Tag: organic seed

New GMO Lawsuit – This Time Suing Monsanto

Lawyers are busy trying to deal with new challenges from manufacturers of genetically engineered seed crops. There are two in the works now: one against the USDA charging that they did not handle the approval of genetically modified alfalfa in a lawful manner. The second is is a preemptive move that challenges the right of Monsanto to charge farmers whose plants have become contaminated with Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds with intellectual piracy. The Cornucopia Institute is a plaintiff in both cases, and Mark Kastel speaks about these issues.

San Francisco Public Library Lends Seeds AND Books

The San Francisco Public Library is launching a pilot program at the Potrero Branch where residents can “check out” seeds, borrow books, tap into databases, and find other information sources about urban gardening. The process is simple: residents choose from a list of vegetable seeds available in the Seed Library collection, borrow them, and plant their seeds. After they have harvested their crops, they save the seeds from the heartiest and healthiest of their harvest and return the seeds to the same branch.

Seeds – Organic or Not? (Audio)

Marra Farm in Seattle’s South Park, an urban farm that grows food for the hungry, is caught in a moral dilemma. Should they use seeds donated from companies who also sell Monsanto varieties? Martha Baskin, Green Acre Radio, visits the farm and explores the issue.

Seed Banks – Our Insurance Policy for Food

We put money in banks to keep it safe, so it will be there when we need it. In the same way, seeds are put in special facilities, called seed banks, which keep them safe and extend their viability, so they will be available for many years.

The Importance of Seed, Frank Morton

Frank Morton has been breeding and selecting seed for more than 25 years. In this video, he talks about the importance of seed and how the interaction between seed and human changed both.

GMO Alfalfa – A Layman’s Discussion of On-going Litigation (Audio)

Listen to this broadcast by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, where Susan Barnett talks with Page Tomaselli, a staff attorney with the Center for Food Safety about the decision by the USDA to allow unrestricted planting of genetically engineered alfalfa. It’s not the first crop that’s been genetically engineered by chemical giant Monsanto to allow heavy pesticide use, but it’s perhaps the most threatening so far, with opponents calling it the beginning of genetic pollution of not only crops, but the animals and people who eat them.

10 things you can do about GMOs in the food system

In the last month three genetically modified crops were partially or completely deregulated: alfalfa, sugar beets, and a type of corn used for ethanol production. GE salmon are awaiting a decision by the FDA because they are animals and not crops and the modification is considered a “new animal drug.” Here are a few things you can do.