Ira Wallace, manager of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, will be one of the speakers at the Appalachian Heirloom Seed Conservancy’s (AHSC) fourth annual Fall Conference.

Wallace, who studied at the New College Environmental Studies Institute, will discuss seed saving methodology during the conference. She is a Certified Plants Person with the Ontario Board of Horticulturists, a VCE Master Gardener instructor, and has lead workshops at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens, Ontario Herbalist Society, and other locales.

She also is the organizer of the Heritage Harvest Festival, to be held at Monticello’s Tufton Farm, on September 8, 2007.

The AHSC Fall Conference will be held October 5-7, 2007 at the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center (SMAC), in Berea, Kentucky. There will be two formal seed swaps, speakers and workshops, and tours of SMAC, in addition to numerous opportunities for one-on-one interaction among attendees and speakers.

Non-members are welcome to attend all conference events except the Friday night early bird reception, which is confined to members and invited speakers.

The Appalachian Heirloom Seed Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the heirloom food plants and sustainable agricultural practices of those states in the mountain south. Membership information, and details about the conference, are available from Appalachian Heirloom Seed Conservancy, Box 519, Richmond, KY 40476, KentuckySeeds@hotmail.com.

Yes, I received word that it was canceled, shortly after my post above. Hopefully this is only a bump in the road for the AHSC, I really believe in the great work they are doing.

It had to hit GL pretty hard. I hope he comes back to Gardenweb, I (and many others) really value his counsel.