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- From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO
- Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 09:33:03 -0400
Raid days = Internet and Paperwork catch-up. This email is not directed at you Sue and not intended as any type of criticism. :) I know it often sounds like I am a defender of Monsanto (I am not by any stretch) but does anyone actually know if there are GMO vegetables outside the commodity crop seed ranges? Companies like Baker Creek and Johnny's are not selling GMO seeds, they are selling hybrids, heirlooms, and organics, which I suppose, technically, are ALL genetically altered by cross breeding since few if any seed lines are 100% pure. Some of them also having seed coatings to help better protect them from frost, rot, or insects. That is all a matter of choice at that point but none of it is GMO in the evil sense it is applied usually. We throw around terms with abandon sometimes and it all gets sort of cloudy. On another forum there is a similar discussion going on in regards to feed types and chickens with some SWEARING that their chickens and thus, all chickens, refuse to consume GMO with little study supporting such things and KNOWING that chickens and ducks do indeed consume GMO feed types I find the whole thing absurd. I do want folks to know that our use of GMO is something we are slowly changing, in part because I can get more money per acre of nice non-GMO potatoes than I can corn or soybean (per dollar weight per acre) and that I think there is a happy middle ground somewhere. Organic and GMO are both broken and we need to find yet more alternatives and I think smaller scale farming, more diverse crops on a larger scale is part of the answer. I do not like monopolies though and I think that is what Monsanto/Cargill is. I am not too sure if anyone would disagree here. That said, I still think its important to understand that when we discuss things like this to understand that even if a specialty seed company is selling nothing BUT Monsanto seeds, that the likelihood of them being GMO is almost nil. You find the GMO seed types when you begin dealing with the companies that sell commodity crop seed (corn, bean, wheat, sugar beets), like Stewart (no relation), Pioneer, and the like. I have far more worries than the ultimate origin of the seed. I do not like Monsanto but if I can EASILY avoid purchasing from them, that is great. Doing that with our field crops is nearly impossible, but our produce that s far easier to do, but still not as transparent as it should. These days I am more concerned about my local market and getting sources to sell to and I will bend to their needs so long as I can profit. I say all of this in hopes of continuing a non-confrontational dialogue regarding such topics. Cheers! Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 On Sep 6, 2009, at 10:12 PM, sue roseman wrote:
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[Market-farming] Baker's Creek,
sue roseman, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO,
Richard Stewart, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek, GMO, monopoly,
Road's End Farm, 09/07/2009
- Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek, GMO, monopoly, Mike Rock, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO,
Bill Shoemaker, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO,
Paul Wiediger, 09/07/2009
- Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO, Bill Shoemaker, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO,
Paul Wiediger, 09/07/2009
- Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO, Marty Kraft, 09/08/2009
- Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO, mamica5, 09/08/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek, GMO, monopoly,
Road's End Farm, 09/07/2009
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Re: [Market-farming] Baker's Creek and GMO,
Richard Stewart, 09/07/2009
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