The market for organic seed poses a great opportunity for both organic producers who want to diversify into new crops as well as for seed producers who want to enter into the rapidly growing organic market. While organic standards in the United States require the use of organic seed, organic producers are not able to find organic seed in sufficient quantity and of suitable quality to meet their production needs. Because commercial availability must be evaluated as part of the certification process, the certifying agents play an important role in assessing both the supply and demand for organic seed. Certifying agents were surveyed to identify how they assess commercial availability, what information resources are used, and what crops and varieties are considered commercially unavailable. More research is needed to forecast organic seed demand and overcome production obstacles.
