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Seed catalogs for the upcoming growing season are arriving in mailboxes across the Northern Hemisphere with home growers everywhere starting to plan which seeds they will sow in freshly composted garden. A positive trend in recent years is the growing number of gardening enthusiasts choosing to plant gardens using organic and/or heirloom seeds.
What most of these home gardeners don’t realize is that corporate behemoth and GMO titan Monsanto has been gobbling up the seed market faster than a caterpillar can munch a tomato plant! With one fell swoop in 2005, Monsanto grabbed approximately 40% of the US vegetable seed market with its acquisition of Seminis.
This means that a home gardener could unknowingly be supporting the development and proliferation of genetically modified crops if the seeds used are from Seminis. In addition, Monsanto now apparently owns the trademark for many of the names of the heirloom seed varieties themselves!
Planting a sustainable home garden is much more than just choosing certified organic seeds and seedlings, eschewing pesticides/herbicides and using organic compost. This is because Monsanto has cleverly positioned itself to make money off the home gardening trend.
Does this mean that even if you buy organic or heirloom seeds from a completely independent company some of your purchase might be supporting the bad guys?
Yes, it does.
Surprise!
Home gardeners would do well to bone up on where to purchase their seeds so they aren’t inadvertently doing business with companies that maintain a working relationship with Monsanto-Seminis or were acquired by them.
Buying Organic or Heirloom Seeds Without Supporting Monsanto
Here are the recommended steps for the 2014 growing season for those who want to truly strike a blow for sustainability in every way with their home gardens:
Avoid buying from the seed companies affiliated with Monsanto. Here’s a list of these seed companies by location (enter you zipcode for a list of dealers to avoid).
- Buy from companies Monsanto HASN’T bought and are not affiliated or do business with Seminis: The graphic above indicates numerous companies that are worthy of your patronage as compiled by the International Seed Saving Institute. Please note that this many not be a complete list. If your seed company does not appear, just be sure to clarify with the owner about any potential affiliation with Monsanto-Seminis before buying from them.
- Avoid buying heirloom varieties for which Monsanto owns the trademark.
- Ask seed companies if they have taken the Safe Seed Pledge. Here’s a list of companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge and believe in responsible plant genetics. These are good companies to buy from.
Background on Monsanto’s Quest for World Seed Domination
Monsanto’s corporate quest is clearly to make money on each and every one of us whether we choose to eat supermarket frankenfoods produced with abominable, patented GM crops or carefully plant and tend an organic garden at home. Here’s some background information on the subject you may find interesting as well as enlightening:
If you are a home gardener and have information to contribute regarding these steps, please add to the discussion in the comments section. Also, please spread the word via gardening forums you may participate in that folks need to be very careful when seed sourcing for their spring gardens this year else they might be unknowingly supporting Monsanto.
Let’s make this the year when Monsanto’s grip on the worldwide seed market loosens and the movement to seed sustainability gains momentum!
Update
The day after this article was originally published in 2013, the CEO of a large GMO soybean seed company in the Midwest emailed me complaining that the article was short-sighted and insisting that Monsanto is helping feed the starving people of the world. He even went so far as to say that GMO crops are “proven safe”. Click here for the text of this CEO’s entire email plus my written reply.
I have also received email complaints from two other seed companies, one in Canada and one in Arkansas, that do business with Monsanto-Seminis and were offended by what they viewed as inaccuracies in the post. In response, I have adjusted the text slightly and moved linked sources to within the text rather than only listed at the end to make the message of the post as clear and precise as possible so as to not result in any consumer confusion over the information.
I have received no complaints about this article from seed companies completely independent of any affiliation or ties to Monsanto-Seminis.
More Information
Why I Avoid Organic Hydroponic Produce
The Hydroponic Invasion of USDA Organic
Heirloom vs Hybrid Produce
Photography Credit
Hi,
My wife and I are organic vegetable farmers.
Hybird seeds are being Genetically Engineered by Monsanto and the Big Six Seed companies using a genetic cell fusion technique within same species (Cisgenic) to avoid the transgenic (intermingling of different species) GMO backlash.
The USDA NOSB board is meeting at the end of April and they will be reviewing the current permitting of Genetic Engineered (GE) cisgenic cell fusion in organic production.
Do you know of any organic/environmental/science/farm organization who opposes GMOs and opposes the USDA NOP GE/GMO cell fusion standard who will be attending this meeting?
I am attaching my statement on the matter for your review.
Cheers,
Donald Sutherland
Monsanto in the nineties got the USDA to agree GMOs are significantly equivalent to natural forming plants.
http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/labelingnutrition/ucm059098.htm
Monsanto and the Big Six Biotech seed companies create and patent most of the world’s Genetically Engineered hybrid seeds using cisgenic and transgenic cell fusion methods.
http://www.wired.com/2014/01/new-monsanto-vegetables/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/monsanto-develops-new-veggies-without-gmos-frankenfood-factor/2014/02/14/5f79029a-927c-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html
IFOAM bans cell fusion in their organic standards production because it is GE and hybrid seed made with GE cell fusion are GMOs.
USDA NOP Organic production standards permit GE cisgenic cell fusion.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5102380
Monsanto and the Big Six Seed companies believe their untreated patented GE cisgenic cell fusion hybrid seeds qualify for organic farming under USDA NOP cell fusion regulations.
Organic seed companies and organizations not opposed to GE cisgenic cell fusion and using GE cisgenic cell fusion in their seed production are significantly equivalent to those GMO Biotech Seed companies and organizations who endorse GE cisgenic cell fusion as significantly equivalent to current USDA organic production standards.
Best Wishes,
Donald Sutherland
Long Life Farm
Hopkinton, MA USA
http://www.longlifefarm.com
Wow thanks Donald! It’s all so confusing. All I want is to have truly organic garden. Does anyone know where I can buy organic (non-gmo/GE vegetable plants? I found one place (the natural gardening company) but the shipping is astronomical in comparison to what I had been paying with my old companies! I don’t mind naturally crossed hybrids, just no genetic “fiddling”. Also, has there been a determination about Bonnie plants?
Loved this post and shared it on my blog’s Facebook page. Bought my seeds from Baker Creek this year 🙂 Thank you!
There was an error and it didn’t post my website. wwwcrunchyinthesuburbs.com
I’m with you Michelle,bought our entire garden seeds from Baker Creek this year..and this way we can help keep the pure seed line going.. (y)
Baker Creek is owned by Monsanto. It’s on the do-not-by list.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Where do you get such a crazy notion? First you blast Monsanto then you pick on a small seed company like Bakers. Did you actually call the owner of Bakers before making this statement? Where is your proof? Monsanto wants nothing to do with independent companies like Baker, also they want nothing to do with OP varieties and little in retail seed sales to home gardeners – there is no money in this. They market a few old hybrid varieties from the Peto/ Seminis era to home owners – but nothing new in 10 years. Monsanto is a pure capitalist American company.
FYI…Baker Creek Seeds is NOT owned by Monsanto!!!
Baker Creek, aka rareseeds.com, is listed as one of the offenders. There is no way possible that is true. “We do not buy seed from Monsanto-owned Seminis. We boycott all gene-altering companies. We are not members of the pro-GMO American Seed Trade Organization! We work with a network of about 150 small farmers, gardeners and seed growers to bring you the best selection of seeds available! Many of our varieties we sell were collected by us on our travels abroad.” Please research and edit as needed. Thx.
Peggy Heubner
Do you know if all grass seed is Monsanto? Can’t find any in the stores without Monsanto on it….
Nah…Monsanto isn’t the devil. The Devil is the one who gleans ideas from Monsanto.
; )
Christie Riordan
Monsanto is the devil.
I didn’t read ALL of these comments to see if what I am about to say is already listed here but I must say or add. We all need to understand that even if we try to have an organic garden as long as it is NOT under cover ie. A GREENHOUSE we will not have organic! Reason being is the Chemtrails! If you have not heard of Chemtrails, Google it. Go to You tube and type in What in the world are they spraying! I would love to have a Greenhouse. Then we must not use rain water either but deep well water. Thanks for this Web page and the posts. I’m sharing on Facebook which is owned by the corporations trying to control us anyway. Just do the best we can. ;o)
Check it out http://www.alyssapetty.towergarden.com