Ceres Trust is pleased to announce the publication of the Kent A. Whealy Archive, a resource of writings, speeches and photos by and about Kent that document his persistent and passionate work over more than three decades to secure and maintain the genetic variability of our vegetable crops.  In securing seeds from a rich slice of time and cultures Kent made available to today’s gardeners and breeders an unprecedented array of exceptional varieties.  An organizer, a cataloger – as he called himself – with a deep appreciation for diverse cultures, Kent was able to bring together the myriad seed savers he found around the country into a cohesive whole.  Their treasured seeds, together with the seeds he secured from rapidly disappearing seed houses and the irreplaceable seeds he obtained from ancient agricultural communities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union through seed collecting expeditions he sponsored, formed a major element of the agricultural flowering we enjoy today.  That Kent’s labor of love bore rich fruit cannot be doubted.  The exceptional effort made by this exceptional man is documented here.

From stories of the awe of diligent seed saving, such as “The Bean Men” to intimate updates such as    “Whatever happened to the Vegetable Variety Inventory OR the Apple of my Bloodshot Eye”, to his first grant proposal, among other writings, Ceres Trust is pleased to curate this public collection.  The documents are available on the website, which will be continuously updated as they become available:  https://cerestrust.org/kent-arthur-whealy/