By Michelle Costa

Across the world, people are preparing for the absolute worst: Doom's Day. In Norway, one of the few global seed vaults opened Tuesday and right here in our own backyard, we have one of these special small grains collections. It's the ultimate insurance against catastrophe.

At the USDA Small Grains facility, we have our very own Doom's Day vault right here in southeast Idaho.

For over 100 years, seeds have been collected, sorted and grown in preparation for the future. But, it's also for today.

"Our main purpose is to provide this kind of seed to people who are breeding or doing research," Dr. Harold Bockelman, Agronomist and Curator for NSGC.

"They're simply looking for some new characteristic to put into the crop or maybe better nutrient or disease or insect resistance, high yield is always important," said Bockelman.

Plant breeders are constantly developing new seeds. It's a process that takes about 10 years. So, how did Aberdeen become one of the two dozen collections in the US?

"This collection is in many ways among the largest, most complete in the world," said Bockelman.

"Aberdeen is although it is a small town, but in terms of agriculture, it has a reputation known around the world," explained Bockelman.

There are many specimens of seeds in the small grains collection. They have over 100,000 types. Among them, 50,000 of them are wheat.

"We freely distribute seeds to scientists in other parts of the world for distribution," said Bockelman.

Upon request, scientists can receive small handfuls of seeds. In the last year, they've sent out over 40,000 samples. Their collection of small grains will be used in case our crops are destroyed and we need to re-plant. The seeds are kept in a germination chamber to ensure good quality. In these conditions, seeds can survive for 20 years.

Members of the collection said they get grains from all over the world at any time and they're expecting more grains to come in soon.