2018 Speakers

Bill McDorman

Find this speaker online

Bill McDorman is Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA), a grassroots, seed conservation non-profit created to to assure a diverse supply of local seeds through community-based seed stewardship. Bill holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Montana. In 1981 he co-founded Garden City Seeds in Missoula, Montana. In 1984 he started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a bioregional, mailorder seed company he ran successfully for 28 years. From 2011 until 2014 Bill and his wife Belle served as Executive Directors of Native Seeds/SEARCH in Tucson, Arizona. In 2010 they founded Seed School, an internationally recognized program now with more than 1,000 graduates from around the world. They have gone on to create Grain School and Seed School Online.

Seed Literacy for Western Ranchers and Sustainable Farmers

Desert Oasis Teaching Gardens at the Albuquerque Academy

A day-long immersion into the modern seed world. You will learn where your seeds are actually grown and how you can find, test, source, grow, harvest, clean, store and even market the best seeds for your operation—that is, those best adapted to your particular environment. This engaging workshop will touch on the history, structure and growth of the modern seed industry, its extreme centralization, and the worldwide grassroots response offering new opportunities (especially for smaller and mid-sized operations). Learn everything from basic terminology to innovative new strategies to transition your operation with seed-focused and sustainable methods.

Highlights from last year’s event.

We invite you to enjoy videos from our 2017 Conference here. The annual Quivira Conference is internationally renowned for bringing together leaders, innovators, and stewards of the land for three days of provocative plenary presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking with diverse attendees from across the southwest, the country, and globe. The conference creates a unique environment where ideas are sown, exchanged, and grown. Quivira’s outstanding speakers and attendees contribute expertise in ranching, farming, conservation, community, and all things soil, which is the key to it all. Every attendee brings something unique to the table, and each departs with inspiration, new connections, broader perspectives, and the tools necessary to effect change.

2017 Conference Speaker Videos

The Quivira Coalition documents its conference every year. We love to share the content of this event with those who were not able to join us in person. You can also view the 2017 videos, along with past years, on the Quivira You Tube page.

2017 filming by Crash Roll Films and editing by Downstream Media Maven.