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flatlander
12-17-2008, 09:30 PM
I know this isn't a political forum, and i apologize in advance for this, but you might be interested in this link concerning the nominee for agriculture.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1783

PJJ
12-18-2008, 02:48 AM
While I agree, this is not a forum for politics........I'm very glad you posted this.

I did a little looking around on this website. If you look on the left side of the page at the OCA News Sections, click on Organics. You can read a couple of articles there about this man.

I believe most members on this board will be interested in reading about this. It could directly effect the sustainable life we are all working towards.

Here is a copy and paste from one of these articles: His ties with Monsanto are enough for me.


Iowans also remember the rides on Monsanto's corporate jet that Vilsack - the Biotech "Governor of the Year" - enjoyed during his time in office. He repayed Monsanto by working with the Republican floor manager in the House, promising to do everything he could to get a seed bill to pass. This bill took away county power to regulate GMOs within county borders.


Thanks,

Penny

nandmsmom
12-18-2008, 08:15 AM
Hold onto your seats, this is going to be a bumpy ride. I foresee the terminator gene.

MoniDew
12-18-2008, 04:01 PM
Yes, this position seems to be a revolving door between Monsanto and the USDA (Department of Agriculture). Several former Monsanto bigwigs have headed the USDA, and viceversa. It's terrifying.

Katoyia
12-18-2008, 06:06 PM
I've recently read online that monsanto has sold seeds to farmers without labeling their seeds as "monsanto" or gmo. In turn, these farmers have planted ans sold excess seed to many seed companies. I have no way of knowing whether this is true or not. However, it is quite convincing. One of the seed companies that I purchase from who's guideline are quite strict for no gmos, recently dropped a huge variety of seed after conducting yearly tests for gmos. They go to each farm and do their own experiments and this year found that several of their suppliers had such seed. Luckily, I have bought organic from them. Of course, the farmers had no idea of how such a thing could happen and are involved in several disputes with mansanto corp. It just amazes me how evil and sneaky folks can be just to make a quick buck. My question is would they feed this same crap to their own families?

gardengirl72
12-18-2008, 06:27 PM
Verry worrisome indeed. And limited politics is okay with me. Just nothing crazy.

JudyH
12-18-2008, 07:41 PM
This also has me very concerned. I just don't agree with "owning life" and I believe that seeds are life.... I just don't think you can put a patent on life. I just worry that the large farms are getting hit now.... will a time come that home gardeners are also sued by large corporations such as Monsanto?

I have really started saving more seed from open-pollinated varieties that I planted in my garden this year.

MoniDew
12-19-2008, 02:05 PM
gardeners (farmers) have already been sued by Monsanto. They're running a racquet.

Monsanto says that you have to be licensed to grow their seeds, and when blowover happens - and it does - and some poor unlicensed guy trying to grow non-gmo crops gets some growing in his yard, and Monsanto hears about it, then Monsanto sues the guy into oblivion. Happened in Canada and US to several farmers already.

Oh, and I totally agree about owning life/patenting genetics.

Sinfonian
12-19-2008, 09:03 PM
Sad, and I was really hoping for change for the better. I guess money talks much louder than reason.

MoniDew
12-20-2008, 12:49 PM
I was watched a video once on the topic, and apparently this revolving door transcends political parties. Doesn't matter who's "in charge," republican, democrat; Someone up higher than both/all is pulling the strings.

That video actually changed my awareness and my politics, permanently. Up until that moment, I thought that my vote, my voice, could actually change something. But now I know that the "powers that be" are set in stone and that elections/politics are determined long before any voting takes place.

herb girl
12-20-2008, 10:30 PM
I try to tell as many people as will listen of the evils of Monsanto. It is amazing to me how they "hide" themselves from the general public.
To me, they are more frightening than a conventional army. Their devastation is more complete. Whoever controls the food controls the world.........

MoniDew
12-21-2008, 01:33 AM
Whoever controls the food controls the world.........

oh, yeah! and Monsanto know it - that's why they're after it!

Keep talking. I hope people listen!

carmin
12-25-2008, 09:19 PM
I was surprised, to say the least, to find out that Monsanto, Syngenta, the Rockefeller Foundation are some of the companies funding the Doomsday Seed Vault in Norway which is 'supposed' to preserve samples of most seeds in the world in case of a major worldwide catastrophe. That makes me scared. What are the preserving the seeds for? From the kindness of their hearts? All these companies are involved in Genetic Engineering of plants.

JudyH
12-26-2008, 10:44 AM
Hi Carmen -- you hit the nail on the head with your comment. I also think it's strange that they are wanting to preserve all these open-pollinated, heirloom varieties. It's completely opposite from their marketing strategy of forcing their hybrid, GMO and terminator seeds down everyone's throats....

Maybe they are doing this so that "just in case" their modified seeds cross-breed with existing varieties (like I know has happened with corn, canola, cotton, soybean and rice) they will have a place to start again with the long-time tried and tested heirlooms and won't wipe out the existance of our food vegetables.

Sinfonian
12-27-2008, 02:14 AM
Monsanto won't win as ling as long as folks like Judy are around. She's on a one woman mission to preserve and create open polinated varieties. She's my hero!

HomesteadBaker
12-27-2008, 04:28 PM
I try to tell as many people as will listen of the evils of Monsanto. It is amazing to me how they "hide" themselves from the general public.
To me, they are more frightening than a conventional army. Their devastation is more complete. Whoever controls the food controls the world.........

I have said for years that when you control the food supply, you control the people.... look at what as happened in Russia and tell me it's not true.

gardengirl72
12-27-2008, 06:06 PM
The guy that Obama has appointed to head agriculture is from Monsanto. That's very scary. I don't know if it means we're on our own here and need to keep encouraging locally grown food, community gardens, farmer's markets and backyard gardens. The only way to get the powers that be to CHANGE is to make it hurt their wallets.

Garden Green
12-27-2008, 08:33 PM
The only way to get the powers that be to CHANGE is to make it hurt their wallets.

Monsanto had to pay out $700 million to that town in Alabama and they didn't blink at it. They keep people blinded on paperwork in the court systems "protecting their rights" to patents. Not to mention they are in all sorts of trouble in France and there is no telling what that is costing them. But they are still here and they still manage to gross billions of dollars.

It takes a body with more money to stop a body with that sort of income. Piddly little $25,000 fines aren't enough to stop them from doing what they do. Enough noise has to be made so that those in power will choose in our favor and that is what it comes down to, I think. How many voices will disapprove and be heard to give those like Obama a wake up call. Simple unpopularity won't do it, it isn't doing it now, because he is unpopular and they said "he isn't the worst choice". Meaning that there could be a better one?

I think the link at the beginning of this thread is the key here. Supporting the local farmer helps, growing your own and avoiding Monsanto and their children companies helps and certainly swapping seeds between gardeners helps. But not enough people know about it and more importantly, not enough people in power know that folks like us don't like it.

Sinfonian
12-28-2008, 02:24 AM
Unfortunately, a billion dollars is not enough to stop them. Last year the company made $2 billion profit. Frankly the only way to stop them is to reverse the GMO rules, making their use illegal, then rip out the contaminated crops and replant with non-modified varieties. THEN bring anti-trust legislation to bear. They have clearly violated the law by buying the competition.


So while I will not knowingly buy from them, one farmer in Iowa buying seed and roundup for 400 acres trumps me, you, everyone on this site and the Dervaes put together. Oh, and that's not counting the hundreds of thousands of large-scale farmers out there. Every backyard gardener and organic farmer in the world can't dent their pocket book. Shame.


Interestingly enough, their largest profit comes from corn, soybeans and cotton. Can you think of bigger crops worldwide. Maybe rice. Ah well, room to expand. Grrr

MoniDew
12-28-2008, 01:17 PM
Monsanto's got the open-pollenated, heirloom seeds locked up in a vault for one reason, and one reason only: Profit.


Monsanto owns the patent on the genetics of more than 11, 000 plant species. Each plant they own the patent on cannot be grown by anyone else but them (and the people they license.) They are locking up all that genetic diversity, deliberately keeping it out of public circulation.


They then select a few species, genetically modify them, and release only those. This is the biggest frankenfoods experiment in history.


Eventually, they will own and lock up every species on the planet, and every species they do release will be their own, genetically modified products. Congress made a gigantic error in allowing genetics to be patented. That is what is allowing Monsanto total global domination of the food. Sinfonian is absolutely right!


IF and WHEN they have a crop failure, it will be mean the starvations of BILLIONS of people - because, worldwide, they own the food.


Eventually Monsanto will find a way to make it illegal to grow your own food and we will have to hide what we are doing. (I'll have Cynthia start treating me for paranoia tomorrow.) Until then, we must do everything in our power to keep the open-pollenation and heirlooms viable. It may someday save the human race (Okay, and savior/martyr complex.)

Garden Green
12-28-2008, 06:05 PM
Good founded paranoia, Monica. I could see them eventually going to such an extreme. Look at that family they fought and won against in Canada. They had been growing food from their own seed from generations on that land, Monsanto came in and planted some things near them, then took them to court and said that they had the right to confiscate their entire seed stock because of the patents.

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled in Monsanto's favor. Generations of careful growing and saving obliterated in an instant because of pollen from Monsanto crops mingled with someone elses. How in the world can one be able to claim such a thing? Though, I guess it falls under that "sue McDonald's for burning one's lip on hot coffee and win" kind of scenario.

I think the patents only cover making profit from the sales of whatever is grown from the seeds. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but they'd have a long way to go if they want to stomp on the home gardener because usually, most home gardeners grow and can mostly only what they need. Though, I could see the farmer's markets suffering immensely due to these restrictions if they ever came about.

It's just depressing.

Seed swap anyone? Hehe.

MoniDew
12-30-2008, 12:55 PM
happy to have my psychosis serving the greater good!

carmin
12-30-2008, 07:25 PM
Monica what worries me is not that Congress made a mistake allowing the patents. I have no doubt it was not a mistake on their part. Monsanto and friends can buy just about anyone. I lost my trust in our "representatives" a long time ago. Just look at the FDA, they rubber stamp extremely dangerous, so called, medications and who cares about the people who take them. They allow extremely toxic chemical to be used in food production. It's no mistake on their part, they rarely do their own tests, they go by the ones sponsored by the same chemical companies that created those poisons to begin with. They are not the only ones betraying the American public's trust. I have been called paranoid most of my life. I have been storing and saving seeds for as long as I remember. Even my daughter finally admited she thought I was a bit off my rocker, now that our actuality is proving me right. The warnings have been out there for a very long time, people were just not listening. They chose to trust the wrong people. The Rodale Institute gave the warning many decades ago. But, there is still hope as people are waking.