4 ms·

How about not buying seeds that are encumbered like this? "Oh no, but I need my roundup!" Buy organic and support the farmers who don't need weedkiller resist

by taybin 13y ago

How about not buying seeds that are encumbered like this? "Oh no, but I need my roundup!" Buy organic and support the farmers who don't need weedkiller resistant crops.

dec0dedab0de 13y ago
I upvoted you, but I think part of the problem is cross pollination, and runoff of chemicals from neighboring farms.
- rayiner 13y ago
  Is that part of the problem though? Is anyone actually trying to enforce patents against people whose plants get cross-pollinated with engineered crops? EDIT: I realize Monsanto has sued farmers who took advantage of the cross-pollination to apply Roundup (which otherwise kills the plants) to their crops. But as far as I know, they're not suing farmers merely because of the cross-pollination by itself.
  - mildtrepidation 13y ago
    Sorry if I'm off base or misunderstanding you, but isn't this exactly what Monsanto has done to get their claws into a lot of US farmers that don't otherwise use their products?
  - dec0dedab0de 13y ago
    If they then try to reuse those new seeds. In the US at least.
  - aroberge 13y ago
    Monsanto does all the time.
  - cm2012 13y ago
    The only lawsuits Monsanto has ever filed have been against farmers who both got cross pollinated with their seeds, and then knowingly took advantage of this by using Roundup chemicals. Monsanto has never filed a lawsuit against a farmer who didn't use Roundup on their crops.
  - btilly 13y ago
    Is that part of the problem though? Yes, it is. If I'm a farmer who grows organic crops, and I get cross-pollinated from my neighbor who uses GMO seeds, I no longer qualify as organic, and no longer can sell my crops for the premium that qualifies me for. We can debate the merits of GMO as an idea elsewhere (my belief is that without it we're guaranteeing major food supply problems down the road), but making sure that my crops are organic is not just a question of choosing to not buy from Monsanto.
- taybin 13y ago
  Runoff of chemicals seems like a lawsuit against the upstream farmer. But that's assuming a just world, of course. :(
driverdan 13y ago
Organic does not mean the farmers cannot use pesticides and weedkillers, they're just restricted to specific ones.

by taybin 13y ago

How about not buying seeds that are encumbered like this? "Oh no, but I need my roundup!" Buy organic and support the farmers who don't need weedkiller resistant crops.

dec0dedab0de 13y ago

I upvoted you, but I think part of the problem is cross pollination, and runoff of chemicals from neighboring farms.

rayiner 13y ago
Is that part of the problem though? Is anyone actually trying to enforce patents against people whose plants get cross-pollinated with engineered crops? EDIT: I realize Monsanto has sued farmers who took advantage of the cross-pollination to apply Roundup (which otherwise kills the plants) to their crops. But as far as I know, they're not suing farmers merely because of the cross-pollination by itself.
- mildtrepidation 13y ago
  Sorry if I'm off base or misunderstanding you, but isn't this exactly what Monsanto has done to get their claws into a lot of US farmers that don't otherwise use their products?
- dec0dedab0de 13y ago
  If they then try to reuse those new seeds. In the US at least.
- aroberge 13y ago
  Monsanto does all the time.
- cm2012 13y ago
  The only lawsuits Monsanto has ever filed have been against farmers who both got cross pollinated with their seeds, and then knowingly took advantage of this by using Roundup chemicals. Monsanto has never filed a lawsuit against a farmer who didn't use Roundup on their crops.
- btilly 13y ago
  Is that part of the problem though? Yes, it is. If I'm a farmer who grows organic crops, and I get cross-pollinated from my neighbor who uses GMO seeds, I no longer qualify as organic, and no longer can sell my crops for the premium that qualifies me for. We can debate the merits of GMO as an idea elsewhere (my belief is that without it we're guaranteeing major food supply problems down the road), but making sure that my crops are organic is not just a question of choosing to not buy from Monsanto.
taybin 13y ago
Runoff of chemicals seems like a lawsuit against the upstream farmer. But that's assuming a just world, of course. :(

driverdan 13y ago

Organic does not mean the farmers cannot use pesticides and weedkillers, they're just restricted to specific ones.