Can you be arrested for saving seeds?

[seedcorn]

Some things may be worth fighting over and dieing over.

A plant breeder protecting his life's work and not allowing John Doe citizen to just bin run seed, is more than right and fair to me. A government that makes sellers register what they are selling since it has an impact on everyone, seems reasonable and fair to me. To allow someone to take my llife's work without as much as a thank you, does not seem right or fair to me. You buy the right to plant that seed and sell the products as commodities. You did not buy the right to use in a breeding situation. That cost is much more than the $1/packet you buy at our local green house, Walmart, etc. IF anyone should be militant, it's the breeder companies/individuals that should go militant on the seed savers.................... Want to save see, breed your own with your genetics ONLY, use open pedigrees, or pay the tech fees. Let me know when you have developed a superior line, so we can bin run it......

If people don't like not being able to use someone else's work, start your own breeder company. Don't even start with me on how it "naturally" pollinated your self contained plants as soybeans, canola, tomatoes, etc...........Doesn't work that way and any intellegent, fair minded person knows that.

 

[897tgigvib]

Yea...

Well, let's let the food prices skyrocket without Mr. Monsanto! And, without his overpaid minions doing their stupid life's work for their bazillionaire 27 cylinder Mercedes pickup trucks and their 700,000 dollar houses overlooking the rest of the slaves down in the cities, the slaves who have to pay exorbitant prices so the Monsanto minions can buy that new vacation spot in the Caribean.

Myself, I have never seen Mr. Monsanto roll his sleeves up and get tired and sweaty doing anything. All Mr. Monsanto does is have his slaves make poisonous chemicals that get used on MY planet that I love.

World's going nuts. I'm just an ole Neanderthal up here away from civilisation so I can see the crazy stuff. CEO's! Their personality profiles. Think of it, how similar a CEO is to a psychopath. And I really mean it. There is science studying how to utilize psychopaths for the better. Scientific American had an article about it a few months back.

Picture a music studio. They have an equalizer. Take that equalizer, and let it be used to adjust parts of personality traits. A psychopath has certain personality traits cranked way up, and certain others turned way down or off.

The traits that are cranked up for a psychopath, a lot of those same ones are cranked way up for CEO's. CEO's simply have certain overt criminal traits turned way down. On the other hand, some of them get by with criminal acts because they have their intelligence, or what counts as intelligence, cranked way up so they can hide it. Does anyone think Mr. Monsanto really cares about your food prices, or that one of his chemicals caused a baby, or 10,000 babies, to be born with autism?

Never, I repeat, not one time in your life, never ever trust a CEO!

Ok? Sometimes I inform folks of common sense. Those who already agree, well, that changes nothing. But, those who will not heed the common sense I inform, they will not be convinced. So, what good does it do?

Well, the only thing good it does is, on my day of reckoning when I stand before God, I will be able to say, hey, at least I tried to tell them.

May as well let those food prices skyrocket. In fact, may as well close the grocery stores down. That will be better than Mr. Monsanto's plans, because if Mr. Monsanto has us by our throats now, wait until Mr. Monsanto gets even greedier. Just wait and watch.

 

[so lucky]

Seedcorn, are you saying that "your" field of hybrid sweet corn won't cross-polinate with "my" field of open pollinated sweet corn across the fence? Or if it did, I couldn't sell my new variety of seed? Sounds like just because you have worked all your life on that corn, you are holding my accidental corn hostage.:/

 

[fair weather chicken]

DON'T THINK MONSANTO IS EVIL? JUST WATCH FOOD INC. THE CORN CLEANER WHO WAS PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY MONSANTO. THE GOT HIS BANKING RECORDS AND CHASED HIM IN THEIR BLACK SUV'S. WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?

ALSO THEY WILL PRY MY SEEDS AND GUNS FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS

 

[seedcorn]

Seedcorn, are you saying that "your" field of hybrid sweet corn won't cross-polinate with "my" field of open pollinated sweet corn across the fence? Or if it did, I couldn't sell my new variety of seed? Sounds like just because you have worked all your life on that corn, you are holding my accidental corn hostage.:/

No, corn will cross pollinate very easily if they are both shedding pollen and silks are out and the wind is blowing towards your sweet corn. IF your sweet corn does not have silks out and the wind is blowing away from your garden, then the odds of crosspollinating is very low. IF you were breeding sweet corn, you should do as all breeders do and plant a border or pay whomever is gardening near you a fee not to plant a product that could pollinate your genetics. It's customary in Ag to do that if it is seed or inbreds.

Because we've went to 99% hybrids in corn (all types) farmers don't care what is next to them but breeders do and take precautions.

In terms of crops that aren't free pollinators, soybeans, canola, tomatoes, etc, the odds of crosspollination being a problem is next to nill. That is why it is so hillarious when someone sues over that issue in those crops. The average juror doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand. It's just stick it to the faceless company--who thousands get a paycheck from and billions get to eat because of......

Historically, lines kept from year to year are not kept pure and after a while don't resemble what they were. So we would buy some "fresh" seed from a breeder until we messed that up and start over again--except maybe now there was a new line that you went with. Breeders dropped like flies because they couldn't pay for their research when people just stole it. So now we have about 5 major Ag breeder firms left and they aren't going down without a fight.

 

[seedcorn]

Yea...

Well, let's let the food prices skyrocket without Mr. Monsanto!

Myself, I have never seen Mr. Monsanto roll his sleeves up and get tired and sweaty doing anything.

May as well let those food prices skyrocket. In fact, may as well close the grocery stores down. That will be better than Mr. Monsanto's plans, because if Mr. Monsanto has us by our throats now, wait until Mr. Monsanto gets even greedier. Just wait and watch.

1) We use to average 50 bushel corn, feed to gain on hogs was 4:1, chickens 3:1. Now, we average 150 bushel/acre corn, 2.2:1 on hogs and less than 2:1 on chickens. Think if we went back to the "good 'ol days" food prices wouldn't be different? There would be a lot of people who would have to decide on food over other essentials--medicine, housing, transportation, clothes, heat, etc.

2) Marshall, you don't know any of them. I've seen many of them with their sleeves rolled up and as dirty as any junk dog. We in Ag are a ground level people. We sweat, bleed, laugh just like you do. No, I don't work for Monsanto, never have.

3) We've been feeding GMO products to animals and people for decades and both are healthier now than ever. Go talk to any producer who has been in the business more than 20 years, let him give you a history lesson. But don't let facts get in the way of a good rant...........

It's not just Monsanto, it's AG. Monsanto is an easy scape goat because they were smarter and invested in research when everyone else was investing in sales, etc. Monsanto was not the one who made it legal to protect genetics but yet they are the ones who catch the blame. It's like your neighbor stole the money from the bank but you get to go to jail because of it.

IF I have offended anyone by the "way" I said these things, I do apologize but not for the message. We in America throw away more food than other countries have to eat, and all because of American Ag who some would destroy. It's easy to be critical when your belly is full, let me talk to you when you get one slice of bread for the day.

Before you paint large companies as evil, without them, where is cancer research, solar research, etc???????????

 

[seedcorn]

DON'T THINK MONSANTO IS EVIL? JUST WATCH FOOD INC. THE CORN CLEANER WHO WAS PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY MONSANTO. THE GOT HIS BANKING RECORDS AND CHASED HIM IN THEIR BLACK SUV'S. WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?

ALSO THEY WILL PRY MY SEEDS AND GUNS FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS

Understand you are mad. So when police chase down a law breaker, you are equally mad at them? They've actually shot law breakers. Don't want an injured party after you, don't steal from them, obey the laws of the land you are living in.

Want to grow open pollinated seeds, go in peace. Want to keep your genetics pure? Learn the proper techniques and quit blaming others when you don't.

Try visiting with someone without a vested interest in what they are preaching. I think it would be funny to sue all organic growers because of their "claims" that have been proven false. As a kid (many moons ago) food poisoning was quite common as well as tainted food. Now with modern techniques, it's news worthy when you do have a rare case. Here in Indiana, it's usually an amish, "organic" grower who was careless or slave labor nation produce. I refuse to buy organic because of lack of controls. Altho my garden is chemical free but in no way would I ever classify it as organic............

 

[baymule]

Seedcorn, on a forum where your views are outnumbered by the organic crowd, you are a breath of fresh air. I know these discussions can get heated, we all are opinionated and naturally, our way is the right way. I don't care a 5 gallon bucket of warm spit for Monsanto or any of the other companies like them. I abhor Round-Up and would rather drink hemlock than use that stuff. But your views are needed here. Your opinions are needed here. The diversity of all of us is what makes this forum work. If we all spoke the same, thought the same, were the same--this place would be boring. I don't agree with you, but your input is valued. Keep it up, even when you want to give up because sometimes you take a drubbing on here, but know you are valued. :rainbow-sun

 

[seedcorn]

sometimes you take a drubbing on here, but know you are valued.

I do? And here all I felt was the love..... I must be obtuse.

 

[Smart Red]

For many years now, every veggie seed I grow is open pollinated - most are heirloom. I am perfectly happy growing and saving my own seed. I have yet to try saving seed from what little corn I grow because of the likelihood of cross pollination. This year I hope to plant my corn much later than my neighbors in hopes of getting true seed.

I understand "protecting" the genetic rights of the plant breeders, but where is my protection - my right to keep my own supply of seed free from cross pollination I DO NOT WANT?

I am interested in feeding my family good, healthy, fresh, homegrown food; not in breeding and selling hybrid seed. Do I deserve to be punished because I can't afford to surround my gardens with 1,000 acres of buffer? Just because I am a gardening addict doesn't mean I yearn for the "good old days" without modern medicines or technology.

I would never claim that I am growing organics and I don't waste my money buying 'organic' seed. It is enough for me that I am growing food with love for the ones I love.

Aside: I think food poisoning is more an issue of processing foods, not growing them, while other food-born illnesses are the result of improper handling and shipping.