Seed search and Monsanto avoidance

[MontyJ]

Each year I try to find out the latest acquisitions of the Monsanto corp so I can avoid them. It's getting harder and harder to do. I got hooked on reading a few articles here and there. I swear, Monsanto scares the hell outta me.

 

[so lucky]

I recently read that they patented and now "own" Basmati rice. That stinks.

 

[MontyJ]

Some of the things I read...

"The 2005 crop season marked the tenth season that biotech crops were planted throughout the world. The 2005 season also marked the year in which the billionth acre was planted with biotech crops and the year in which the billionth acre harvested."---That's right from their own website.

I also read that they are developing a system that would prevent plants from seeding, or if they did seed, the seeds would be sterile. This company controls 90-95% of the worlds seed production/distribution. It's like something straight out of a James Bond movie.

 

[so lucky]

Hmmm. I was under the impression they already had that feature. Maybe they are saving the distribution of self-sterilizing seeds for when farmers revolt in large numbers. They gotta have an ace in the hole, you know.

 

[897tgigvib]

Go easy everyone

 

[baymule]

I buy this magazine at Tractor Supply and it is full of very good articles. I went to their web site and found this in their archived articles. Makes going to the grocery store feel like a trip to a mad scientist lab.

http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Nov04_WanHo.pdf

 

[seedcorn]

Some of the things I read...

"The 2005 crop season marked the tenth season that biotech crops were planted throughout the world. The 2005 season also marked the year in which the billionth acre was planted with biotech crops and the year in which the billionth acre harvested."---That's right from their own website.

I also read that they are developing a system that would prevent plants from seeding, or if they did seed, the seeds would be sterile. This company controls 90-95% of the worlds seed production/distribution. It's like something straight out of a James Bond movie.

Not even close to controlling 50% of genetics. 90-95% where do you get these numbers?

 

[MontyJ]

Not even close to controlling 50% of genetics. 90-95% where do you get these numbers?

Think again:

"We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of (seed genetics). This level of control is almost unbelievable," said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. "The upshot of that is that it's tightening Monsanto's control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we've seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight."-----http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500395_162-5978152.html

"Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted GE foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety. Not coincidentally, Monsanto supplies 90 percent of the GE seeds used by the US market."-----http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/

 

[seedcorn]

Just because you believe it, doesn't make it true. DuPont almost as large with Syngenta right behind. Doesn't include other breeders that are independent. Stine, Lima Grain,KWS, etc

 

[jackb]

I was surprised to see that Monsanto visited my blog last week searching for images of a variety of lettuce that I grow called Bughatti. It makes me wonder what they are up to with that. I do not like or trust them.

Jack B

P.S. Monsanto's site may have been down this morning, but it finally loaded this afternoon. I searched Bughatti lettuce and got: Search Results

No results matching your search were found. They may be thinking of tinkering with the variety.