Meet Casey Piscura | Founder, Director of Research, and Farm Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Piscura and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Seed Peace was founded to aid in catalyzing a shift to local food production. After years of farming first hand we saw that not a lot of local food was available for lower income people and we decided to pair our farming research and education programs with hunger relief. Our goal is to develop resilient seeds and systems that can help scale the food supply while educating up and coming farmers on soil health and regenerative practices. We want to make it easier to achieve a career in farming and for local food to be available to as many people as possible.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Farming and especially seed saving and breeding is a dance of sorts with nature. I often describe to our students that we are painting a masterpiece in slow motion that we will cultivate over months and that will result in the nourishment that we need to survive. It ceases to amaze me how the beauty of the farm comes together each year. Every seed you sow is like making a tiny brush stroke on the canvas of the farm that will grow into a masterpiece fueled by the sun and the myriad of microscopic life in the soil. When you add seed saving and selection into things, another dimension of beauty can be unleashed. Years of collecting, cross pollinating, and the perpetuation of genetic diversity in seed can add elements of discovery that are truly enlightening. At Seed Peace we get to experience the joy of discovering new, delicious, and beautiful traits, and sometimes the gift of something truly unique to the world graces our soil. The element of creation and discovery connects us deeply with the humans and traditions that came before us as we better understand the human efforts that created the food plants that nourish our bodies today. We want the world to see their food as art and then see the farmers as the artists that curate the food from the land.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It would have to start with a walk through the gardens and eating something fresh off the vine. Perhaps we then head out for a float on the river and ideally get to soak our bones in a hot springs with an alpine view. Nite time would be enjoyed eating at one of the restaurants serving up local food like The Pullman in Glenwood Spring or The Beat or Batch in Carbondale. A bike ride back to the farm underneath Mount Sopris would top off the night quite well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh wow, there is really too many to list. I want to shout out to The Organic Seed Alliance and all of the seed and farming mentors who have helped educate me on the practices necessary to be successful in farming over the years.

Website: seedpeace.org & wildmountainseeds.com

Instagram: @seedpeace @wildmountainseeds