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[Barbara Meyer <brbhums@gmail.com>]

 Does Monsanto Own Seeds of
Change?<http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/07/09/does-monsanto-own-seeds-of-change/>
 Written by Heather Carr
Published on July 9th, 2010
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[image: Sunflower seeds]
<http://eatdrinkbetter.com/files/2010/07/Seeds.jpg>Does
Monsanto own Seeds of Change? I hear this question a lot. It shows up on
message boards around the internet. It’s even been passed to me as an email
forward. The quick answer is “No, Monsanto does not own Seeds of Change.”

Why do people keep asking if Monsanto owns Seeds of Change? Consolidation of
agricultural companies in the 1990s and 2000s have kept organic advocates on
their toes looking out for their own interests and right to do business as
they see fit. Particularly relevant to this discussion is Monsanto’s
purchase of Seminis, Inc. (a major vegetable and fruit seed company) in
2005.
Seminis — a major seed company

Seminis, Inc. was formed in 1994 to consolidate several smaller seed
companies and ended up (after several more buyouts with 40% of the U.S. seed
market and 20% of the worldwide seed market – most of that market for
commercial seed varieties, the fruits and vegetables that end up in the
produce section of your local grocery store or in the canned foods section.

Seminis was known – and still is – for producing high-quality seeds with
superior disease resistance and other important commercial traits from
traditional breeding methods.

Organic growers are allowed to use non-organic seed sources if there is no
organic seed source available to them. (There are more rules and conditions
organic growers must meet in order to be certified organic, but I’m keeping
it simple for now.) Seminis supplied a large number of organic growers with
their seed annually.

Seminis also supplied varieties of seeds to seed companies that many home
gardeners are familiar with, such as Johnny’s Selected Seed, Territorial
Seed Company, and Stokes, to name a few.
Monsanto and Seminis

When Monsanto bought Seminis in 2005, concerns that organic growers would
lose access to varieties of non-GM seeds showed up in articles and
discussions throughout the organic community. Monsanto and Seminis had
worked together before the buyout to create a Roundup-Ready lettuce and
other fruits and vegetables were under consideration for genetic
modification. Monsanto is also known for its aggressive marketing tactics,
anti-labeling push, and, recently, a lawsuit against the federal government
for applying the law to Monsanto’s alfalfa.
 <http://eatdrinkbetter.com/files/2010/07/Seeds-of-Change-logo.jpg>Seeds of
Change

Seeds of Change is a small seed producer, formed in 1989 to promote organic
agriculture and ensure that organic growers have access to quality organic
seeds. All their offerings are 100% certified organic. GM-seeds can never be
certified organic, according to the law, so Seeds of Change offers no
GM-seeds. They grow all their seeds they offer and do not purchase seeds
from other companies and resell them.

So, while many seed companies had to consider the implications of selling
Monsanto-owned seed varieties, both in terms of what kind of seeds
(genetically-modified or not) and in terms of how their customers would
perceive them, Seeds of Change did not. Seeds of Change did not buy their
seed stock from Seminis.

What may have added to the confusion was the ownership of Seeds of Change by
Mars, Inc. Mars is a large food company based in the United States and an
organic food division would seem to be a natural direction of growth for the
company. Mars had purchased Seeds of Change in 1997, but the association in
the minds of many consumers is of a large multinational corporation with the
small organic seed company.
Seeds of Change and Monsanto have no connection

Seeds of Change did not change any of their products from organic and still
maintains the same commitment to organic growing that they had when they
started in 1989. As Seeds of Change staffers often tell individuals who ask,
there is no connection at all between Seeds of Change and Monsanto.





On Wed, Aug 4, 2010 at 5:46 AM, Jerome Rigot <jfrigot@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I had heard that Seeds of Change had been bought a few years back, but they
> seem to still be in business.
>
> There are 2 local stores here in the Binghamton area that have the Seeds of
> Change display with seeds, and early this year at the NOFA-NY conference,
> they were there, I talked to the rep.
>
> Anyway, we'll see what happens.
>
> In any case if you want high quality open-pollinated seeds, check: Baker
> Creek Heirloom seeds at http://rareseeds.com/.
>
> Also, check this webpage for links to other seed companies that carry
> organic, biodynamic, heirloom and heritage seeds at
> http://www.forkandbottle.com/garden/seeds/seedsource.htm.
>
> Jerome
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