little Rock, AR January 14–17, 2015 Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association  (OPGMA) Congress Sandusky, OH January 19–21, 2015 NYSVGA Empire State Producers Expo (New York  State Vegetable Growers Association) Syracuse, NY January 20–22, 2015 Indiana Horticultural Congress Indianapolis, IN January 20–22, 2015 Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers  Association (VVBGA) Fairlee, VT January 21, 2015 Ecological Farming Association (EcoFarm) Conference Pacific Grove, CA January 21–24, 2015 Practical Farmers of Iowa Ames, IA January 23–24, 2015 Northeast Organic Farming Association of  New York (NOFA–NY) Winter Conference Saratoga Springs, NY January 23–25, 2015 American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Vegetable  & Flower Seed Conference Tampa, FL January 24–27, 2014 Scotia Horticultural Conference Greenwich, NS, Canada January 26–27, 2015 Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention Hershey, PA January 27–29, 2015 Pacific Agriculture Show Abbotsford, BC, Canada January 29–31, 2015 Guelph Organic Conference Guelph, ON, Canada January 29 – February 1, 2015 Texas Organic Farmers & Growers Association  (TOFGA) Conference San Antonio, TX January 29 – February 01, 2015 Virginia Association for Biological Farming  (VABF) Conference Richmond, VA January 30–31, 2015 Northeast Organic Farming Association of  New Hampshire (NOFA–NH) Concord, NH January 31, 2015 Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture  (PASA) Farming for the Future Conference State College, PA February 04–07, 2015 Missouri Organic Association (MOA) Conference Springfield, MO February 05–07, 2015 Organicology Portland, OR February 05–07, 2015 Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association  (OEFFA) Conference Granville, OH February 13–15, 2015 Northeast Organic Farming Association of  Vermont (NOFA–VT) Burlington, VT February 14–15, 2015 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention (OFVC) Niagara Falls, ON, Canada February 18–19, 2015 Farm to Table New Mexico Organic Farming  Conference Albuquerque, NM February 20–21, 2015 Georgia Organics Conference Athens, GA February 20–21, 2015 Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education  Service (MOSES) Conference Lacrosse, WI February 26–28, 2015 Oregon Small Farms Conference Corvallis, OR February 28, 2015 Northeast Organic Farming Association of  Connecticut (NOFA–CT) Winter Conference Danbury, CT March 7, 2015 Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing  Conference & Trade Show Sturbridge, MA TBD Mother Earth News Fair • Asheville Asheville, NC TBD Nevada Indoor Agricultural Conference (AG • NV) Las Vegas, NV TBD International Seed Federation (ISF) World  Seed Congress Kraków, Poland May 1–31, 2015 PNW Mother Earth News Fair (formerly in  Puyallup, WA) Albany, OR TBD

The Time to Comment Is Now | Food Safety Modernization Act

Dear friends and customers, On behalf of Johnny's Selected Seeds, we invite you to join us in sharing your opinion with the FDA regarding new Produce Food Safety Rules and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

We recognize that most of you will be touched by the proposed changes, in some cases dramatically. While the day-to-day demands of farming may keep us running from sun-up to sundown, when it comes to legislation that places the very livelihoods of many farmers across our country in jeopardy, it's time to express your well-earned opinions.

To learn more about the rules and leave your comments, visit Regulations.gov. To date, the grower's voice is underrepresented. With your input, the FDA will get the "real dirt" as to just how the specifics of this proposed legislation -- constituting the largest food safety overhaul in more than 70 years -- could impact your farming operations.

We encourage you to speak up now -- the FDA's comment period closes November 15th!

By taking the time to participate in the discussion now, you can make a real difference in the long run. And again, thank you for choosing Johnny's as your source for seeds and more -- we look forward to serving you for many years to come.


Johnny's Selected Seeds
TOLL-FREE: 800-854-2580
FAX: 1-207-238-5388

Good News for Our Canadian Customers

Same-Day Shipping

Orders placed weekdays by 1:30 PM Eastern Time will be shipped the same day. Exceptions include orders of products not currently in stock as well as orders requiring additional import documentation.

Standard Shipping

STANDARD SHIPPING CHARGES † (USD) Order Subtotal Add Shipping Charges $ 0.01–10.00 $ 4.00 $ 10.01–30.00 $ 6.75 $ 30.01–50.00 $ 10.00 $ 50.01–100.00 $ 12.25 $ 100.01–200.00 $ 16.00 $ 200.01–999.00 $ 19.25 $ 1000.00+ Call for Quote † Standard shipping rates cover shipping charges only. Duties & Taxes may be assessed and collected upon delivery, and are the responsibility of the recipient. All amounts shown are in US dollars.

When Standard Shipping is selected for a Canadian order, the order will be shipped through the US Postal Service (USPS), via First Class or Priority Mail, and will be delivered in 15–21* days. (Johnny's Selected Seeds will choose the best option for your order.)

Refer to the chart at right for standard shipping charges.

 Orders Valued $1000 or Greater:

 
 
Brokerage fees may be incurred for orders shipped via the US Postal Service if they are worth $1000 or more. All orders placed online equal to or greater in value than $1000 require that a Customer Service Representative contact the person placing the order, before the order is shipped, to discuss shipping options.

If you have any questions regarding orders worth $1000 or greater, please contact Johnny's toll-free at 1-877-564-6697, or email service@johnnyseeds.com.

 

Visit Johnnyseeds.com to get all the information you need when shipping to Canada >>>

• Same-Day Shipping
• Standard Shipping
• Orders Worth $1000+
• Additional Shipping Charges
• Other Shipping Methods
• Fees Collected Upon Delivery
• Backorders
• Payment Methods
• Restrictions
• Questions & Contact Info