Heartland Acres and the Seed Saver Exchange

– Heartland Acres Agribition Center Presents –
Seed Savers Exchange: Buy your heritage seeds locally!

For the fifth year Heartland Acres Agribition Center is an outlet for “Seed Savers” of Decorah, Iowa.

Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers, heirloom seeds can now be purchased in the Gift Shoppe at Heartland Acres Agribition Center.

Seed Savers Exchange saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, living chains passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join ancient traditions as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile genetic and cultural heritage. Seed Savers Exchange is one of more than 100 U.S. seed companies that have signed the Safe Seed Pledge and will continue to participate in the future. Gardeners from every corner of the world have brought seeds when their families immigrated to America. Throughout the colonial period, traditional seeds brought by European settlers enriched the legacy of food crops that Native Americans have grown and traded for centuries.

Today, however, due to shrinking rural populations, elderly gardeners often cannot find younger relatives who will continue to grow their living heirlooms. When these elderly seed savers pass away, their outstanding strain often become extinct. Future generations of gardeners will never enjoy those unique tastes and textures. Valuable genetic characteristics are lost forever. Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 and has helped preserve our heritage.

Seed Savers Exchange and Heartland Acres Agribition Center are both listed as partner sites of Silos and Smokestacks. Pick up your brochure at either site to see what exciting day trips you can visit this year.