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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Power grab at Seed Savers Exchange -[Fwd: changes at seed saver's exchange]

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>
  • To: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>
  • Cc: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>, permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, Growing Small Farms <growingsmallfarms@lists.ncsu.edu>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Power grab at Seed Savers Exchange -[Fwd: changes at seed saver's exchange]
  • Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:49:54 -0500


Re: Power grab at Seed Savers Exchange -[Fwd: [permaculture] changes at seed
saver's exchange]
See this URL for a digitized photocopy of Kent's letter:

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1016/1377/217012.pdf

The following are on the current SSE board:

Amy Goldman
Neil Hamilton
Deborah Madison
Rob Johnson (Johnny's Seeds)
Cary Fowler (Global Crop Diversity Trust)


NOTE that SeedSavers took a huge grant from the FDA, aka Monsanto Enforcement Division. Huge mistake.

NOTE that Amy Goldman was the keynote speaker and celebrity of a conference featured "biotechnology solutions"
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/cucurbits/#biotech

NOTE That Kent regretted ever sanctioning a Board of Directors not of members

Many of you may be familiar with the work, buy garden seeds from or even
be members of Seed Saver's Exchange in Decorah Iowa. You may have heard
Kent Whealy give one of his inspiring talks. Here is a letter that Kent
sent out after he was fired. It sounds pretty apalling. It sounds like
this massive and amazing seed bank may have fallen into the wrong
hands.....one of the many perils of centralization. The link to the
letter is below. Dan'l B

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1016/1377/217012.pdf
<http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1016/1377/217012.pdf>

« Last Edit: Jan 16, 2008, 1:59am by paquebot »
Re: Kent Whealy's Letter to SSE Members
« Reply #6 on Jan 16, 2008, 1:55am »
Yes, there's a major problem in Decorah, IA. The man who founded SSE has been totally removed from the organization. He was even offered close to a quarter million dollars to just leave and be quiet about it. As the letter is evident, he chose neither to take the money nor remain quiet. I'd prefer everyone get a copy of that letter rather than comment further on its contents.

For a copy of the letter, write to: Kent Whealy, PO Box 653, Charlevoix. MI
49720

Or e-mail him at: kentwhealy@gmail.com

He's made the above information public for SSE members and concerned friends since his only access to SSE is a copy of the Yearbook.

The letter was quite an eye-opener despite my having been closer to the SSE organization than most others here. The only SSE store outside of Decorah, IA was in Madison, WI and about 12-13 miles from me as the crow flies. I was in there often beginning in the 1990s and the final time was a week before Christmas 2004. I knew many of the staff. Aaron Whaley was the manager although seldom there. Any question asked about SSE was answered except the final one. Why was the store vacated when I returned in mid-January 2005? As suspected, the reasons were confirmed when I last talked with Aaron this past May and we discussed that and other SSE problems. Location and profit margin were the reasons given for closing that beautiful store. And now they find a spare $240,000+ of non-profit money to tell a man to sit on his hands and keep his mouth shut?








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