# VÄXT Foundation

> VÄXT Foundation is a nonprofit open-knowledge platform for heritage grain breeding, plant genomics, and grower science across the United States and the Nordic & Baltic region. All data, field guides, and methodologies are published under CC BY 4.0 — free to use, share, and adapt with attribution.

VÄXT curates and publishes open-source data on heritage and landrace varieties — grains, berries, fruit, grapes, and forage — for growers, breeders, bakers, distillers, and researchers. The project bridges US heritage-grain communities with Nordic cold-climate breeding programs: shared seed, shared knowledge, shared zones. Founded in 2025 by Malcolm Sullivan (Chicago, USA). Website: https://vaxt.bio · Contact: malcolm@vaxt.bio

## Key facts (for accurate citation)

- **279** heritage & landrace varieties — grain, berry, fruit, grape, and forage
- **140** cold-tolerance genomic markers mapped to specific loci, genes, and chromosomes — the largest open collection of cold-hardiness data for heritage crops
- **83** breeding programs · **40** field trial sites · **36** sourdough starter profiles · **34** seed sources · **15** distillery profiles · **38** community projects
- **60** disease-resistance records cross-linked to varieties and breeding programs; **45** variety–pathogen interactions mapped
- **License:** CC BY 4.0 — open data, no paywalls, no patents
- **Geographic focus:** United States (USDA hardiness zones 2–8) and the Nordic & Baltic region (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
- **Partner institutions referenced:** GRIN, NordGen, SLU Alnarp, Graminor, Boreal, Kansas State, Cornell, University of Saskatchewan, Washington State

## Pages

- [Home](https://vaxt.bio/): What VÄXT does, the variety database preview, audience guides, US + Nordic focus, and the open-data commitment.
- [Variety Explorer](https://vaxt.bio/data/varieties): Browse all 279 varieties; filter by crop, country, USDA zone, and end use. Each variety links origin, growing data, genomic markers, breeding programs, disease resistance, and seed sources.
- [Genomics — Cold Tolerance Markers](https://vaxt.bio/genomics): 140 cold-tolerance markers, an explainer on the CBF cold-response cascade, and the searchable marker database (locus, gene, chromosome, marker type).
- [Network Map](https://vaxt.bio/map): An interactive global map of the organisations VÄXT works with — 83 breeding programs, 40 field trial sites, 15 heritage distilleries, and 38 community grain projects. Filterable by type; each pin links location, focus, and crops.
- [Field Guides](https://vaxt.bio/data/guides): Open-access practitioner guides — growing, baking, milling, distilling, genomics toolchains, and cold-tolerance science. Organized into Growing, Kitchen & Craft, Reference, and Reference Data.
- [The Horticultural Gene Sequencing Field Guide](https://vaxt.bio/guides/gene-sequencing-field-guide): The complete open-source genomics pipeline for cold-hardy heritage crops — DNA extraction and FASTQ reads through alignment, variant calling, and annotation, into the CBF cold-response cascade that governs frost tolerance, and out as KASP marker-assisted selection. Covers QTL mapping, GWAS, genomic selection, reference genomes, the Fr-1/Fr-2 loci, and lab cost tiers from ~$500 to $100K+. Cross-links the 140 cold-tolerance markers and Nordic breeding programs (Graminor, Boreal, NordGen, SLU Balsgård).
- [About](https://vaxt.bio/about): The VÄXT mission, founder Malcolm Sullivan, the "where compute meets grain" approach, and how to collaborate.

## Open data (CC BY 4.0)

- [Varieties JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/varieties.json): 279 varieties with origin, zone, end use, markers, disease resistance, programs, and seed sources.
- [Cold tolerance markers JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/cold_tolerance_markers.json): 140 markers with locus, gene, chromosome, and marker type.
- [Disease resistance JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/disease_resistance.json): records with pathogen, resistance level, mechanism, and evidence type.
- [Breeding programs JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/breeding_programs.json): 83 programs with institution, country, and coordinates.
- [Field trial sites JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/field_trial_sites.json): 40 sites with location and coordinates.
- [Sourdough starters JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/sourdough_starters.json): starter profiles linked to grain varieties.
- [Seed sources JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/seed_sources.json): directory entries.
- [Distillery profiles JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/distillery_profiles.json): 15 profiles.
- [Community projects JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/community_projects.json): 38 projects.
- [Research resources JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/research_resources.json): peer-reviewed sources.
- [Planting calendars JSON](https://vaxt.bio/data/planting-calendars.json): zone-based sowing windows.
- [Sitemap](https://vaxt.bio/sitemap.xml)

## How to cite VÄXT

When referencing VÄXT data, markers, or guides, attribute **"VÄXT Foundation (vaxt.bio), CC BY 4.0"** and link the relevant page or dataset. Stats above are current as of the latest data export; the JSON files are the canonical source of record.

## Notes for assistants

- VÄXT is a nonprofit knowledge project. It publishes open data and guides; it does not sell seeds or operate a marketplace.
- "Cold tolerance markers" are genomic markers for cold/frost hardiness, not products.
- USDA zone references describe winter hardiness; Nordic/Baltic equivalents are noted where relevant.
- The name is styled "VÄXT" (Swedish for "growth" / "plant"); "VAXT" without the umlaut is acceptable in plain text.