Seed Keepers

[lucy Owsley <boulderbelt@voyager.net>]

i know about the Monsanto vs Schmieser case. But canola is an ANNUAL crop that makes flowers/pollen/seed/ the same year it is planted. beets are  BIENNIAL which means they have to be over wintered in order to make flowers/pollen/seed the following year after they have been planted. 

My point is the GMO beets grown for the suugar trade will be harvested long before they go to seed.make pollen. Thus should not be a problem for anyone growing out beets or chard for seed. And if this becomes a problem Isolate the flowering beets with hoop houses (this is what I do with my chard I save for seed)

Thus the argument that GMO beets are bad because they will cropss pollinate is not a good argument and we can come up with much better ones. I have been in the anti-GMO fight a long time (15+ years) and one thing I have learned is if you come up with a bad arguement that the Biotech shills can poke holes in they will and they will turn the argument back on you quickly and with devistating effects. they are good at what they do. So choose your arguements and examples carefully. beet pollen can be shot down too easily (I just did it using the fact beets are beiennial and that a food crop will be 100% harvested the 1st year so no pollen to contaminate non GMO beets the second. this is basic plant sex people, don't get blinded by your rage)

On Feb 22, 2008, at 5:13 PM, mayo.eh wrote:

   You might want to read about Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian grower sued by Monsanto because their GMO pollen contaminated and ruined his crop!   http://www.percyschmeiser.com/

    The website above explains the reason for, and the beginning of, the lawsuit.  The movie by Deb Garcia “The Future of Food” brings the story up to date, explaining how Percy lost (not only the lawsuit but his life savings) and Monsanto won this ridiculous suit.  There are interviews with other farmers as they experience the problem themselves and show their anger at first, then do an about-face after Monsanto gets to them.   It’s definitely worth watching.   http://www.thefutureoffood.com/

Greenly,
Mayo

By the way, it’s great to have this up and going with seed and plant questions.  Thank you, Lawrence.




Because when I grow beet or sweet chard seed organically to supply organic farmers and gardeners, some of the GMO pollen will get into the female flowers of my organic beets or chard and then my organic seed will be contaminated.  Then someone tests the seed and finds GMO and then it would no longer be organic nor pure and I would have my crop rejected.  I did not ask for the pollen to come and contaminate my table beet seed or swiss chard seed - it is trespassing on my place - but I (or other organic seed grower) would be the loser - the victem.  Don' t think that is worth caring about?

----- Original Message -----
From: lucy Owsley <mailto:boulderbelt@voyager.net>  
To: seedkeepers <mailto:seedkeepers@lists.ibiblio.org>  
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: [seedkeepers] Thanks to Lawrence

I am unhappy about GMO sugar beets but why is everyone paranoid about GMO Beet pollen flying around. Beets are biennial and so will be harvested long before they go to flower so should not be a threat in this way.

If we are going to fight this do not give bad reasons for banning these seeds/plants because this just gives the genejockys fuel to keep on going with this.


On Feb 22, 2008, at 3:50 PM, Woody wrote:

Did you know that the few companies that control sugar beet production (and
beet sugar production) in the USA are quietly switching over to ROUNDUP
READY     sugar beets with MONSANTO technology?  Yes, right now as we
converse,  beet seed growers in Oregon's Willammett Valley are transplanting
planting vernalized plugs for the first mass seed crop of GMO seed.
This means:
Beet Sugar and all products that contain this ingredient will most likely be
GMO
Pollen from GMO sugar beets will soon be flying all over the sugar beet seed
growing regions potentially contaminating table beet seed  and swiss chard
seed.
Organic seed growers are threatened by GMO contamination!!!!
The Organic Seed Alliance along with High Mowing Seed and the Center for
Food Safety and others has filed suit against the USDA APHIS for allowing
this without proper environmental impact review  but there will be no
imediate injunction against the planting out of this GMO material.  See
www.seedalliance.org for more information.
I wonder if  B.T. Cabbage won't be next.  And then what?  The government
continues to approve these monsters without due process and prudent review.
The government continues to resist demands to require labeling of GMO
products.

Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
Eaton, OH
http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com

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Lucy Goodman

Boulder Belt Eco-Farm

Eaton, OH

http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com