USDA Seed Sovereignty Initiative: $180 Million to Sequence the National Seed Bank
The Morning Harvest, No. 003, Friday, October 9, 2026
By Angelo J. Grinceri III. Market data is from USDA reports dated October 2 and October 6, 2026.
Today in 30 seconds
On October 6, USDA announced $180 million to sequence its national gene bank of more than 600,000 seed and plant samples.
Flowers Foods recalled Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread in 5 states because milk is not declared on the label.
Raspberries averaged $3.11 per 6-ounce pack at retail, while a flat of 12 packs sold for $12 to $16 at shipping point.
Pomegranates ($2.78 each), pumpkins ($5.61 each), and sweet potatoes ($1.56 a pound) are in season.
Backyard grapes: space vines 8 feet apart, expect first fruit in year three, and use fall for soil testing, not planting.
Rutgers is offering free drone pilot training to 10 New Jersey farmers on November 6 and 13.
What is the USDA Seed Sovereignty Initiative?
On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced $180 million to launch USDA’s Seed Sovereignty Initiative. The money is aimed at the National Plant Germplasm System, the national gene bank run by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Germplasm is the living seed and plant material that breeders use to create new varieties.
The system holds more than 600,000 accessions representing more than 16,000 species. An accession is one distinct sample of seed or plant material.
Over two years, USDA says it will characterize and sequence numerous collections of major crops and identify critical gaps.
USDA says it will use advanced computing tools to find valuable traits faster.
USDA is also expanding its agreement with the Department of Justice on competition in farm input markets, with a continued focus on seeds.
Why now: USDA says foreign competitors are acquiring and sequencing plant genetics from around the world, and that US collections are not yet fully sequenced. The release does not break down the $180 million, name the first crops, or describe any application process.
What it means for you: New crop varieties, including disease-resistant ones, are bred from traits found in collections like this one. A better map of the collection is meant to help breeders respond faster to new pests and diseases.
Source: USDA press release No. 0128.26, October 6, 2026
Which Nature’s Own bread is recalled, and why?
Flowers Foods, Inc., of Thomasville, Georgia, is recalling Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread because the packaging does not declare milk. People with a milk allergy or severe sensitivity could have an allergic reaction. The company announced the recall on October 2, 2026, and FDA posted it on October 5. No illnesses or incidents have been reported to date. The company says it found the problem during a review of production records.
Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread, 20 oz. single loaf, UPC 0 72250 91662 2. Best if used by dates: OCT 08 2026 03 through OCT 18 2026 13.
Product codes on the 20 oz. loaf: 0188 262 20:06 to 0188 262 22:05; 0188 265 09:20 to 0188 265 10:30; 0188 267 04:50 to 0188 267 06:00; 0188 270 04:15 to 0188 270 06:05; 0188 272 17:15 to 0188 272 19:25.
Nature’s Own 2-pack Hawaiian Bread, 40 oz., UPC 0 72250 00683 5.
Where it was sold: retail customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The notice does not name specific stores.
What to do: If anyone in your home has a milk allergy, do not eat this bread. Throw it away or return it to the store for a full refund. For questions, call Flowers’ Consumer Relations Center at 1-866-245-8921, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.
Source: FDA recall notice, posted October 5, 2026
Why do raspberries cost $3.11 a pack right now?
USDA’s National Retail Report for specialty crops, dated October 2, 2026 (covering ads through October 8), shows a 6-ounce package of raspberries at a national average of $3.11. That is up from $2.42 the week before and from $2.67 a year ago, a 16 percent increase over last year.
At the farm end, USDA’s National Shipping Point report for October 6, 2026, lists a flat of twelve 6-ounce cups at $12.00 to $16.00. The shipping point price, also called FOB, is what the shipper is paid at the cooler, before freight. The price was the same for fruit from the South and Central District of California and for fruit from Mexico crossing through Arizona, California, and Texas.
Shipping point: $12.00 to $16.00 per flat, or $1.00 to $1.33 per pack.
Retail: $3.11 per pack, or $37.32 per flat of 12.
Gap: about $21 to $25 per flat.
That gap has to cover trucking, the store’s costs and margin, and fruit that spoils before it sells. USDA described demand as light and the market as about steady. It also noted a wide range in quality and condition, with some earlier contract prices higher. In short, the shelf price went up this week while the farm price held.
Sources: USDA National Retail Report, October 2, 2026 and USDA National Shipping Point report, October 6, 2026
What produce is in season in October?
USDA’s retail report says stores kept a fall theme this week, with pomegranates, pumpkins, grapes, and hard squash featured across the ads. The prices below are national averages from the October 2, 2026, report.
Pomegranates: $2.78 each, down from $3.03 last week and $3.01 last year. California produces more than 90 percent of US pomegranates (AgMRC, citing California state data from 2015). Choose fruit that feels heavy, with smooth, firm skin. Whole fruit keeps one to two weeks on the counter or about two months in the refrigerator, according to the UC Master Food Preservers.
Pumpkins: $5.61 each, up from $5.19 last week and $5.26 last year. Pie pumpkins averaged $2.46 each. Illinois is consistently the largest producing state, according to University of Illinois Extension. Look for 1 to 2 inches of stem and no soft spots, and never carry a pumpkin by the stem. For baking, choose a small pie pumpkin of 4 to 8 pounds.
Sweet potatoes: $1.56 a pound, up from $1.37 last week and $1.25 last year. North Carolina ranks first and supplies more than 40 percent of the nation’s sweet potatoes, according to N.C. Cooperative Extension. Keep them in a cool, dry place and use them within 1 to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate them raw.
Pumpkins and sweet potatoes are both crops a home gardener can grow. In North Carolina, sweet potatoes take about 120 days from transplanting to harvest.
Sources: USDA National Retail Report, AgMRC, UC Master Food Preservers, University of Illinois Extension, N.C. Cooperative Extension
How do you grow grapes at home?
Grapes are one of the most productive fruits for a small space, and fall is the time to plan.
Yield: about 10 to 12 pounds per mature vine (University of Missouri Extension); 20 pounds or more for a well-maintained vine (Ohio State); 20 to 30 pounds with good care and disease control (University of Georgia). Cornell says a third-year vine can produce 5 to 10 pounds.
First harvest: some fruit in the third season. Ohio State puts the first full crop around year four or five.
Spacing: 8 feet between vines on a trellis (Ohio State, Missouri); 6 to 8 feet between vines and 9 to 12 feet between rows (Georgia).
Sun and soil: full sun and well-drained soil. Soil pH guidance varies by region and grape type: 5.0 to 6.0 in Ohio State’s guide, 6.0 to 6.5 in Georgia’s. Test before you add lime.
This month: do not plant. Ohio State says fall-planted vines are often lost to frost heaving. Take a soil test and prepare the ground now so you can plant in early spring (Missouri).
By region: in cold climates, American and hybrid types such as Concord are hardier. Cornell says a site needs a growing season of at least 150 days and winter lows above minus 25 degrees. In Georgia below about 1,300 feet of elevation, Pierce’s disease, a bacterial disease, kills susceptible vines within a few years, so plant resistant varieties.
Grapevines are self-fruitful, so even a single vine will produce. If you would rather have help with the site assessment, soil testing, and trellis design, that is what we do at Curated Nature.
Sources: University of Missouri Extension G6085, Ohio State HYG-1423, University of Georgia Bulletin 807, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Garden State minute: free drone pilot training for New Jersey farmers
On October 6, 2026, Rutgers Cooperative Extension announced that its Agricultural Drone Team, led by Agricultural Agent Stephen Komar, will hold a free two-day drone training for New Jersey commercial farmers.
When: Friday, November 6, and Friday, November 13, 2026. Participants must attend both days.
Where: Rutgers Snyder Research Farm, 140 Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, in Hunterdon County. The 390-acre farm has more than 75 experiments underway.
Who: commercial farmers in New Jersey, age 18 or older, one person per farm, capped at 10 participants.
What: preparation for the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, known as Part 107, which Rutgers says is required to operate drones for commercial agricultural purposes. Day two includes hands-on flying at the farm.
Cost: free, funded by a USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Grant.
Registration closes when the class fills.
Why it matters beyond New Jersey: Part 107 is a federal certificate, so a farmer in any state faces the same licensing step before using a drone for farm work. A small, hands-on class like this one shows how extension services help farmers adopt new tools.
Source: Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory, October 6, 2026
From the farm
Today we are starting the morning off site with our contracting services, we are applying fairway aerification at a local golf course. Heavy tractor traffic, mowing equipment, and thousands of golfers a year inevitably take a toll on golf course fairways, leading to severe soil compaction. Fairway Aerification Service is the ultimate medical check-up for your turf, designed to alleviate sub-surface compaction and breathe new life into your soil. Utilizing industrial, high-efficiency equipment like deep-tine heaving units and tractor-mounted core aerators.
Stop mowing grass. Start growing fruit.
If you own land and want to turn it into a producing orchard, vineyard, or berry planting, we can help with site assessment, design, installation, and optional ongoing care. Berries typically begin producing in their second year, grapes in their third, and tree fruit in years three to five. Start here: https://www.curatednature.co/backyard-fruit-profits