VA-TACF Southwest branch volunteers fill pots for seed sowing. Photo by Brandon Yanez.
On February 26 and March 7, volunteers from the Southwest branch of the VA-TACF Chapter came out to the Price Research Farm in Meadowview, VA to help with spring seed sowing. Over 7,500 BC3F3 seeds, harvested in the fall, were sown for a variety of projects, including this year’s small stem assays, mixed source orchard plantings, demo plantings, and other restoration projects. In addition to crosses from the Duncan, Wagner, and Price farms at Meadowview Research Farms, seeds were also planted from a number of different sources including North Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Pennsylvania. The turnout for both work days was excellent – more than 12 hands on deck for the morning shift in February, and the group sowed 4,000+ seeds by noon! Fortunately, the rain that had been falling at the farm during most of February held off, and the weather was warm and sunny during both planting days. This was a large undertaking, and TACF farm staff is grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of these local volunteers who helped make this year’s seed sowing a success.