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Re: Natural Life Magazine #61 - Saving Seed Becomes Illegal

At 08:27 PM 8/3/98 -0400, you wrote:
>I agree also.  Farmers usually buy their seed anyway.  They don't save seed
>unless they are very small farmers.  Supply and demand will always save the
>rest of us from getting caught up in that.  Someone will always save open
>pollinated seed for us to buy.  Grass roots will always work.  Think about
>illegal substances.  That works.  Someone is always willing to grow them
>and there is always a way to get them.  Seed savers will always network to
>get what they want.  This is only a problem for big farmers and I don't
>know if it is a problem them either.  Glenda> From: Cindy Meredith

Some farmers save seeds because they have crops that have climatically
adapted to their areas.  Farmers in third world areas can't afford to buy
seeds every year, so some farmers, at least, do save seeds. As gardeners,
don't we enjoy the bonus of self-seeded plants?  Kiss that goodbye.  And
these seed companies can intrude themselves into the process, by treating
OP seeds sold by certain seed companies.  For example, suppose a tomato
seed company offers seeds for a Brandywine, the most famous heirloom
tomato.  Growers buy the seeds thinking they can save their own seeds, but
the plant is genetically predisposed to prevent seed germination. 

 I thank Connie for raising this issue.  Just got my August Avant Gardener
yesterday, and was alarmed to see a similar article, calling this sterility
technology a "greed gene."  Oh, one other thing: greedy seed companies also
have already claimed that some OP tomatoes are hybrids, trying to
discourage seed saving.  

Margaret
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