momoese

Dalmatiansoap

Its time for act ppl, grow your own food, as much as U can, U can benefit on so many ways. You will have the biggest value of that. And this all is about YOU.

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Yug

I agree what monsanto and other 'big-ag' guys are doing is wrong. I don't see this as a parallel with the OWS guys, though.

Richard

I can agree with boycotting Monsanto. I disagree with over-generalizing that every division and employee of Monsanto is wrong/bad. To further over-generalize that all "big-ag" is wrong is a worse error.

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laserlight

Patents for food is way wrong imo. it makes too many issues and food isnt a luxery. food should only be grown by farmers imo and it should mostly be organic except maybe cereal and candy and stuff like that.

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Yug

My major issue is when a company creates crops that contain self-destructive genes that prevent them from producing viable seed. You must continually go back to them and purchase more seed for the next season; you can never use part of the harvest as next year's seed since they are all sterile. This creates a dependency on them that I am not comfortable with. Then, to to strenghten that dependency you must drive out the competition by harassing the small farmers in the courts for having crops nearby that 1. either will obtain a portion of the patented crop's genetics (due to wind or bees), or 2. will create pollen that will pollute or alter (again due to wind or bees) the patented crops, and according to monsanto cause 'damage' to their property by doing so. If the small farm was there first, I guess monsanto shouldn't have moved in. If monsanto wants to sue someone, sue the bees, the beekeeper, or God for making the bees and causing the wind to blow. (in other words, monsanto, go piss in the wind)

Richard

I have no problem with a plant breeder patenting a plant. The patent rights are short-lived and the breeder gets royalties for their work. Many of the fruit cultivars you enjoy were once patented plants.

The common belief of what is "organic" and the reality of "certified organic" food are two different things. Here is a primer: Are you gardening organically?

I agree this is a greedy practice and a good reason to boycott Monsanto.

Monsanto is also the leading developer of pesticide-resistant and herbicide-resistant plants. Several of these are not self-sterile plants. Monsanto cotton strains are a good example. The problem with these plants is that they encourage farming practices that in the long run have severe impact on the environment. However, high quality cotton draws a good price and cotton processors have come to expect "pristine" harvests. Thus, the cotton farmer must either use the Monsanto seed or not grow cotton. In the U.S., 100% of commercially farmed cotton uses Monsanto seed. Thus, to boycott Monsanto would require a public boycott of cotton.

As I've stated before, I don't care for several of the practices of the Monsanto company. On the otherhand, there is a huge difference between the facts in the case you are referring to and the rumor it has turned into on the internet and in organic-lifestyle magazines.

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harveyc

I, like many farmers, have purchased seeds of crops licensed through Monsanto by choice. I don't know of any farmer personally how has regretted it or complained about any of it other than price, but that goes pretty much for anything (just like consumers complaining about the price of gasoline). I'm currently growing Roundup Ready alfalfa. For the past five years I grew both conventional alfalfa (not licensed by anybody having anything to do with Monsanto) as well as Roundup Ready alfalfa. I use herbicides to control weeds in my alfalfa and the Roundup Ready varieties are able to be controlled without using as toxic of herbicides (Paraquat, in particular), which I appreciate very much. Most of the people complaining about Monsanto have never farmed commercially and tried to make a living from growing food. I may grow my chestnuts using organic practices some day before long but just can't do it for alfalfa (or field corn or wheat, other crops I will sometimes grow).

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laserlight

Oh. I didnt know they patented plants. i thought that was something new that was happening. Thanks for the link. =) I didnt know that patents are short-lived either. but yeah they do deserve something for breeding better food. i need to think about the organic issue more because mom said she couldnt keep her roses alive without fungicide.

Now i understand. the farmers in the video that are complaining are the OWS protesters that have farms. We dont have a farm so all i know is what i read and what i hear.

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Richard

A common misconception is that "certified organic" means no pesticide. This is false.

If your Mom wanted to use a fungicide that is approved for certified organic farms, she could choose potassium bicarbonate -- which is what Baking Powder and toothpaste were made of before manufacturers went on the cheap. It is available under several brands, here's the Monterey Gardens brand I use and sell locally to my customers:

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harveyc

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momoese

I think the comments are better than the article itself.

As the farmer stated, when Monsanto crops contaminate your conventional or organic non Monsanto crop, then sue you with the endless amounts of money and resources at their disposal you will most likely loose your small family farm trying to clear your name in court. It's just wrong.

Richard

The facts in that case are very different from the rumors circulated on the internet and printed in organic lifestyle magazines. In no way does this mean I endorse all of Monsanto's practices.

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sunfish

Who is telling the truth that's the question

http://scc.lexum.org/en/2004/2004scc34/2004scc34.pdf

momoese

You know the contamination is a serious problem when farmers are preemptively suing Monsanto to protect themselves.

"On 30 March 2011 a group consisting of over 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations in Canada and the US, filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company to challenge the chemical giant’s patents on genetically modified seed. The plaintiffs say they are being forced to sue pre-emptively to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed.

The case, Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, was filed in federal district court in Manhattan"

http://www.pubpat.org/assets/.../see...-Complaint.pdf

sunfish

Richard

The lawyer in this particular suit did a great job of marketing fear.

Still, I am not a fan of many of Monsanto's choices. The worst is from herbicide resistant strains that are self-fertile. These (e.g. rapeseed) are naturalizing in many places and becoming invasive pests, crowding out native grasses (including native winter wheat) and destroying food sources for native life.

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sunfish

harveyc

There are a lot more in the comments than the one you chose to comment about. How about the indiscriminate use of rotenone to control those nasty earwigs?

Farmers save seeds from only some of the crops where Monsanto is involved with canola being the most common one that I'm aware of. Canola is a GMO crop to begin with and I don't use canola oil in my home. Some of the parties sued by Monsanto most likely specifically selected areas of their farm for saving seed where it was known to have been contaminated (they only need 5% or less to produce the following year's crop). Still, there are surely some innocent farmers who have been sued by Monsanto and I disagree with them doing this. Although I don't think they should just roll over, losing their farm because they chose to fight is just plain stupid. They can easily buy seed that's not contaminated for a modest amount more than what they're saving by using their own seed.

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momoese

Yes Canola oil is really bad, we don't use it either.

The reason farmers are loosing their land is the financial burden of trying to fight a giant.

Saving seed, especial heirloom seed is what they have done for generations. You're suggesting it's ok for them to be forced to buy seed to avoid litigation?