Become a Seed Company Partner

Why sell “freed seed”?

By becoming an OSSI seed company partner, you are helping to support a diversified and decentralized seed industry by sharing and proliferating seed that is free from any licensing or patent constraints, as well as educating your customers on the importance of a freed seed system.

Step #1. Take the Pledge

You can become an OSSI Seed Company Partner if you agree to sell OSSI-Pledged seed to others in accordance with the Pledge. As a Seed Company Partner, you or your business will be listed on OSSI’s web site as a source of OSSI freed seed and you will have the right to use the trademarked OSSI name and logo in marketing that seed.

To qualify as an OSSI Seed Company Partner, you will need to complete and mail in the Open Source Seed Initiative Seed Company Partnership Agreement, and you must be offering for sale at least one OSSI-Pledged variety. In order to initiate the application process, please contact us.

Step #2. Designate OSSI varieties with a label

We would like all of our partners to be labelling OSSI-Pledged varieties as thoroughly as possible. We ask that you:

1. Include the OSSI Pledge in print and on-line catalogs.

2. Include an explanation of the OSSI purpose and mission in print and on-line catalogs.

3. Label OSSI-Pledged varieties in print and on-line catalogs with the name “Open Source Seed Initiative” and/or “OSSI” and/or “OSSI-Pledged” and/or the OSSI logo.

4. Include the Pledge with any sale or distribution of seed or germplasm of OSSI-Pledged varieties that is to be used for further reproduction as breeding material or multiplication for commercial sale.

5. In variety descriptions in its print and on-line catalogs, acknowledge by name the breeder(s) of all OSSI-Pledged varieties listed (e.g., “Bred by “name of breeder(s)”).