Building a Seed Commons Track

Seeds for Community Resilience

Megan Allen-Lazaro has been an organic vegetable farmer for 20 years. She and her husband, Lalo, started their farm, Care of the Earth Community Farm, in 2009. They operated a 80-100 member, 42-week CSA and grew seed on contract for 13 seasons before transitioning to only growing seed and developing new vegetable varieties in 2022. Megan's focus is on identifying or developing varieties that produce well under variable climatic conditions (specifically heavy rains and long dry periods) and disease pressure. She has released three new varieties through Common Wealth Seed Growers in VA; one of those varieties "Xiye Butternut" will be available though Southern Exposure Seed Exchange this winter. She and Lalo also maintain a seed bank of varieties from Lalo's family in Hueyapan, Veracruz, Mexico.