Seeds of Change

McDorman: SEEDS ARE SPECIAL, AND THEY ARE IMPORTANT

BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE OUR AGRICULTURE BEGINS.

- SEEDS ARE ABSOLUTELY INTEGRAL TO WHO WE ARE.

Dillon: WE'VE LOST SEED KNOWLEDGE.

WE'VE LOST OUR SEED SKILLS,

OUR ABILITY TO KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE AND SAVE

HIGH QUALITY SEED.

[airplane engine roaring]

Jerry Lorenzen: IS BIOTECHNOLOGY BAD?

I DON'T KNOW.

I KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT WE DON'T KNOW VERY MUCH.

Geertz: THE WEED PROBLEM IN IOWA AND EVERYWHERE

IS SO DIFFICULT TO CONTROL.

I TRIED NON-G.M.O.

SOYBEANS ONE YEAR ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO.

I FOUND I ENDED UP USING MORE CHEMICALS.

- FARMERS TODAY DO HAVE A CHOICE.

WITH DUE DILIGENCE,

WE CAN PUT LESS CHEMICALS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT

USING A NON-G.M.O.

Dillon: IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE POWER OF SELECTION.

IT'S HOW WE AS HUMAN BEINGS CAN SELECT PLANTS

THAT SERVE OUR NEEDS TODAY.

male narrator: SEEDS REPRESENT HOPE,

A NEW BEGINNING,

THE GIFT OF ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT.

BUT INSTEAD OF CELEBRATING

THE INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF THE WORLD'S SEEDS,

WE NOW GROW JUST A HANDFUL OF VARIETIES,

RELYING MORE AND MORE ON TECHNOLOGY

THAN ON MOTHER NATURE.

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS, OR G.M.O.s,

ARE DESIGNED TO BE MORE RESISTANT

TO PESTS AND WEEDS.

THEY'VE BEEN PARTIALLY BANNED IN EUROPE AND ASIA

BUT ARE THE BACKBONE OF MODERN AMERICAN FARMING.

HOW DO WE FEED A GROWING POPULATION,

GIVEN CONCERNS ABOUT OUR HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT?

FORTUNATELY, THERE'S A FERTILE MOVEMENT

TO SAVE SEEDS

AND TO PRESERVE GENETIC DIVERSITY

FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

man: SUPERMARKET, SYMBOL OF THE HIGH STANDARD OF LIVING

IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY.

THE MIRACLE WHEREBY AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

HAS ADVANCED MORE IN THE SPACE OF A SINGLE LIFETIME

THAN WORLD AGRICULTURE HAD IN MORE THAN 7,000 YEARS.

Dillon: WHEN I THINK OF "SEED,"

WHAT I FIRST THINK OF IS "STORY."

AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

REALLY HAS BEEN A SUCCESS STORY IN MANY WAYS.

WE'VE LOST INDUSTRY.

WE'VE LOST MANUFACTURING.

BUT AGRICULTURE HAS CONTINUED TO THRIVE AND SUCCEED.

THEY'RE ENCAPSULATED INFORMATION THAT TELL THE STORY

OF HUMAN-PLANT INTERACTION

OVER THOUSANDS OF GENERATIONS,

THOUSANDS OF SUMMERS AND SEASONS.

YOU WANT SEEDS TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

IN WHICH THEY'RE GOING TO BE USED.

YOU WANT SEEDS THAT ARE ELASTIC,

THAT ARE FLEXIBLE TO RESPOND TO CHANGING CONDITIONS.

ORGANIC ENVIRONMENTS ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT

THAN CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTS.

IT'S SIMPLY A DIFFERENT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM,

AND IT REQUIRES A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SEED.

AND IT WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIC FARMING IN PARTICULAR,

THERE'S A REAL LACK OF SEED.

PLANT BREEDERS WHO WORK IN THE FIELDS WITH THEIR CROPS

ARE AS MUCH ARTISTS AS THEY ARE SCIENTISTS.

Tyler Lorenzen: GROWING UP, MY DAD WAS MY HERO.

HE WAS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER.

I IDOLIZE MY DAD.

AND SO I WANTED TO CHASE MY DREAM AND PLAY FOOTBALL.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO PLAY SOME PRO BALL

WITH THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS,

AND WE WON A SUPER BOWL AND ALL THAT,

BUT THE NFL STANDS FOR "NOT FOR LONG,"

SO I ENDED UP GETTING RELEASED

AND CAME BACK TO WORLD FOOD PROCESSING.

WE START WITH ONE SEED AND SEED DEVELOPMENT

AND GO ALL THE WAY TO FINISHED FOOD PRODUCTS,

AND WE DO IT IN A COMPLETELY NON-G.M.O.

AND ORGANIC ENVIRONMENT.

Jerry Lorenzen: OUR SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO USE MOTHER NATURE.

YOU KNOW FOR SURE THAT IT'S SAFE FOR YOU.

I ALWAYS LOVED AGRICULTURE,

AND FROM THE TIME I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL,

I KNEW THAT SOMEDAY I WANTED TO BE IN THE SEED BUSINESS.

I SPENT THREE YEARS WITH RESEARCHERS IN JAPAN,

AND THEY TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE ART OF DEVELOPING NEW TRAITS.

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT SO THAT IT MAKES GOOD FOOD?

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT SO IT MAKES TASTY FOOD?

I COMBINE THE STATISTICAL METHODS OF THE WEST

WITH THE ART OF THE ORIENT TO PRODUCE A NEW SYSTEM

OF BEING ABLE TO COMBINE BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER

SO I CAN GET THE YIELD OF THE FARMERS

BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, GET THE NUTRIENT QUALITIES

FOR THE MANUFACTURERS AND FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY.

A SOYBEAN AND A SOYBEAN SEED IS THE SAME THING,

AND BASICALLY, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS,

WE'RE SELECTING THE SEEDS THAT MAKE THE BEST FOODS.

THE BREEDING CYCLE STARTS

BY TAKING TWO DIFFERENT VARIETIES

THAT YOU WANT THE CHARACTERISTICS

AND TO BE ABLE TO CROSS THOSE CHARACTERISTICS

ONTO THE SOYBEAN VARIETY,

COMBINING HIGH YIELD

WITH MAYBE SIZE OR PROTEIN OR SHAPE.

WHAT WE WANTED TO DO

IS TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOYBEANS

TO MAKE THEM HIGHER IN PROTEIN, BETTER IN FLAVOR,

AND DESIGN THEM FOR SPECIFIC MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

SO THAT WE COULD USE THEM IN A MULTITUDE OF FOODS

ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.

Tyler Lorenzen: SOYBEANS ACTUALLY ARE SUPERCOOL.

THEY HAVE ALL THE PROTEIN TO SUSTAIN LIFE,

SO EIGHT ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS.

BUT WHAT WE DID WAS,

LET'S FOCUS ON BREEDING FOR OUTPUT TRAITS FOR FOOD

AND CONTROL IT FROM THE SEED, ACTUALLY,

ALL THE WAY TO SOY MILK OR TOFU

OR ENERGY BARS TODAY.

THE AMOUNT OF SOY PRODUCTS TODAY IS AMAZING,

AND THE KEY FOR US IS, HAS TO TASTE GREAT.

IF IT DOESN'T TASTE GREAT, THEN NO ONE WILL EAT IT.

Jerry Lorenzen: WHERE THE G.M.O.s

ARE DEALING WITH A FEW GENES,

WE MAY BE DEALING WITH 50,000 GENES,

100,000 GENES,

AND THAT ONE IN A MILLION IS WHEN IT COMES ALL TOGETHER.

AND WHEN YOU FIND THAT AND YOU GET IT,

THEN YOU CAN BUILD YOUR WHOLE POPULATIONS FROM IT.

Dillon: IN 1862, ABRAHAM LINCOLN LAUNCHED

WHAT WAS CALLED THE PEOPLE'S DEPARTMENT,

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DID IS,

THEY TOOK THE SEED PROGRAM OF THE PATENT AND TRADE OFFICE,

AND THEY EXPANDED IT,

PROVIDING AMERICAN FARMERS AND GARDENERS

WITH A INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF SEED

THAT INCREASED EVERY YEAR.

OVER TIME,

CONTROL OF OUR SEED SYSTEMS HAS BEEN NARROWED DOWN

TO A HANDFUL OF COMPANIES.

SO WE'VE LOST THE DIVERSITY

THAT EXISTED ON AMERICAN FARMS 50 YEARS AGO.

STARTING IN THE '60s, AMERICAN FARMERS

MOVED AWAY FROM DIVERSIFICATION AND MOVED TOWARDS MONOCROPS.

IOWA, FOR EXAMPLE,

WAS THE TOP APPLE PRODUCER IN THE UNITED STATES

IN THE EARLY 1960s.

IOWA'S A STATE TODAY THAT'S KNOWN

FOR CORN, SOY, CORN, SOY.

FARMERS ROTATE ONE AFTER THE OTHER.

Geertz: WE FARM ABOUT 680 ACRES.

I GROW NON-G.M.O.

CORN,

BUT I HAVE GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOYBEANS.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PERSONAL DILEMMA

TO FARM AND PRACTICE FARMING

IN A WAY THAT I DON'T FULLY EMBRACE.

I DON'T EAT THE WAY I FARM.

I GROW NON-G.M.O.

CORN

PRIMARILY BECAUSE THERE'S A PREMIUM ON THE MARKET,

SO YOU--YOU HAVE A LOWER INPUT COST ON SEED,

AND USUALLY, THEY PAY A PREMIUM PER BUSHEL WHEN YOU SELL IT.

I TRIED NON-G.M.O.

SOYBEANS ONE YEAR ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO,

AND I FOUND I ENDED UP USING MORE CHEMICALS

TO CONTROL WEEDS.

IT WAS A BIT MORE WORK

BECAUSE I HAD TO DO ABOUT THREE APPLICATIONS

OF VARIOUS CHEMICALS.

THE WEED PROBLEM IN IOWA AND EVERYWHERE

IS SO DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, AND UNFORTUNATELY,

ROUNDUP IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE PROBLEMS

BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S GETTING RESISTANT TO IT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE CAN ALL MAINTAIN

THIS TYPE OF FARMING.

Dillon: ONE OF THE GOALS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

IS TO TRY TO MODIFY CROPS

TO HAVE RESISTANCE TO PESTS OR DISEASES.

IT'S A FINE GOAL.

IT'S A FINE INTENTION.

I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY.

I THINK THROUGH CLASSICAL PLANT BREEDING

AND GOOD CULTURAL TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES IN THE FIELD,

LIKE BETTER CROP ROTATIONS,

GREATER DIVERSITY OF CROPS IN THE FIELD,

WE CAN DO THE SAME THING.

Schlapkohl: FOR SIX YEARS, I'VE BEEN A NON-G.M.O.

PRODUCER.

THIS CORN IS A NUMBER TWO YELLOW CORN,

NON-G.M.O.

BY BREAKING THE EAR IN HALF,

WE CAN SEE HOW DEEP THE KERNELS ARE.

WE CAN TELL WHAT THE MATURITY OF THE CORN IS

BY LOOKING FOR A MILK LINE.

RIGHT AT MY THUMBNAIL, THERE'S A LINE ON THE KERNEL.

THAT IS WHERE THE STARCH IS HARDENED.

BELOW THAT IS ACTUALLY REAL SOFT,

AND IT'S MILKY.

AND BY LOOKING AT THIS,

WE'RE 2 TO 3 WEEKS, 2 1/2 WEEKS,

BEFORE WE SEE BLACK LAYER, OR MATURITY.

I AM GROWING THIS CORN--

IT IS CORN ON CORN--

WITHOUT SOIL-APPLIED INSECTICIDES.

I'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE MY YIELDS

HIGHER THAN WHAT I COULD GROW WITH THE G.M.O.s.

WE HAD A FIELD DAY AT OUR FARM TODAY,

AND WE SHOWCASED WHAT WE'RE DOING,

BRING SPEAKERS IN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

- WE WANT YOU TO THINK.

WE WANT YOU TO INNOVATE.

AND WE WANT GOOD HEALTH.

THIS HEARTLAND IS CRITICAL TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Schlapkohl: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AT OUR FIELD DAY IS,

WE DIG A ROOT PIT.

BY DIGGING THE ROOT PIT, WE CAN DEMONSTRATE

THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GROW ROOTS DEEPER INTO THE PROFILE.

AND IN A DROUTH YEAR, WHICH WE'VE BEEN THROUGH,

WE'RE ABLE TO HOLD MORE WATER IN THE SOIL.

THE DEEPER YOU CAN GET YOUR ROOTS,

THE MORE WATER YOU CAN HARVEST.

AND IN A YEAR LIKE THIS WHEN WE'RE IN A DROUTH,

IT MEANS YIELD.

FARMERS TODAY DO HAVE A CHOICE.

WITH DUE DILIGENCE,

USING A NON-G.M.O.,

WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB.

I'VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET NUTRIENT DENSITY.

OF COURSE, WE'RE JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE IN THAT ASPECT.

WHAT WE FEEL IS,

EDUCATED PEOPLE MAKE EDUCATED DECISIONS.

Dillon: YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT ORGANIC NOT BEING ABLE

TO FEED THE WORLD THE WAY CONVENTIONAL BIOTECH CAN.

IT'S NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

IN A THREE-YEAR PERIOD ALONE,

PUBLIC FUNDING FOR GENOMICS

VERSUS CLASSICAL PLANT BREEDING AND ORGANIC

WAS 70 TO 1.

THAT'S JUST NOT SMART INVESTMENT.

IT'S NOT SMART FOR YOU AND I,

IF WE'RE LOOKING AT A RETIREMENT FUND,

TO ONLY INVEST IN ONE STOCK.

WHY SHOULD WE BE INVESTING SO MUCH IN ONE APPROACH

TO AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION AND PLANT GENETICS?

Geertz: I'VE ONLY BEEN DOING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS,

SO I'M LEARNING EVERY DAY,

AND I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS I THINK ABOUT AND FEEL

AREN'T REALLY CONSISTENT

WITH THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE AROUND ME.

I PROBABLY DON'T EAT MOST OF THE THINGS

THAT WHAT I GROW GOES INTO.

THAT'S EMOTIONALLY SORT OF CHALLENGING FOR ME.

A LOT OF CORN THAT YOU SEE IN IOWA

IS TURNED INTO GRAIN ALCOHOL.

A LOT OF IT GOES INTO ETHANOL.

A LOT OF IT IS CORN SYRUP,

WHICH GOES INTO SODA

AND ABOUT ANY OTHER PROCESSED FOOD YOU CAN THINK OF.

I THINK IT'S HARD TO TELL PEOPLE TO MAKE CHANGES

WHEN THEY'RE TRYING JUST TO MAKE A LIVING,

FEED THEIR FAMILY.

I LOVE TO COOK.

I EAT PRETTY HEALTHY FOOD.

IF THINGS ARE IN SEASON, I PULL IT OUT OF MY GARDEN.

LIKE, LAST NIGHT, WE HAD TOMATOES

AND ZUCCHINI FROM THE GARDEN AND THE BASIL.

THE STEAK WAS FROM THE LOCAL MEAT LOCKER.

[indistinct chatter]

ONE THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE

IS TO LOOK AT WHAT YOU EAT.

YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW RIGHT WHERE THAT CAME FROM.

woman: OH, YUMMY.

man: OKAY, I THINK IT'S TIME TO EAT.

[folksy music]

woman:♫OOH, OOH-OOH♫

♫OOH, OOH-OOH♫

♫TONIGHT I WANT MY GIRLS BY MY SIDE♫

♫I'LL GET THE SMOKE♫

♫YOU BEAUTIES BRING THE WINE♫

♫BETTER BRING MORE♫

♫THAN YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA NEED♫

♫'CAUSE I'LL STAY UP ALL NIGHT♫

♫IF NEED BE♫

♫WON'T LET MY DREAMS♫

♫JUST DIE IN THE DIRT♫

♫YOU'VE BEEN THE ONES♫

♫WHO ALWAYS SHOWED ME I WAS WORTH IT♫

♫GIVING ME SUPPORT♫

♫THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS♫

♫IF I BELIEVE IN MYSELF♫

♫THEN NOTHING'S GONNA STOP ME♫

♫EEH, EEH, EEH♫

all:♫ON MY PATH♫

♫TO WHERE I'VE BEEN♫

♫YOU'VE BEEN BESIDE ME♫

♫THROUGH THICK AND THIN♫

♫ALL MY DREAMS♫

♫I KNOW I CAN REACH♫

♫'CAUSE I GOT FRIENDS♫

♫♫

-♫OOH, OOH-OOH♫

♫OOH, OOH-OOH♫

Dillon: WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED

TO PUT A FACE ON THEIR FOOD.

THEY WANT TO GO TO THE FARMER'S MARKET

AND GET TO KNOW THEIR PRODUCER.

FARMERS HAVE BLOGS.

FARMERS HAVE VIDEOS ABOUT THEM.

FARMERS ARE KIND OF ROCK STARS.

IT TAKES ANOTHER STEP TO REALLY GET TO KNOW YOUR SEED.

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS I'VE SEEN

IS THIS EXPLOSION OF SEED LIBRARIES

AROUND THE COUNTRY.

Hernandez: WE ARE IN THE HEART OF THE SONORAN DESERT,

LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE.

TO FOLKS NOT FROM OR FAMILIAR WITH THE DESERT,

IT PROBABLY LOOKS INCREDIBLY DESOLATE

AND LIKE THEY'VE LANDED ON THE MOON.

BUT IT'S REALLY WHEN YOU START TO EXPLORE IT,

YOU SEE JUST LIFE BURGEONING OUT OF LITTLE CRACKS.

IT JUST IS A REALLY VIBRANT PLACE.

I MEAN, IT HAS ITS OWN SORT OF ECOLOGY

DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER PART OF THE UNITED STATES.

HERE WE ARE IN DOWNTOWN TUCSON,

THE JOEL VALDEZ MAIN LIBRARY ON THE JACOME PLAZA.

AND HERE IS THE SEED LIBRARY, FRONT AND CENTER,

WHERE EVERYBODY HAS INCREDIBLE ACCESS

TO THOUSANDS--

LITERALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SEEDS.

IT'S REALLY, REALLY EXCITING.

WE'RE IN 8 PHYSICAL BRANCHES IN A 28-BRANCH LIBRARY SYSTEM

THAT SERVES A COUNTY OF NEARLY A MILLION PEOPLE.

ANYWHERE YOU ARE IN PIMA COUNTY,

AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A LIBRARY CARD,

YOU HAVE ACCESS

TO OPEN POLLINATED AND HEIRLOOM SEEDS.

- HOW ARE YOU DOING?

- GOOD.

HOW ARE YOU?

- GREAT.

GREAT.

I HAVE SOME SEEDS.

I HAVE SOME BLACK-EYED PEAS--

UH, SEEDS AND SOME SUNFLOWER SEEDS HERE

TO DONATE TO THE SEED LIBRARY.

- ARE YOU GONNA PICK UP SOME MORE SEEDS TODAY?

- I'LL CHECK OUT AND SEE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE...

- NICE.

- IN THE CATALOG OVER THERE.

- WELL, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN

AND BRINGING THIS IN.

- THANKS SO MUCH.

- OKAY, HAVE A GOOD ONE.

- YOU TOO.

YOU CAN SEE, LIKE, SOME THESE HAVE,

LIKE, THE RED DOTS ON THEM AND THE GREEN DOTS--

ACTUALLY INDICATES, LIKE, HOW HARD IT IS

TO COLLECT THE ACTUAL SEEDS

BECAUSE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SEED VARIETIES

HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH THEY POLLINATE,

SO THEY CAN CROSS-POLLINATE OR OPEN POLLINATE,

OR YOU HAVE TO DO IT BY HAND.

SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

FOR PEOPLE THAT REALLY ARE INTERESTED IN SEED SAVING

TO START WITH SOMETHING EASY BECAUSE THEN YOU FEEL LIKE--

YOU KNOW, YOU FEEL LIKE,

"WHOO-HOO, I WAS ABLE TO, LIKE, DO IT."

THERE'S A LOT OF NATIVE SEEDS

OR MICROCLIMATIZED SEEDS HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST.

SO THE SEED LIBRARY HAS A GOOD COLLECTION

OF THESE TYPES OF SEEDS.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A HUGE VARIETY

AND TYPES OF SQUASHES,

BOTH HARD AND SOFT SQUASHES.

SO, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE,

THIS IS A REALLY FAMOUS ONE, THE MAGDALENA BIG CHEESE SQUASH,

AND IT--THE SQUASHES ON THEM LITERALLY GET--

YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WHEN IT REALLY SAYS "BIG CHEESE,"

I MEAN, IT'S HUGE, HUGE.

YOU CAN FEED AN ENTIRE FAMILY OF 20

OFF OF ONE OF THESE SQUASHES.

Hernandez: TUCSON IS AN INCREDIBLY ECLECTIC COMMUNITY.

WE SORT OF FEEL WE'RE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

THAN THE REST OF ARIZONA, YOU KNOW.

WE'RE A LITTLE FUNKY.

WE'RE KIND OF COOL.

WE'RE FRIENDLY.

IT'S A REALLY WARM COMMUNITY,

SO IT WAS A REALLY PERFECT KIND OF PLACE

TO START A SEED LIBRARY.

- THERE'S MILLIONS MORE.

McDorman: JUSTINE HERNANDEZ

IS THIS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL YOUNG WOMAN

WHO CAME TO ONE OF OUR SEED SCHOOLS

AND LEARNED ABOUT THE POWER OF SEEDS.

AT ONE POINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT GAVE AWAY

1.1 BILLION PACKETS OF SEEDS FOR FREE

TO AMERICAN GARDENERS AND FARMERS

SO THAT WE COULD BECOME SELF-RELIANT IN OUR OWN REGIONS

WITH OUR OWN VARIETIES THAT WERE ADAPTED TO THERE.

EVERY LITTLE CULTURAL NICHE IN THIS COUNTRY

HAD ITS OWN CORN AT ONE POINT.

IN 1900, WE FIGURED THERE WERE

A THOUSAND DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF CORN BEING GROWN

IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

BUT WE'VE EXPERIENCED THIS HUGE SORT OF NARROWING

IN THE DIVERSITY.

BUT WE HAVE ENOUGH LEFT TO GROW IT BACK.

IF WE'RE GOING TO GO FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE,

LET'S HAVE SEED BANKS,

AND LET'S BUILD SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURES.

I GET EXCITED ABOUT STUFF IN HERE.

IT'S LIKE A CANDY STORE.

WE HAVE ABOUT 2,000 VARIETIES,

2,000 ACCESSIONS, AS WE CALL IT.

THAT'S SEED BANK TALK.

WE HAVE A SEED LISTING, SEED CATALOG,

WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET ACCESS TO IT,

AND THIS IS REALLY UNLIKE ANY OTHER SEED CATALOG.

YOU LOOK AT OUR CATALOG,

YOU'RE GONNA GET ACCESS TO HUNDREDS OF THINGS

YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE.

WHY?

BECAUSE THEY CAME FROM 50--

MORE THAN 50 DIFFERENT TRIBES

HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST GOING BACK 4,000 YEARS.

THESE ARE OURS.

CORN HAS GOT TO BE

THE MOST ADAPTABLE AND BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION

OF THE DANCE BETWEEN HUMANITY AND OUR NONHUMAN NATURE,

AND I HAVE BEEN BLOWN AWAY ON SO MANY OCCASIONS

JUST OPENING EARS OF CORN.

FIRST TIME WE HARVESTED GLASS GEM CORN AT A SEED SCHOOL,

AND THE STUDENTS WERE OUT, AND THEY'RE STARTING TO DO IT,

PEOPLE WERE CRYING.

THIS IS HOW AMERICA IS RESPONDING

TO THE CENTRALIZATION AND THE OWNERSHIP OF SEEDS.

WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS BACK INTO OUR OWN HANDS.

WE WANT OUR OWN SEEDS IN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES AGAIN.

IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANY HOPE OF FOOD SECURITY

WITH F5 SUPERSTORMS

AND THE TYPHOONS AND THE SORTS OF THINGS COMING,

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE OUR AGRICULTURE MORE REGIONAL.

[indistinct chatter]

girl: ARE THOSE SEEDS?

Hernandez: YEAH.

girl: OH.

Hernandez: SO WE'RE PUTTING ALL OF THIS MIXTURE--

ALL OF THESE SEEDS INTO THIS MIXTURE HERE.

AND WE ACTUALLY WORK WITH THE SEED LIBRARY SPECIFICALLY,

SO WE LET FOLKS

CHECK OUT SEEDS WITH THEIR LIBRARY CARD.

girl: THEY HARVEST THE SEEDS AND BRING THEM BACK?

Hernandez: AND BRING THEM BACK, YEAH.

- Cool.

Hernandez: Yeah.

WHEN YOU'RE DONE, YOU'LL TAKE IT HOME,

AND YOU'LL LET IT DRY.

SO YOU WANT IT TO DRY FIRST,

AND THEN YOU'LL PUT IT IN YOUR YARD.

AND YOU'LL KIND OF GIVE IT A PERIODIC SPRINKLING OF WATER.

BUT IT'S GOT COMPOST IN IT AND CLAY AND SEEDS,

AND YOU KIND OF JUST LET--

LET NATURE HAPPEN.

girl: IT'LL GROW?

Hernandez: IT'LL GROW.

girl: OH, MY GOODNESS.

Hernandez: YEAH, IT'S GOT WILDFLOWER SEEDS IN IT.

WE ARE MAKING SEED CALAVERAS,

AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE A RIFF

ON THE TRADITIONAL SEED BALL OR SEED BOMB OR GREEN GRENADE.

SUCH TALENT.

girl: WE MIX SEEDS IN GARDENING CLASS AT OUR SCHOOL,

BUT I'VE NEVER MADE A SKULL OUT OF THEM.

IT'S VERY COOL.

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN ABOUT IT.

I'LL DEFINITELY REMEMBER THIS.

- I THINK THAT SEEDS ARE REALLY COOL

BECAUSE THEY CAN TURN INTO THIS LITTLE THING

AND THEN BE HUGE AND ALSO GROW FOOD TO EAT.

[laughter]

Hernandez: ALL RIGHT.

WHEN PEOPLE FIRST DISCOVERED

THAT THEY CAN CHECK OUT SEEDS FROM THE LIBRARY,

THERE WAS LIKE-- IT'S UTTER DISBELIEF.

AND THEN IT'S KIND OF LIKE AMAZEMENT.

AND THEN IT'S SORT OF A LITTLE BIT OF PRIDE,

LIKE, "ROCK AND ROLL.

OUR LIBRARY LETS YOU CHECK OUT SEEDS."

ALL RIGHT.

SLOWLY, I THINK PEOPLE ARE SEEING TUCSON

AS A SEED COMMUNITY, LIKE THE HUB.

AND IT JUST IS REALLY SORT OF

THIS BURGEONING, LIVELY COMMUNITY

OF SEED SAVING AND SHARING AND SWAPPING

AND SEED INTERESTS AND GARDENING KNOWLEDGE.

SO IT REALLY IS SORT OF A LITTLE SEED REVOLUTION

AND MECCA GOING ON HERE IN TUCSON.

[gentle music]

SEEDS ARE WHAT SUSTAIN US.

♫♫

SEEDS ARE ABSOLUTELY INTEGRAL

TO EVERY PART OF WHO WE ARE AND THEIR CREATION,

AND THEY'RE EMBLEMATIC OF BEGINNINGS AND GROWTH.

♫♫

man:♫I'M ON MY KNEES♫

♫LORD, I'M HAVING SUCH A HARD, HARD TIME♫

♫PRAY FOR RAIN♫

♫AND ALL YOU'VE GIVEN ME♫

♫IS THIS HERE SUNLIGHT♫

♫♫

Dillon: PLANT BREEDING AND SEED SYSTEMS

ARE REALLY ABOUT THE FUTURE,

HOW WE ARE GOING TO SUCCEED AND DEFINE THE FUTURE.

WHEN YOU SAVE THE SEED AT THE END OF THE SEASON,

YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE SPRING.

man:♫MY FRIEND♫

Dillon: WE CAN THINK THROUGH

THE ROUGH CHALLENGES OF OUR TIMES

AND BE THINKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SPRING,

AND TO ME, THAT'S REALLY WHAT SEED IS ABOUT.

IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THAT POTENTIAL TO FEED OURSELVES,

TO CELEBRATE LIFE AGAIN IN THE SPRING.

-♫ON MY KNEES♫

♫LORD, I'M HAVING SUCH A HARD, HARD TIME♫

- IF I COULD BE ANY VEGETABLE...

I'VE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.

- [whispers] IF I COULD BE ANY VEGETABLE...

- [clicks tongue]

I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF SOMETHING CLEVER.

ANY VEGETABLE, HUH?

- IF I COULD BE ANY VEGETABLE?

- IF I COULD BE ANY VEGETABLE,

WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

OH, MY GOSH.

- IT WOULD HAVE TO BE...

- A TOMATO 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S A VEGETABLE,

BUT I LOVE FRUIT, AND SO I'D STILL BE A FRUIT,

AND WE'RE SWEETER.

- COULD IT BE LIKE A CERTAIN SEASON

AND BE A VEGETABLE?

'CAUSE IN SPRING, I'D WANT TO BE ASPARAGUS.

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND SLENDER AND TENDER.

- I WOULD BE CORN.

- OH, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING LIKE A PEPPER

AND A REALLY HOT, HOT, HOT PEPPER.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT IT JUST, LIKE, KICKS IN THE ADRENALINE.

I THINK THAT'S WHY I LIKE THE WAY IT CHARGES PEOPLE,

SO PROBABLY A PEPPER.

[chuckles] I DON'T KNOW.

WAS THAT GOOD?