Northern Organic Variety Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC)

The NOVIC project brings together researchers and organic farmers in Northern US states to address their seed and plant breeding needs. The collaborative includes researchers and educators from Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin (Madison), Cornell University, Organic Seed Alliance, and the USDA.  NOVIC partners with organic farmers to breed new varieties, identify the best performing existing varieties for organic agriculture, and educate farmers on organic seed production and plant variety improvement. NOVIC looks for traits conducive to fresh markets with a focus on season extension. Breeding goals include (1) an OP broccoli with traditional F1 attributes and heat-tolerance; (2) a weed-competitive, cold-tolerant ‘Nantes’ carrot; (3) a disease-resistant, heat-tolerant stringless snap pea; (4) a cold-tolerant, sugary-enhanced sweet corn; (5) a butternut squash with good storability; and (6) the "farmers' choice" crop (the Oregon "farmer choice" crops have included sweet peppers, overwintering kale and chicories, including treviso, castelfrancos and grumolos).