About this episode

This episode features Will Hazzard discussing organic seed production and zinnia breeding at UC Davis.

In this episode, we're digging into organic seed production. Seed saving and breeding are all the rage in the flower farming world at the moment, which is an exciting way to dive even deeper into the world of flowers and get even nerdier. And we all love getting nerdier, don't we? :-) Today's guest, Will Hazard, is the zinnia breeding project lead at the University of California, Davis. Through the SCOPE program -- which stands for Sustainable Crop Production and Enhancement, Will and his team of fellow research students have been breaking new ground in flower breeding that benefits both the environment and future generations of farmers. In particular, they've honed in on zinnias to breed for better stem length and disease resistance. In this conversation, Will unpacks the challenges, the innovations, and the incredible potential of this vital field of study. Mentioned in this Episode: UC Davis SCOPE Project Video demo of saving zinnia seeds properly UC Davis Zinnia Bulletin 2024 UC Davis Instagram (with lots of zinnia breeding photos) Tips for Getting Involved in Organic Seed Breeding Podcast with John Kempf and Dr. James White discussing seed biomes Email Will directly at…

People in this episode

Host: Jennie Love

Guest: Will Hazzard

Topics covered

• organic seed production
• flower farming
• seed saving
• breeding
• environmental benefits
• zinnia breeding

Keywords

• organic seed breeding
• flower farming
• zinnia
• disease resistance
• stem length
• SCOPE program
• seed saving

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of California, Davis, SCOPE program

Products: zinnias

More episodes of The No-Till Flowers Podcast

• Episode 48: The Power of Photoperiod for Better Flower Production with Dr. Alicain Carlson · January 21, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Episode 47: The Power of Cover Crop Mixes with Keith Berns of Green Cover Seed · December 28, 2025 · 1h 23m
• Episode 46: Overwintering Dahlias in the Ground, Zones 5 and Warmer · December 3, 2025 · 33 min
• 10 Late Season Flower Crops for November Sales with Dave Dowling · March 3, 2025 · 1h 0m
• How Farmers Can Improve Plant Health with Endophytic Microbes: A Conversation with Dr. James White · February 4, 2025 · 1h 21m
• Regenerative Flower Farming with Jennie Love: A Replay from The Flower Podcast · January 21, 2025 · 1h 12m

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