Monsanto seeds

That is the practice Drixnot, but it is not the law.

I was surprised, after googling "plant patents on heirloom seed"
There is law, originally passed by President Hoover and taken advantage of by modern companies. As a noun, an heirloom is a possession, handed down to the next generation. Not even counting plants, heirlooms are considered family property. As an adjective it describes a plant from another era that is again being cultivated. It is easy to ignore heirloom law because it is easy to save seed from these open pollinated plants, it is easy to make money from selling the seed. In fact, it is only recently that any modern company has bucked tradition and demanded that the law be enforced. One reason hybrids were so popular with companies in the 50’s to 80’s was because it was difficult (nearly impossible) to save seed and get plants that were true to what was purchased UNLESS you bought the seed from a company that produced the hybrid. I have a package of Rocky cucumbers (mini snack cucumbers) that cost about $7 for 10 seeds. If I like them I will HAVE to buy more hybrid seed. If they were OP I could just save the seed.

Monsanto is spending big money to protect their seed property. They are currently going to court, and winning judgments against farmers with all kinds of basic nuisance lawsuits. Farmers lose EVERYTHING because of saving seed, wind blow, or even buying seed someone else saved at a seed bank. This is why it upsets me that Monsanto bought Seminis Seed Company. As far as I know they have not sewed over patent rights for garden seed, but they do have precedent with GMO seed. They can say they own Packman Broccoli and demand their due + damages IF law goes the direction they seem to be pushing it.

If I have my facts wrong, if I prove to be a foolish old conspiracy theorist hag, I will be happy about it. I want you to be right. I want my country to be fair and to have honor. The news I read seems to say otherwise.

They are not suing farmers for wind blow. That is urban legend. They are suing for seed saving. They are protecting their patent from their POV. Now, don't get me wrong. Seems pretty heavy handed and I am no Monsanto fan. But their agreement with the farmers they sell to is no seed saving. So buyer beware.

Even heirlooms are often hybridized if only accidentally. Original tomatoes from the wild were yellow from what I understand. So any red or black tomato today has to have been hybridized at some point. Pretty common in nature as well. But they are also old varieties and have proven themselves generation after generation.

Chopper wrote:They are not suing farmers for wind blow. That is urban legend. They are suing for seed saving. They are protecting their patent from their POV. Now, don't get me wrong. Seems pretty heavy handed and I am no Monsanto fan. But their agreement with the farmers they sell to is no seed saving. So buyer beware.

Even heirlooms are often hybridized if only accidentally. Original tomatoes from the wild were yellow from what I understand. So any red or black tomato today has to have been hybridized at some point. Pretty common in nature as well. But they are also old varieties and have proven themselves generation after generation.

Monsanto most certainly has sued farmers, organic farmers, for seed drift. It seems to me that the organic farmers should be the ones winning these suits, because they aren't growing Monsanto seeds, but their fields become contaminated, and then they have to pay a lot of money to clean it up. And then Monsanto goes after them as well, and usually wins.

The problem, say the 83 individuals and groups named as plaintiffs in the case, who claim to represent more than 300,000 farmers including many in California, is that Monsanto’s transgenic plants (sometimes called genetically modified organisms, or GMOs) are contaminating organic crops, introducing the unwanted genetic material into their fields. In an ironic turn, the company has often responded by suing farmers for patent infringement, even if those farmers were desperate to keep that material out of the crops and, in fact, if their crops would lose their value because of the Monsanto genes.

“We’ve been farming organically for 35 years, and we’re very concerned with being able to continue on with our livelihood,” says Jim Gerritsen, an organic seed farmer in Maine and president of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn. “We consider the threat of contamination from GMO crops to be significant, and the reality is that the organic market will not tolerate anything that has GMO content, either by design or by contamination.”

Stepping out of a meeting at a farmer’s conference in Bangor, Maine, on Friday, Gerritsen continued, “One of the crops that we grow is organic seed corn. Should that corn get contaminated by Monsanto, we are not only concerned with the extinguishing of the value of that seed, but we would be subject to a patent infringement lawsuit. A family farmer going up against Monsanto, we could easily go bankrupt just trying to clear our name.”

This scenario seems more likely when considering that Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready lines of crops, which are genetically designed to tolerate the herbicide glyphosate - sold by Monsanto as Roundup – already represent more than 80% of the soybeans, corn, cotton, sugar beets and canola seeds grown in the U.S. In fact, it is highly likely that organic farmers growing anywhere in the country are surrounded by these transgenic varieties in every direction. St. Louis-based Monsanto’s varieties then mix into the organic fields by cross-pollinating via the wind and mixing in seed bins at distributors. The company claims this is unintentional.

The company, however, has sued more than 100 farmers for infringement, and settled quietly with many more, including several high-profile cases in which the farmers clearly argued they did not want the genetic material and did not intend to use it.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/17/local/la-me-gs-organic-farmers-sue-monsanto-to-stop-patent-suits-20120217

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-4048288.html

I just read the CBS article. That gets me so angry that a farmer has to go up against Monsanto or any big company just because Monsanto and their attorneys want to control other peoples' lives! How in the world are these farmers supposed to be able to hire an attorney with their meager incomes!

Seems Hungarian government are not fans .................

http://www.realfarmacy.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields#PziLCZDqO4tAXCeZ.01

Triciasgarden wrote:I just read the CBS article. That gets me so angry that a farmer has to go up against Monsanto or any big company just because Monsanto and their attorneys want to control other peoples' lives! How in the world are these farmers supposed to be able to hire an attorney with their meager incomes!

It's because our government has been infiltrated by Monsanto executives. They are in charge of food safety, they're in the FDA and USDA. They write the laws that deal with food issues. We even have Supreme Court Justices sitting on the highest bench of the land who used to work for them, and they ALWAYS rule in their favor. That's what we're up against.

Although I am generally pro-business, I recognize that not all businesses--nor their owners--think of long-term consequences, systems theory, and the law of unintended consequences.

If we had a complete separation of state and economics, these problems would be greatly reduced. The government, of course, could and should step in when damage, fraud, or force interfere.

plantoid wrote:

Windmere wrote:Thank you for all of this information everyone. I had no idea that Burpee is now controlled by Monsanto. Sigh. I planted several seeds from Burpee... I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

NightMist, what is the bordeux mixture ? I have never heard of it. I've been using a neem oil and liquid soap mixture with great success. But, of course, I'd like to use anything organic that is effective.

In Mel's book garden answers there are numerous home made remedies

This is the recipe I have from a 52 yr old English gardening book .

It's not organic far from it but it is a very effective fungicide to prevent diseases of a fungal origin .

5 oz hydrated lime , 7 oz copper sulphate dissolved in warm water taken from 5 gallons Imperial gallons of water in a wooden or plastic container , don't use a metal one.
Then stir the solution into the remaining water in a plastic or wooden container with a clean stick

Perhaps turn it into grams and litres for smaller easier to calculate amounts.

That recipe is for "Bordeaux mixture" which if applied at the correct dosage IS deemed organic by the Soil Association (UK) See ....... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_pesticide

Thanks Bernie that's even better .

There is a march against Monsanto this Saturday! I haven't read the whole article to see if my area is having a march.

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/?trk_msg=D3G4DIMNQUMKF5TE0CVTEM3CB8&trk_contact=8PPOV747BOK8581GD5GL2LKQ58&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.march-against-monsanto.com%2f&utm_campaign=Come+to+our+Comstock+Heritage+Festival+This+weekend%2c+The+Label+GMO+war+continues!

Judges that have worked for Monsanto should recuse themselves from those cases as it is a definite conflict of interest! The attorneys should try get the cases moved from that Judge. The attorneys against Monsanto should try to get the judgements thrown out because of it! But then they probably have tried all of those things.

plantoid wrote:Thanks Bernie that's even better .

No probs bud,pleased to help

Triciasgarden wrote:There is a march against Monsanto this Saturday! I haven't read the whole article to see if my area is having a march.

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/?trk_msg=D3G4DIMNQUMKF5TE0CVTEM3CB8&trk_contact=8PPOV747BOK8581GD5GL2LKQ58&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.march-against-monsanto.com%2f&utm_campaign=Come+to+our+Comstock+Heritage+Festival+This+weekend%2c+The+Label+GMO+war+continues!

Judges that have worked for Monsanto should recuse themselves from those cases as it is a definite conflict of interest! The attorneys should try get the cases moved from that Judge. The attorneys against Monsanto should try to get the judgements thrown out because of it! But then they probably have tried all of those things.

Tricia, it's a world wide march. They are going on EVERYWHERE! If you PM me where you live, I might be able find out for you where the nearest one is to your location.

The judges won't recuse themselves, and there isn't a darn thing we can do about it. There isn't anything the lawyers can do about it, because some of the judges who have worked for Monsanto in the past now sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. There is no higher authority.

Thank you Jazzycat, I finally did look. There is one going on about a half hour from me at the State Capitol! It sounds like they are going to have a great turnout! It gives me chills to think that we as people can get something like this going Worldwide!

Yep,it is happening in the UK as well ....... London, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Isle of Man. A march is also being held in Cork, Ireland.

More info on the Farmers Weekly website .......

http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/23/05/2013/139182/march-against-monsanto-planned-for-uk-cities.htm#.UaBzftiE5ic

Found this, this morning.

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/05/china-incinerates-3-us-shipments-of-genetically-modified-corn.html

So, Monsanto is the target of a modern-day witch hunt!

I'm glad that people are questioning the practices of this company.

donnainzone10 wrote:So, Monsanto is the target of a modern-day witch hunt!

I'm glad that people are questioning the practices of this company.

I would have to disagree with the 'witch hunt' term. Monsanto has more than earned the scrutiny they are getting.

witch-hunt also witch hunt (wchhnt)
noun.

An investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities but actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

Camprn,

Thanks for the correction. However, I was trying--unsuccessfully--to be funny!

camprn wrote:

donnainzone10 wrote:So, Monsanto is the target of a modern-day witch hunt!

I'm glad that people are questioning the practices of this company.

I would have to disagree with the 'witch hunt' term. Monsanto has more than earned the scrutiny they are getting.

witch-hunt also witch hunt (wchhnt)
noun.

An investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities but actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

Apparently the letters (IRS, NSA, EPA, ASA, ETC) have no interest in Monsanto so there is no witch hunt (though I do like wchhnt)

Perhaps they are paying the witches..... Well to heck with the perhaps. Congrats for Conneticut.