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A test of time: Seed Savers Exchange celebrates 50 years of sharing seeds and stories
BY ZACH JENSEN DECORAH LEADER STAFF WRITER
Seed Savers Exchange, the largest non-governmental seed bank in the United States, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Today, the exchange is located just north of Decorah. It was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy, and Seed Savers has retained what organizers there called an unwavering commitment to its mission.
“For a nonprofit to survive for 50 years, a little more effort had to be done to keep that viable,” Diane said, reflecting on the past five decades since she and her then-husband founded the exchange. “A lot of nonprofits that started when we did are no longer in existence, but I think we always had a good mission that sustained us all these years.”
Diane said the organization’s main priorities are to save heirloom seeds and preserve the stories associated with them.
Diane and Kent were homesteading — living on and working the land to grow food and other essentials — when they began Seed Savers out of their Missouri home as a way of preserving heirloom seeds and their heritages as well as networking with other seed savers around the country through letters and phone calls.
them on a shelf,” Diane said.
“You have to grow the seed out to keep it living and viable.”
SSE’s Executive Director
Seed Savers Exchange will host its Heirloom Plant Sale May 9-10 see page 10
and eggplants, and they were just amazed to see and taste the genetic diversity.”
The Whealys founded Seed Savers with the two seeds from Diane’s grandparents, and today, the exchange features more than 20,000 different varieties of seeds, which they grow out to keep viable over time.
Bollinger said, by sharing seeds, Seed Savers helps ensure biodiversity among their produce continues.
“You can’t really find fault in that,” she said. “We’re saving seeds for the future of the food source and, along with the seeds, we’re saving the stories, which bring the seeds to life. People like stories, and they help us remember the seeds. It’s hard to save something you don’t understand, so we have always tried to help people understand the importance of genetic diversity.”
“My grandparents had given me morning glory and tomato seeds that their parents brought from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas,” Diane said. “So, we had those seeds and the story about them and how the seeds linked back to our ancestors. That was the ‘ahha’ moment for us, because, if my grandparents had passed away without giving me the seeds, they would have been lost. So, we said, ‘Let’s see if there’s anybody else out there who’s interested in saving and distributing these heirloom varieties of seed.”
Diane and Kent put an advertisement in the Mother Earth News, looking for like-minded people, and the response they received was substantial.
“We got letters and lots of seed, but seeds are not like heirloom furniture or jewelry, because they’re living, so you can’t just dust them and put
Mike Bollinger said Kent and Diane first named their organization “The True Seed Exchange,” which was merely a sort of newsletter they typed and mailed out to 29 other people interested in the couple’s efforts. In the newsletter, they shared which seeds were available for only the cost of postage — thus creating the exchange.
The Whealys’ home was soon full of seeds, which prompted their move to Decorah, seeking the area’s ideal growing conditions. They first began growing their collection in a garden at the Winneshiek County 4-H camp.
“People from Decorah were very curious,” said Diane.
“They’d see that we had red, green, yellow, white, purple, pink, orange and other colors of tomatoes and peppers
“The idea is that, the more places that these seeds are growing, the safer they are,” he said. “It’s less likely that we’ll lose biodiversity because of this sharing. And, we also have the exchange online, through our website. For example, there are 6,378 different kinds of tomato being exchanged and 1,933 varieties of beans.”
Diane said all those varieties of seeds likely yields the most diverse garden in Iowa.
“That’s what we’ve been doing over the years — saving seeds and their stories, so
in to take care
The organization’s original newsletter, called “The True Seed Exchange,” was first typed in 1975 and has grown into a massive telephonebook-sized directory of more than 14,000 seeds from all over the country which people share and exchange. (Photo by Zach Jensen)
(This article originally published in the March 13 Decorah Leader, find past editions of the newspaper at decorahleader.com)
Heritage Farm is the headquarters of Seed Savers Exchange. (Photo courtesy of Shawn Linehan)
Seed Savers continued on page 9
David Kester with the Raptor Resource Project spoke on the topic if falcons, hawks and other predatory birds during Saturday’s festival. He was joined by a female gyrfalcon named Astrid. Kester said the gyrfalcon is the world’s largest species of falcon. (Photos by Seth Boyes)
Annual Earth Day Festival held
Nature enthusiasts young and old meandered the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds on April 26 during the annual Earth Day Festival. Various organizations displayed items and invited visitors to partake in activities in an effort to learn and appreciate the natural world. Many booths focused on plant and animal life, while others featured environmentally-conscience practices or products, and still others promoted specific environmental activism. The 2025 festival was held from 9 a.m. to noon that day, and displays were housed in the Danan Lansing Building and the Community Building on the fairgrounds.
DECO Products proudly honored 21 employees and 5 retirees at its annual Service Awards Recognition Ceremony on April 16, 2025. We celebrated an extraordinary 569.5 years of combined service in 2024. The ceremony recognized team members whose dedication, loyalty, and excellence has been the foundation of DECO’s success.
“These individuals are the heart of our company,” said Chris Storlie, CEO. “Their commitment and contributions over the years have built the foundation of DECO’s continued success. We are honored to recognize their achievements.”
Together, these retirees contributed 169.5 years of service, representing decades of dedication, mentorship, and leadership.
DECO Products extends its sincere appreciation to all honorees and retirees. Your legacy continues to inspire, and your service has helped shape DECO’s past, present, and future. Congratulations, and thank you for being the heart of DECO.
2024 RETIREES Pictured (l-r): Linda Ludwig (46+ years) , John Loven (23+ years) and Donna Quam (42+ years).
HONOREES WITH 30 & 35 YEARS OF SERVICE
Pictured (l-r): Connie Gordon (35 years), Jeannie
Decorah High School senior Grant Zilka held a sample of a tree trunk as he discussed various natural subjects with passersby during this year’s Earth Day Festival.
Rathje to present on doll collecting
The public is invited to learn about dolls with Amy Rathje at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 9 at the Senior Center in Decorah. Rathje, who has collected dolls since she was 14, will share her passion for the collectibles. As a member of the United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc. and vice president of the Iowa Kate Shelley Doll Club, she has a number of stories and insights to share about her cherished dolls – which many attendees may have loved as children. Attendees are welcome to bring their beloved dolls for a show-and-tell session following Rathje’s presentation.
(Photo submitted)
Service Notice
TV FFA to hold Flower Fest
The public is invited to attend the Turkey Valley FFA’s Flower Fest. Various flowers and hanging baskets will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 10 and from 1-5 p.m. Friday, May 16 at the Turkey Valley Greenhouse, located at Turkey Valley Community Schools — 3219 Highway 24 in Jackson Junction.
DECORIDE to benefit free clinic
A very special thank you to everyone who came to my 99th birthday celebration and sent cards! I have been truly blessed with years full of wonderful memories and people! A special thank you to my daughter, Rhonda, and son, Randy, for giving the party. God Bless, Ruth Woldum
TOP CONSIGNMENTS
Mike Brincks, Ossian
Decorah
JANET MONROE, 64, of Calmar, died Monday, April 28, 2025, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 6 at Calmar Lutheran Church, 200 East St., Calmar, with Pastor Daryl Thompson presiding. Burial will be in Calmar Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service Tuesday at the church.
The DECORIDE Organizing Committee recently announced DECORIDE 2025, a biannual community cycling event dedicated to promoting sustainable transportation, active living and healthcare access, will take place along Trout Run Trail on Saturday, May 10 in Decorah. Proceeds from the event will directly support the Decorah Community Free Clinic by helping to fund essential services such as medications, laboratory fees, medical supplies and specialist referrals. Checkin for the ride will begin at 9 a.m. at Luther College, and the ride will begin at 10 a.m. A post-ride gathering with live jazz music will be held at noon at Pulpit Rock Brewing Company in Decorah.
needed to know Everything I ever By Ole Winter
(Retired Lutheran Pastor Ole Winter reminisces on his 90-plus years of life, sharing past experiences and life lessons with Driftless readers.)
Can you go home anymore?
When a college student, I loved going home to our farm for a weekend and the summer. Yes, even to help with chores. When a pastor in urban California, it was a pleasure to drive to Iowa and our farm site for vacation — our kids enjoyed all the farm animals. But I can’t go “home” anymore! There is nothing there. The rich soil is still there, but no farm building as of old.
There is an immense building housing very large four-wheel drive tractors, two combines, grain trucks and other farm equipment. All this, where once stood our house, barn, granaries and many other buildings. One half-mile away stood two lovely farm sites, with all the usual buildings and silos. Now, depending on the season, there is only black soil or green crops. Not even a tree still stands. on the square-mile our farm was located, there once were four other building sites and miles of fences. Now there are no fences or farmsteads.
Was there some great catastrophic storm that took all of this away? No! And where is this? What happened? It is in
Mitchell County, some threescore miles west of Decorah. It is all about the changes in Iowa agriculture that have occurred in the last 50 years. And I am the first to acknowledge… it isn’t all bad. Far from it. In fact, those who now cultivate those acres do an excellent job of farming, care for the land and in the fall put thousands more bushels of corn and soybeans in bins than previous farmers could even dream about.
In recent years, I have driven to this old neighborhood with my grand children so they can see the roads on which I walked, rode my bike and learned to drive. But I can’t really go home anymore. It is gone! Can you still go home? Maybe! Maybe not! Then why do I write this? Psychologist may give another reason, but I have written this that you might, with your family or friends, talk about it. And about all the other changes that have happened in our society in recent years. Does nostalgia trump change or progress? Talk about it.
Mother’s Day presents an opportunity for people to shower the special women in their lives with extra love and affection. There are many ways to show Mom you care apart from gifts and dining out. A homemade dessert featuring rich and creamy chocolate might be exactly what Mom needs to cap off a perfect day spent with her family.
This recipe for “Mint Chocolate Mousse” from “Chocolate: Deliciously Indulgent Recipes for Chocolate Lovers” (Ryland, Peters & Small) by Maxine Clark is ideal for mothers who love the taste of mint and chocolate. It’s relatively simple to make, so it should be something that young children can handle with a little help from an adult.
Sprinkle
4 tablespoons water in a small, heatproof bowl and let soak and swell for 2 to 3 minutes. Put the bowl in a pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Beat into the chocolate-mint mixture.
Working quickly, beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff but not dry, then fold into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon. Divide the mousse between the pots. Scatter with the chopped mint sticks, then refrigerate until set. Alternatively, whip the 1 cup cream and use to decorate the mousses, along with the frosted mint leaves. Leave at cool room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
