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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
dont forget sharing! saving and sharing seeds is one of the most noble things you can do!
Wow, you effeminate retards REALLY buy into the nonsensical “Monsanto is evil/ GM food is unhealthy” stupidity. Disgraceful, moronic sheep. There is NO scientific evidence that it’s unhealthy. Anti-corporate, unproductive bandwagoners.
Ok genius (as evidenced by your well-thought out, well-written intelligent statement), please be so kind as to provide proof from a source NOT owned by Monsanto that GMO’s are safe. The issue isn’t that we know they are UNsafe….the issue is, there has been no scientific documentation that they ARE. So please, share your knowledge oh brilliant one….post the links to the proof that they are safe!
Well, genius, I’m not the one making the claim. Claims made with no evidence can be dismissed with no evidence. Again, there is NO evidence that GMO foods are unsafe. Maybe you didn’t finish high school?? The ones making the claim must prove the claim. You don’t ask someone to prove a negative, freaking effeminate retard. Get a GED
Language and aggressive tone aside, Gelgamark’s point is logically spot on. You can’t ask someone to prove a negative. The burdon of proof is on the claimant.
Proving something is safe is NOT proving a negative. If so, no drugs would ever be approved by the FDA.
And Gelgamark, it’s really difficult to take you seriously when all you can do is insult people. Why don’t you try being civil? Or is that beyond your ability.
Again, when you introduce a new drug, you have to proof it’s efficacy AND safety. I see no reason why Monsanto should not be held to the same requirements.
Apparently you and Mr. Personality know something the FDA and AMA don’t because the AMA has called for safety testing on GMOs. You’d better call them and tell them it can’t be done.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-19/features/chi-gmos-should-be-safety-tested-before-they-hit-the-market-says-ama-20120619_1_bioengineered-foods-ama-drug-cosmetic-act
Here you go Gelgamark:
http://independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/regulators-discover-a-hidden-viral-gene-in-commercial-gmo-crops/
Hidden viral genes in GMO sequences that are made for human consumption are NOT what most would call innocuous. Your corporate masters at Monsanto have been caught red-handed by the European Food Safety Authority.
Gelgamark, the long-term testing on GMO foods was never done, to my knowledge. It should have been done, but it was not. We’re the guinea pigs, now.
Frankly, my views on GMO’s are nuanced. I’d like to see further studies on “golden rice”. But I don’t think I want pesticides incorporated with my corn, or terminator genes in my other food items. And I don’t trust Monsanto further than I can throw them.
And, Gelgamark, how about talking WITH people instead of insulting them? You only show YOURSELF in a bad light with that approach. It seriously makes me wonder how far along the educational process you’ve gone.
Gelgamark, your best bet is to go over and post on CNN. Your style fits right in there with the other opinionators. It’s a great place to go for a laugh when I need one — reading the comments sections there. However, here we go in for conversation without name calling. One can disagree without being disagreeable.
I for one WORK for a corporation. It’s just not Monsanto. Ever.
just a Troll–ignore him.
We purschase all of our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, This company is located at Heritage Hill Farms in Decorah Iowa. Not only do they produce only heirloom variety seeds, certified & non certified organic seeds they also are invested in bringing back many heritage breed farm animals. Awesome company.
I am very grateful for this article and every article that comes out against Monsanto. We all need to come together and take charge of our precious lives. Anyone who does this is a true hero! The Seven Sons Farm is also a hero! It takes courage to do what they do! I am grateful to Seven Sons Farm in putting out these very needed articles and in all that they do for our families! Thank you is not enough!
Hi!! Awesome post. I take exception to one small suggestion. If Monsanto is buying up heirloom variety seeds and names we need to act fast. I personally think they plan to totally eliminate them, so their GMO seeds eventually become the only choice we have. To boycott these heirlooms actually speeds up their plan. We would be doing it for them. I think these are the Monsanto seeds we SHOULD buy. Tiny quantities. Plant them, harvest the seeds and give them away to friends and/or bloggers etc. so they are so widespread Monsanto has absolutely NO power over the heirlooms.
Just my opinion.
insisting that Monsanto is helping feed the starving people of the world. ….a bunch of bs…there is enough food in this world right now to feed everyone 1.5 times. we could certainly do without monsanto and their evil seeds. wondering though, if I have a garden (which there are farms nearby) if their seeds end up in my garden, can I be sued for patent infringement too?
Yes. Much of the difficulty with getting food to people who are starving has to do with internal politics in the regions where they are living. It’s a shameful thing, and I know many worthwhile organizations are working to combat this. The solutions are and will be regional-based. Monsanto is proposing a band-aid.
This is a good and clear article that explains how some small seed companies ended up in the position they are in (and how they are getting out of it or have already gotten out of it.)
http://www.nwedible.com/2012/12/a-brief-history-of-monsanto-and-seed-houses-who-got-screwed.html
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this. I got an email from Burpee titled Grafted Heirloom Seeds. I replied, asking if this was an oxymoron. Believe it or not, I did not get a response!